Mahat
A Sanskrit term meaning “great” (also “extensive,” “eminent,” etc.). In the Sš¥khya and Advaita Vedšnta philosophies, it is the first evolute of PRAK¬ITI (or pradh€na), also called buddhi, from which the other 22 principles (tattvas) evolve in turn, the first of them being ahaˆk€ra (“I-making,” i.e., egoism), the principle of individuation, and the next being manas, the thinking principle. The term “mahat” is used in a number of theosophical contexts to refer to “the Kosmic Principle of Intelligence,” “the Universal Intelligence limited by Manvantaric duration” (SD I:62), “manifested Wisdom,” “the Creator,” the THIRD LOGOS, “Universal Mind,” and “Cosmic Ideation.” In the ViŠu Pur€Ša, Mahat is said to produce the cosmic egg (cited in SD I:360). Helena P. BLAVATSKY states that the Vedic storm god Indra “is in reality the cosmic principle Mahat” (SD II:614) and also cites H. H. Wilson, translator of the ViŠu Pur€Ša, who saw a connection between the Hindu Mahat, the Phœnician goddess M¯t, and the Egyptian goddess Mut (SD I:451).
© Copyright by the Theosophical Publishing House, Manila
