Mithila Mahatmya (Sanskrit: मिथिला महात्म्य ) is a religious text which describes the glories of the Mithila region. It is a section within the larger Brihadvishnupurana, a revered Sanskrit text.[1][2]

Mithila Mahatmya
Information
ReligionHinduism
LanguageSanskrit
Period5th Century AD
Chapters21
Verses284
Section of Brihadvishnupurana

Description

edit

The Mithila Mahatmya literally translates to "The Glory of Mithila" and refers to texts that extol the virtues and importance of the Mithila region in Hinduism. In the text Mithila Mahatmya, there are dialogues between Maitreya and the sage Parashara. In the dialogues, Maitreyia asked to the sage Parashara about the glories and sacredness of the Mithila region, then he described the glories and sacredness of Mithila, the land between the Ganges and Himalayas, blessed by 15 rivers. It highlights Mithila as the birthplace of Goddess Sita, the wife of Lord Rama, and a place of knowledge and divine favor. The text Mithila Mahatmya also provides the origin of King Mithi (founder of the kingdom of Mithila), the details of the boundary of Mithila, the well known Mithila Madhya Parikrama and geography of the region, etc. Some sources mention the period of the composition of the text Brihadvishnupurana as 5th Century AD. It was later translated in Maithili language and composed in Mithilakshara scripts by Pandit Jata Thakur, possibly during 18 century CE. Later it was translated in Hindi by Dharmnath Sharma and published by Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University in an edited-revised form based on an old manuscript.[1] Similarly Pandit Lal Das composed his first composition in Maithili language which is an epic poem titled Mithila Mahatmya.[3][4] In 2021, Dhruv Rai, the associate professor of Yajnavalkya Lakshminarayan Vidyapeeth, Matihani, has translated the text Mithila Mahatmya into Nepali language.[5]

Contents

edit

In the text Mithila Mahatmya, there are twenty one chapters. The total number of shlokas in the text is two hundred eighty four.[6]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b धर्मनाथ शर्मा (1980). वृहद्विष्णुपुराणीय मिथिला माहात्म्यम्. कामेश्वर सिंह दरभंगा संस्कृत विश्वविद्यालय.
  2. ^ Mishra, Vijayakanta (1979). Cultural Heirtage Of Mithila.
  3. ^ "18 ग्रंथों के प्रणेता थे मिथिला के धरोहर महाकवि पंडित लालदास : डॉ. संजीव". Dainik Bhaskar.
  4. ^ "'जानकी रामायण', ऐसी रामायण जो राम पर नहीं सीता पर आधारित है". News18 हिंदी (in Hindi). 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  5. ^ "नेपाली भाषामा 'मिथिला माहात्म्य'". Annapurna Post (in Nepali). Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  6. ^ धर्मनाथ शर्मा (1980). वृहद्विष्णुपुराणीय मिथिला माहात्म्यम्. कामेश्वर सिंह दरभंगा संस्कृत विश्वविद्यालय.