魔羅

From Sanskrit मार (māra, “killing; death; destroyer; demon”).

魔羅

1. (Buddhism) mara (demon)

Transcription of Sanskrit मार (Māra, “the Destroyer, the Evil One”).[1][2][3][4][5] The kanji are ateji (当て字).

The shift from "Buddhist evil demon" to "penis" was originally slang use among monks,[1][2][3][4] in reference to sexual desires distracting one from the path to enlightenment.

Some sources link this term to 放る (maru, “to excrete”).[1][2] However, the verb maru refers to "excreting" bodily wastes in general, not just urination but also defecation, and some sources also list flatulation as an included sense.[4] In addition, other nouns attested from Old Japanese that derive from verbs and end in -a appear to be the result of the action of the verb, which does not fit this case. Ultimately, the proposed connection between Sanskrit-derived mara ("penis") and Japonic-derived maru ("to excrete") appears to be a folk etymology, likely arising from the superficial similarity in forms.

First attested in the Nihon Ryōiki, in a section dated to the early 800s.[1]

• (Tokyo) まら​ [màráꜜ] (Odaka – [2])[3][5]
• (Tokyo) ま​ら [máꜜrà] (Atamadaka – [1])[5]
• IPA^(key): [ma̠ɾa̠]

• (Yamanashi) まら​ [màráꜜ] (Odaka – [2])[6]
• IPA^(key): [ma̠ɾa̠]

魔(ま)羅(ら) • (mara) 

1. [from early 800s] (Buddhism) Mara: a Buddhist demon that personifies the "death" of spiritual life
2. [from early 800s] (anatomy) penis

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:陰茎

   • 938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō, volume 2, page 45:

     玉茎 房内經云 玉茎 男陰名也 [...] 一云 麻良 [...]

     玉茎 房内經云 玉茎 男陰名也 [...] 一云 麻良 [...]

     Penis: The Classic of the Bedchamber calls it 'jade stalk', it is a name for the male sex organ [...] One name [is] mara

   • 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho, page 386:

     Mara. l, nancon. マラ. または, ナンコン (𨳯. または, 男根) 陰茎. 卑語.

     Mara. l, nancon. マラ. または, ナンコン (𨳯. または, 男根) 陰茎. 卑語.

     Mara. Also, nancon^[sic]. A penis. Vulgar language.

• Doi, Tadao (1603–1604) Hōyaku Nippo Jisho (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, published 1980, →ISBN.
• Minamoto, Shitagō with Kyōto Daigaku Bungakubu Kokugogaku Kokubungaku Kenkyūshitu (931–938) Shohon Shūsei Wamyō Ruijushō: Honbunhen (in Japanese), Kyōto: Rinsen, published 1968, →ISBN.

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

• IPA^(key): /mara/

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara) 

1. (anatomy) penis

• 岩倉市郎 (1941) 喜界島方言集 [Kikai-jima Dialect Collection]‎ (in Japanese), 中央公論社, page 279

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

• IPA^(key): /maɾaː/

魔(ま)羅(らー) (marā) 

1. (anatomy) penis

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

• IPA^(key): /mara/

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara) 

1. (anatomy) penis

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

• IPA^(key): /mara/

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara) 

1. (anatomy) penis

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

• IPA^(key): /mara/

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara) 

1. (anatomy) penis

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

• IPA^(key): /mara/

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara) 

1. (anatomy) penis

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

• IPA^(key): /mara/

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara) 

1. (anatomy) penis

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

• IPA^(key): /mara/

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara) 

1. (anatomy) penis