What is the etymology of the word マラ?


Does anyone have an opinion on the etymology of the word マラ, a crude term for
penis? Any thoughts on usage are also appreciated.

[(via archive.org) http://gogen-
allguide.com/ma/mara.html](https://web.archive.org/web/20111229002745/http://gogen-
allguide.com/ma/mara.html)




Quoting from the page you mentioned:

> `マラ` was originally a word used by monks, and there is a prevailing view
> that the etymology comes from a transliteration of the Sanskrit
> "[Mara](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mara_%28demon%29)" meaning "evil god
> who prevents good conduct,
> [Klesha](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleshas_%28Buddhism%29) which amounts
> to an obstruction to [Satori](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satori)", but
> it's not known if that is accurate.
>
> Otherwise, there is a theory that the etymology of `マラ` is from an
> alternative form of the verb `放{ま}る` meaning "excretion", a theory that it
> came from `茎{くき}` to be `真茎{マラ}` and a theory that it came from `末裸{マラ}`
> among others.

