माया

See also: मायी

Hindi

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.

Declension

Declension of माया
	Singular	Plural
Direct	माया (māyā)	मायाएँ (māyāẽ)
Oblique	माया (māyā)	मायाओं (māyāon)
Vocative	माया (māyā)	मायाओ (māyāo)

Related terms

• मायी (māyī)

References

• Platts, John T. (1884), “माया”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & co.

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Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative forms

• māyā (Latin script)
• 𑀫𑀸𑀬𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• মাযা (Bengali script)
• මායා (Sinhalese script)
• မာယာ (Burmese script)
• มายา (Thai script)
• ᨾᩣᨿᩣ (Tai Tham script)
• មាយា (Khmer script)

Noun

माया f

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

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Sanskrit

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑː.jɑː/

• (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

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of माया (māyā́)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	माया māyā́	माये māyé	मायाः māyā́ḥ
Vocative	माये mā́ye	माये mā́ye	मायाः mā́yāḥ
Accusative	मायाम् māyā́m	माये māyé	मायाः māyā́ḥ
Instrumental	मायया / माया¹ māyáyā / māyā́¹	मायाभ्याम् māyā́bhyām	मायाभिः māyā́bhiḥ
Dative	मायायै māyā́yai	मायाभ्याम् māyā́bhyām	मायाभ्यः māyā́bhyaḥ
Ablative	मायायाः māyā́yāḥ	मायाभ्याम् māyā́bhyām	मायाभ्यः māyā́bhyaḥ
Genitive	मायायाः māyā́yāḥ	माययोः māyáyoḥ	मायानाम् māyā́nām
Locative	मायायाम् māyā́yām	माययोः māyáyoḥ	मायासु māyā́su
Notes	¹Vedic

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

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of माया (māyā́)
	Singular
Nominative	माया māyā́
Vocative	माये mā́ye
Accusative	मायाम् māyā́m
Instrumental	मायया / माया¹ māyáyā / māyā́¹
Dative	मायायै māyā́yai
Ablative	मायायाः māyā́yāḥ
Genitive	मायायाः māyā́yāḥ
Locative	मायायाम् māyā́yām
Notes	¹Vedic

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