Titles of Mara (in Pali & English)

[phil]

Hi all

I have enjoyed the thread with the many titles of the Buddha. Quite inspiring to read through them aloud. Could anyone supply a similar list for Mara? A friend at another group told me about these "5 Mara's that the Buddha defeated."

> (1) Maara of defilements (Kilesa Maara)
> (2) Maara of the aggregates (Khandha Maara)
> (3) Maara of kamma-formations (Abhisankhaara Maara)
> (4) Maara as deity (Devaputta Maara)
> (5) Maara as death (Maccu Maara)

Metta,

Phil

[Ngawang Drolma.]

Thanks Phil, this is a good topic and a good list you gave

[phil]

Hi all

I take it there aren't many such titles.

One I came across in Dhammapada this morning is macaccuraajassa which means "king of death" according to the translation I have.

A related question - I've seen reference to the "armies of Mara." Could someone tell me what they are, along with the Pali, if possible. Thanks.

Metta,

Phil

[sukhamanveti]

Some titles of Mara:

Papima "Evil One"
Kanha "Dark One"
Adhipati "Ruler"
Pamattabandu "Friend of the Heedless"
Namuci (usually left untranslated because most translators are unsure)
Mara "Bringer of Death"
Antaka "End-Maker"

[sukhamanveti]

Hi all

I take it there aren't many such titles.

One I came across in Dhammapada this morning is macaccuraajassa which means "king of death" according to the translation I have.

A related question - I've seen reference to the "armies of Mara." Could someone tell me what they are, along with the Pali, if possible. Thanks.

Metta,

Phil

His armies are named in Sutta Nipata 3.2 verses 436-439. K.R. Norman renders them: sensual pleasures, discontent, hunger and thirst, craving, sloth and torpor, fear, doubt, hypocrisy and obstinacy, gain, renown, honor, fame falsely received, extoling oneself and disparaging others. I don't have the Pali at the moment.

[Dhammanando]

The Abhidhānappadīpikā gives eight. Translated according to the tika's explanation:

Antaka – “The Endmaker”
Vasavattī – “The Wielder of Power”
Pāpimā – “The Malign”
Pajāpati – “Lord of the Generation”
Pamattabandhu – “The Kinsman of the Heedless”
Kaṇha – “The Black One”
Māra – “The Killer”
Namuci – “The Unfreed”

[sukhamanveti]

Hi all

I take it there aren't many such titles.

One I came across in Dhammapada this morning is macaccuraajassa which means "king of death" according to the translation I have.

A related question - I've seen reference to the "armies of Mara." Could someone tell me what they are, along with the Pali, if possible. Thanks.

Metta,

Phil

Mara’s Armies according to Sutta Nipata 3.2

‘‘Kāmā te paṭhamā senā, dutiyā arati vuccati;
Tatiyā khuppipāsā te, catutthī taṇhā pavuccati.

‘‘Pañcamaṃ [pañcamī (sī. pī.)] thinamiddhaṃ te, chaṭṭhā bhīrū pavuccati;
Sattamī vicikicchā te, makkho thambho te aṭṭhamo.

‘‘Lābho siloko sakkāro, micchāladdho ca yo yaso;
Yo cattānaṃ samukkaṃse, pare ca avajānati.


1. Kāma “Sensual Pleasure” or “Sensual Desire”
2. Arati “Dislike” or “Discontent”
3. Khuppipāsā “Hunger and Thirst”
4. Taṇhā “Craving”
5. Thinamiddhaṃ “Sloth and Torpor”
6. Bhīrū “Fear”
7. Vicikicchā “Doubt”
8. Makkha “Hypocrisy” and Thambha “Obstinacy”
9. Lābho siloko sakkāro, micchāladdho ca yo yaso “Gain, fame, honor, whatever glory is wrongly received”
10. Yo cattānaṃ samukkaṃse, pare ca avajānati “Whoever exalts himself and disparages others”

[phil]

Hello Bhante and Sukhamanvati

Very helpful, thanks.

