the difference between Rajah and Maharajah

[rospikealf]

can anyone help me with a long standing unanswered question "whats the difference if any between "Rahjah and Maharahjah. i have tried looking it up but to no avail

thanks if you can help

[Quizmonster]

Both words come from Sanskrit via Hindi. 'Maha(t)' means 'great' and 'rajah' means 'king'...so, one's 'a king' and the other's 'a great king'.

[rospikealf]

oh thankyou so much, why dont books tell you the answer to it. anyway thanks again

[Dom Tuk]

QM...should it be Maha(n) rather than Maha(t)

[Quizmonster]

I'm no expert in Indic languages, Dom, so - although I knew the difference between the two words' meanings - I thought it best to get the correct etymology. Accordingly, I consulted Chambers Dictionary, which definitely gives the source as 'mahat'. So - if I got it wrong - at least I'm in good company! My apologies if it should, indeed, be 'mahan'.

[butterfly23]

Maha(n) I believe means more 'good' than great and Maha(t) means great. They are in essence the same. I'm no scholar in sanskrit but do speak hindi and thats what I always thought, I may be wrong...