| Translations of Mahoraga | |
|---|---|
| English | Great Reptilian |
| Sanskrit | महोरग (IAST: mahoraga) |
| Pali | महोरग (mahoraga) |
| Chinese | 摩睺羅伽 (Pinyin: móhóuluóqié) |
| Japanese | 摩睺羅伽 (Rōmaji: magoraga) |
| Korean | 마후라가 (RR: mahuraga) |
| Tibetan | ལྟོ་འཕྱེ་ཆེན་པོ་ Wylie: lto ’phye chen po |
| Vietnamese | ma hầu la già |
| Glossary of Buddhism | |
The Mahoraga (Sanskrit: महोरग), also pronounced as Maha-Uraga ("Greater Dragons") are a race of deities in Buddhism, and Jainism. They are the exalted ones among the Uragas, a race of primordial reptilian beings who are cousins to the nāga. Like the nāga, they are often depicted as anthropomorphic beings with reptilian bodies from the waist down. However, their appearance can differ depending on artistic tradition, sometimes having serpent heads with humanoid bodies.[1]
The Mahoraga are one of the eight classes of deities (aṣṭasenā) that are said to protect the Dharma. They are described as huge subterranean serpents who lie on their sides and rotate the earth, which occasionally causes earthquakes.[2]
Like the kinnara, the mahoraga are also associated with music. They are understood as being associated with large serpents such as pythons, while the nāgas are more closely related to the cobra.[3]
According to the Śariputraparipṛcchā Sūtra (T. 1465), one is reborn as a mahoraga as a result of practicing generosity and upholding the Dharma, while being inclined toward anger.
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