->Kashmiri at 19:41, 1 January 2022

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{{Short description|Honorific}}{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2016}}'''Mahātmā''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|h|ɑː|t|m|ə|,_|-|ˈ|h|æ|t|-}}) is a honorific that in [[Sanskrit]] means "great soul" (महात्मा ''mahātmā'': महा ''mahā'' 'great' + आत्मा ''ātmā'' 'soul').

The term is commonly used for [[Mohandas Gandhi|Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi]], who is often referred to simply as "Mahatma Gandhi". Albeit less frequently, this [[epithet]] is also been used with regard to such people as [[Basava]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archivepmo.nic.in/drmanmohansingh/speech-details.php?nodeid=333|title=PM's address on the occasion of release of Commemorative Coin in honour of Mahatma Basaveshwara : Speeches : Prime Minister of India – Dr. Manmohan Singh (May 22, 2004 – 26th May 2014)|website=archivepmo.nic.in|access-date=7 August 2018}}</ref> (1131–1167), [[Swami Shraddhananda]] (1856–1926), [[Lalon Shah]] (1772–1890), [[Ayyankali]] (1863–1941), and [[Jyotirao Phule]] (1827–1890).

The term ''mahātmā'' has also been historically used for a class of religious scholars in [[Jainism]]; for the selected religious leaders in [[Theosophy]]; and for local religious teachers in the [[Divine Light Mission]] church.

=={{anchor|Theosophy}} In Theosophy==
[[File:Fakir Lalon Shah.jpg|thumb|right|[[Lalon]].]]
The word, used in a technical sense, was popularized in [[Theosophy (Blavatskian)|theosophical]] literature in the late 19th century, when [[Helena Blavatsky]], one of the founders of the [[Theosophical Society]], claimed that her teachers were [[adept]]s (or Mahatmas) who reside in [[Asia]]. According to the Theosophical teachings, the Mahatmas are not disembodied beings, but highly evolved people involved in overseeing the spiritual growth of individuals and the development of civilizations. Blavatsky was the first person in modern times to claim contact with these Adepts, especially the "Masters" [[Koot Hoomi]] and [[Morya (Theosophy)|Morya]]. [[Alvin Boyd Kuhn]] wrote about mahātmās:<ref>Kuhn (1930), – p. 147.</ref>
<blockquote>
The Masters whom Theosophy presents to us are simply high-ranking students in life's school of experience. They are members of our own evolutionary group, not visitants from the celestial spheres. They are supermen only in that they have attained knowledge of the laws of life and mastery over its forces with which we are still struggling.
</blockquote>

After Blavatsky's death in 1891, numerous individuals have claimed to be in contact with her Adept Teachers. These individuals have stated that they are new "messengers" of the Masters and they have conveyed various esoteric teachings.<ref>[http://blavatskyarchives.com/latermessengers.htm Madame Blavatsky & the Latter-Day Messengers of the Masters].</ref> Currently, various Theosophical movements refer to them as [[Ascended Master]]s, although their character and teachings are in several respects different from those described by Blavatsky.<ref>Leadbeater, C. W. ''The Masters and the Path''. Adyar, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1929 (Reprint: Kessinger Publishing, 1997).</ref><ref>Partridge, Christopher ed. ''New Religions: A Guide: New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities'' Oxford University Press, USA 2004.</ref>

===Criticism===
There has been a great deal of controversy concerning the existence of adepts. Blavatsky's critics have doubted the existence of her Masters. See, for example, W. E. Coleman's "exposes".

[[K. Paul Johnson]] in his books<ref>Johnson (1994), Johnson (1995) – p. 49.</ref> speculates that the "Masters" that [[Helena Blavatsky|Blavatsky]] wrote about and produced letters from were actually idealizations of people who were her [[mentor]]s. Aryel Sanat,<ref>"Aryel Sanat (Miguel Angel Sanabria) is currently Adjunct Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the American University in Washington, D.C." // [https://books.google.com/books?id=0dHP2f_6k4YC&dq=editions:jYIKHxJulMgC&hl=ru&source=gbs_navlinks_s About the author of ''The inner life of Krishnamurthy'' in 1999.]</ref> author of ''The inner life of Krishnamurti: private passion and perennial wisdom'', wrote that Johnson "claims in all of his books that there were no Masters at all in early [[Theosophical Society|[Theosophical Society]]] history, & that [[Helena Blavatsky|[Helena Blavatsky]]] '''invented''' them (as others had claimed she had invented her travels)." Sanat wrote that Johnson "'''deliberately''' ignores the main sources of evidence for their real physical existence."<ref>See [http://www.theos-talk.com/archives/200005/tt00087.html ''Theosophy World.'']</ref> What Sanat thought these were is not made quite clear.

== Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi as ''Mahātmā'' ==
{{Main article|Mahatma Gandhi}}
[[File:Gandhi writing, 1942.jpg|thumb|[[Mohandas Gandhi]], who is commonly referred to as the Mahatma in modern times]]
According to some authors, [[Rabindranath Tagore]] is said to have used this title for Gandhi on 6 March 1915.<ref>Dutta, Krishna and Andrew Robinson, ''Rabindranath Tagore: An Anthology'', p. 2</ref> Some claim that he was called Mahatma by the residents of Gurukul Kangadi in April 1915,<ref>[http://inextlive.jagran.com/mahatma-gandhi-201210010040 और इस तरह गांधी महात्मा बन गए, 01-Oct-2012]</ref> and he in turn called the founder Munshiram a Mahatma (who later became [[Swami Shraddhananda]]). However, a document honoring him with the title "Mahatma" on 21 January 1915, in [[Jetpur, Navagadh|Jetpur]], Gujarat, by [[Nautamlal Bhagavanji Mehta|Nautamlal Bhagvanji Mehta]] is preserved at the National Gandhi Museum in New Delhi, India.<ref>[http://gandhimuseum.org/site/sections/photo-section/ National Gandhi Museum, New Delhi]; [http://www.kamdartree.com/index.php?id=57&stitle=Mahatma%20&%20Kamdars KamdarTree.com]</ref> A private letter from Gandhi's friend [[Pranjivan Mehta]] to [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]] in 1909 referred to Gandhi with the title and thus remains the earliest written record available to use the title. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theprint.in/opinion/a-lesser-known-friend-of-gandhi-who-gave-the-mahatma-a-lesson-in-european-etiquette/743491/|title = A lesser-known friend of Gandhi who gave the 'Mahatma' a lesson in European etiquette|date = 2 October 2021}}</ref> The use of the term Mahatma in [[Jainism]] to denote a class of lay priests, has been noted since the 17th century. A Mahatma is someone who practices [[Trikaranasuddhi]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Sankar R N|first1=Ajith|date=Jul–Dec 2012|title=Ascertaining Linkages between Trikaranasuddhi and 'Tapping Spirituality as the Context of Leadership'|journal=IPE Journal of Management|volume=1|issue=2|pages=81–105|ssrn=2212138}}</ref>

==In the Divine Light Mission==
The [[Divine Light Mission]] (DLM) was a [[Contemporary Sant Mat movements|Sant Mat]]-based movement begun in India in the 1930s by [[Hans Ji Maharaj]] and formally incorporated in 1960. The DLM had as many as 2,000 Mahatmas, all from India or Tibet, who taught the DLM's secret meditation techniques called "Knowledge". The Mahatmas, called "realized souls",<ref name="Price, Maeve 1979 Page 279-296">Price, Maeve (1979): The Divine Light Mission as a social organization. (1) Sociological Review, 27, Page 279-296</ref> or "apostles", also served as local leaders.<ref>[[Saul V. Levine|Levine, Saul V.]] in {{cite book |author=Galanter, Marc |title=Cults and New Religious Movements: A Report of the American Psychiatric Association |publisher=American Psychiatric Pub., Inc |year=1989 |isbn=0-89042-212-5 }}</ref> After Hans Ji's death in 1966 his youngest son, [[Prem Rawat]] (known then as Guru Maharaj Ji or Bagyogeshwar), succeeded him. The young guru appointed some new Mahatmas, including one from the United States. In one incident, a prominent Indian Mahatma nearly beat a man to death in Detroit for throwing a pie at the guru.<ref>{{cite news|title=Who's Who in Gurus|first=Dennis |last=Bartel|page= 55|work=Harper's|date=November 1983}}</ref> In the early 1980s, Prem Rawat replaced the Divine Light Mission organization with the Elan Vital and replaced the Mahatmas with initiators. The initiators did not have the revered status of the Mahatmas, and they were drawn mostly from Western followers.<ref name="Price, Maeve 1979 Page 279-296"/> In the 2000s, the initiators were replaced by a video in which Rawat teaches the techniques himself.

==In Jainism==
{{Further|Yati}}
[[File:MewarRamayanaP22MahatmaHirananda.jpg|thumb|Mewad Ramayana manuscript: The colophon in red: state text was written by the Mahatma Hirananda, was commissioned by Acarya Jasvant for the library of Maharana Jagat Singh I of Mewar. Finished on Friday 25 November 1650]]
Among the [[Jain]]s the term Mahatma is used for the class for scholars who are householders.