I think reflecting on these things are a way to reflect on the defilements. I particularly like pattamabandu, "friend of the heedless." Mara dangles the fishing hooks through sense door objects and the heedless go fishing. Mara is like a drug dealer, though of course it is all just figurative when dealing with Mara. I wonder how you say drug dealer in Pali?

Metta,

Phil

[phil]

One I came across in Dhammapada this morning is macaccuraajassa which means "king of death" according to the translation I have.

Hi again. I think I got the above wrong. The previous verse mentions Yama, so that is who is being referred to above, I'm pretty sure. The most dramatic appearance of Yama in the suttanta that I can recall is when a Brahmin (?) is brought before him and asked "didn't you see the messengers of the aging, the ill and the dead, and didn't you, being an intellgient man, realize that it will happen to you too and that you should therefore resolve to do good deeds" or words to that effect before casting the poor fellow to the hells. Very impressive sutta! OK, back to Mara.

Metta,

Phil

[sukhamanveti]

Hello Bhante and Sukhamanvati

Very helpful, thanks.

I think reflecting on these things are a way to reflect on the defilements. I particularly like pattamabandu, "friend of the heedless." Mara dangles the fishing hooks through sense door objects and the heedless go fishing. Mara is like a drug dealer, though of course it is all just figurative when dealing with Mara. I wonder how you say drug dealer in Pali?

Metta,

Phil

Hi Phil,

I'm glad you started this thread. Thank you.

I hadn't really given Mara's appellations or his armies much thought before. Now I'm interested. I like that the armies represent all the ways (or the principal ways?) in which Mara tries to draw us off the Path, something worth contemplating in my opinion.

Ed

[Dhammanando]

Hi Phil,

Hi again. I think I got the above wrong. The previous verse mentions Yama, so that is who is being referred to above, I'm pretty sure.

In some places Maccuraja can be an epithet of Mara too, as in the Suttanipata's Mogharaja Sutta.

Best wisehs,
Dhammanando Bhikkhu

[sherubtse]

The Abhidhānappadīpikā gives eight. Translated according to the tika's explanation:

Antaka – “The Endmaker”
Vasavattī – “The Wielder of Power”
Pāpimā – “The Malign”
Pajāpati – “Lord of the Generation”
Pamattabandhu – “The Kinsman of the Heedless”
Kaṇha – “The Black One”
Māra – “The Killer”
Namuci – “The Unfreed”

In case anyone would like a copy of the Abhidhānappadīpikā , as quoted above by the Ven. Dhammanando, you can download it here:

http://books.google.ca/books?id=XYUTAAA ... lt#PPR3,M1

Best wishes,
Sherubtse

[Dhammanando]

Here's a searchable edition of the Abhidhānappadīpikā and its ṭīkā (from the CSCD). It doesn't, however, have an English translation of the words. For that you'll need the one Sherubtse linked to.

Abhidhana.zip

(345.15 KiB) Downloaded 26 times

[phil]

Hello Bhante and Sukhamanvati

Very helpful, thanks.

I think reflecting on these things are a way to reflect on the defilements. I particularly like pattamabandu, "friend of the heedless." Mara dangles the fishing hooks through sense door objects and the heedless go fishing. Mara is like a drug dealer, though of course it is all just figurative when dealing with Mara. I wonder how you say drug dealer in Pali?

Metta,

Phil

Hi Phil,

I'm glad you started this thread. Thank you.

I hadn't really given Mara's appellations or his armies much thought before. Now I'm interested. I like that the armies represent all the ways (or the principal ways?) in which Mara tries to draw us off the Path, something worth contemplating in my opinion.

Ed

I agree, it's yet another angle from which to consider the defilements.

I haven't read it yet, but here is Sayadaw U Pandita (always very strong and clear on sila) on Mara's armies. (Thanks to Bhikkhu Pesala for linking to this whole book in another thread.)

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/pesala/Pan ... Sensuality

Metta,

Phil