माया

Etymology

From Sanskrit माया (māyā́).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɑː.jɑː/

Noun

माया • (māyā) f (Urdu spelling مایا‎)

1. illusion, deceit
2. (Hinduism) maya, the veil on reality

   यह संसार माया है। ― yah sansār māyā hai. ― This world is an illusion.

3. (Hinduism) maya, divine power

   ईश्वर की माया अनंत है। ― īśvar kī māyā anant hai. ― The divine power of God is infinite.

Alternative forms

Noun

माया f

1. fraud
2. deceit
3. magic
4. jugglery

Etymology

From √म (ma, “measure, magic, binding, fettering”)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /mɑː.jɑ́ː/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑː.jɑː/

Noun

माया • (māyā́) f

1. (Vedic) art, wisdom, inhuman or supernatural power
2. (Vedic, Classical Sanskrit) illusion, deception, trickery, demonic magic
   • Kālīdāsa, Raghuvaṃśa 2.62

     मया मायां उद्भाव्या परीक्षितः असि

     mayā māyāṃ udbhāvyā parīkṣitaḥ asi

     I have examined you by creating an illusion

3. an unreal or illusory image, phantom, apparition
4. (Buddhism) duplicity, one of the 24 minor evil passions
5. (philosophy) illusion
6. (Shaivism) one of the 4 pāśas (“snares”) which entangle the soul
7. (Vaishnavism) one of the 9 shaktis (“energies”) of Vishnu
8. compassion, sympathy
9. Operculina turpethum (Convolvulus turpethum)
10. (poetry) name of two poetic meters

Proper noun

माया • (māyā́) f

1. The name of several goddesses (Illusion personified, Lakshmi)
2. A female given name, equivalent to English Maya (famously held by the mother of the Buddha)
3. A city.
4. (poetry, in the dual, māye indrasya) name of 2 sāmans

References

• Sir Monier Monier-Williams (1898) A Sanskrit-English dictionary etymologically and philologically arranged with special reference to cognate Indo-European languages, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 811/1-2