===Mahatma Hirananda of Mewad===
The Mewad Ramayana<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26670449 In pictures: Stunning Ramayana manuscript goes digital, BBC, 21 March 2014]</ref> described as "one of the most beautiful manuscripts in the world"<ref>[http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/indiaatlse/2014/06/13/mewar-ramayana/ The Mewar Ramayana at the British Library: How the complete digital version came to be]</ref> has been digitally reunited after being split between organizations in the UK and India for over 150 years, by the British Library and CSMVS Museum in Mumbai. The colophon states that the text, commissioned by Acarya Jasvant for the library of Maharana Jagat Singh I of Mewar, was written by the Mahatma Hirananda, was finished on Friday 25 November 1650.<ref>[http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ramayana/accessible/pages21and22.html#content Ramayana – Pages 21 and 22 (British Library Add MS 15296-15297 and IO San 3621)]</ref> Mahatma Hirananda being a Jain scribe, incorporated traditional Jain scribal elements into the manuscript.<ref>[http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ramayana/accessible/pages3and4.html#content Ramayana – Pages 3 and 4]</ref>

===Jain Mahatmas in ''[[Dabestān-e Mazāheb]]''===
The famous ''[[Dabestān-e Mazāheb]]'' often attributed to one Mohsin Fani, written around 1655 CE. is a text written in the Mughal period that describes various religions and philosophies the author encountered.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=cxJgAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1&dq=THE+DABIST%C3%81N,+OR+SCHOOL+OF+MANNERS&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q=THE%20DABIST%C3%81N%2C%20OR%20SCHOOL%20OF%20MANNERS&f=false The Dabistán: Or, School of Manners: The Religious Beliefs, Observances, Philosophic Opinions and Social Customs of the Nations of the East, Fani Muhsin, Translated by David Shea, Anthony Troyer, Publisher, M. Walter Dunne, 1901 p. 275-276]</ref> Its Section 11 is dedicated to Jainism. It states: "Similar to the dervishes of both classes (Monk and [[Yati|Jatis]]) is a third sect, called Mahá-átma; group separated from the Oswal Jains, have the dress and appearance of Jatis; however, do not pluck their hair with tweezers, but cut it. They live the social life and spread the teaching of Mahavir and other Jain Trithankar in the society. They accumulate money, cook their meal in their houses, drink cold water, and take to them a wife." The term Mahatma was thus used for priests/scholars who were not celibate. The present [[Persian language|Persian]] edition of the text by Rezazadeh Malik attributes it to the son and successor of [[Azar Kayvan]], 'Kay Khosrow Esfandiyar'.

== See also ==
* [[Ascended masters]]
* [[Initiation (Theosophy)]]
* [[Theosophy (Blavatskian)|Theosophy]]
*[[Alice Bailey|Alice A.Bailey]]
*[[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky]]
*[[Helena Roerich]]
*[[Benjamin Creme]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography ==
* French, Brendan James (2000) [[hdl:2123/7147|''The theosophical masters: an investigation into the conceptual domains of H.P. Blavatsky and C.W. Leadbeater.'']] Ph.D. thesis, [[University of Sydney]], Department of Religious Studies. Sydney.
* Johnson, K. Paul (1994) ''The Masters Revealed: Madam Blavatsky and Myth of the Great White Brotherhood.'' Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.
* Johnson, K. Paul (1995) ''Initiates of Theosophical Masters.'' Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.
* Kalnitsky, Arnold (2003) [[hdl:10500/2108|''The Theosophical Movement of the Nineteenth Century: The Legitimation of the Disputable and the Entrenchment of the Disreputable.'']] [[University of South Africa]]. Dissertation: 443 pp.
* Kuhn, Alvin Boyd (1930) [http://downloads.members.tripod.com/~pc93/tsphyraw.htm ''Theosophy: A Modern Revival of Ancient Wisdom.''] Ph.D. Thesis. Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger Publishing. {{ISBN|978-1-56459-175-3}}.

== Further reading ==
* Dutta, Krishna, and Andrew Robinson. ''Rabindranath Tagore: An Anthology.'' Picador/Macmillan: London, 1997.

==External links==
{{NIE Poster|year=1905|Mahātma}}
*[http://mahatmaletters.net/ The theosophical Mahatmas and Their Letters]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahatma}}
[[Category:Theosophy]]
[[Category:Theosophical philosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Titles in India]]
[[Category:Mahatma Gandhi]]

Mahātmā - Revision history

->Kashmiri at 19:41, 1 January 2022