माया

See also: मायी

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit माया (māyā́).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /mɑː.jɑː/, [mäː.jäː]

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 (fem ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	माया māyā	मायाएँ māyāẽ
oblique	माया māyā	मायाओं māyāõ
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.

Nepali

Noun

माया • (māyā)

1. Love, affection
2. Illusion

References

• “माया”, in नेपाली बृहत् शब्दकोश (nepālī br̥hat śabdakoś) [Comprehensive Nepali Dictionary]‎^[2], Kathmandu: Nepal Academy, 2018

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• māyā (Latin script)
• 𑀫𑀸𑀬𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• মাযা (Bengali script)
• මායා (Sinhalese script)
• မာယာ or မႃယႃ (Burmese script)
• มายา (Thai script)
• ᨾᩣᨿᩣ (Tai Tham script)
• ມາຍາ or ມາຢາ (Lao script)
• មាយា (Khmer script)
• 𑄟𑄂𑄠𑄂 (Chakma script)

Noun

माया f

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

Sanskrit

FWOTD – 13 March 2019

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• মায়া (Assamese script)
• ᬫᬵᬬᬵ (Balinese script)
• মায়া (Bengali script)
• 𑰦𑰯𑰧𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀫𑀸𑀬𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• မာယာ (Burmese script)
• માયા (Gujarati script)
• ਮਾਯਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌮𑌾𑌯𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦩꦴꦪꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂧𑂰𑂨𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ಮಾಯಾ (Kannada script)
• មាយា (Khmer script)
• ມາຍາ (Lao script)
• മായാ (Malayalam script)
• ᠮᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᠶᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘦𑘰𑘧𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᠮᠠᢗᠶ᠋ᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧆𑧑𑧇𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐩𑐵𑐫𑐵 (Newa script)
• ମାଯା (Odia script)
• ꢪꢵꢫꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆩𑆳𑆪𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖦𑖯𑖧𑖯 (Siddham script)
• මායා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩴𑩛𑩻𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚢𑚭𑚣𑚭 (Takri script)
• மாயா (Tamil script)
• మాయా (Telugu script)
• มายา (Thai script)
• མཱ་ཡཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒧𑒰𑒨𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨢𑨊𑨪𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Most likely a derivative of मा (mā, “measure, magic, binding, fettering”), though derivation from a seṭ-variant of मन् (man, “to think, suppose”) is also possible. Cognate with Bulgarian мая (maja, “distract, enchant, delay”).

Pronunciation

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

Noun

माया • (māyā́) stem, f

1. (Vedic) art, wisdom, inhuman or supernatural power
2. (Vedic) love, affection
3. (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

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

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of माया

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	माया (māyā́)	माये (māyé)	मायाः (māyā́ḥ)
accusative	मायाम् (māyā́m)	माये (māyé)	मायाः (māyā́ḥ)
instrumental	मायया (māyáyā) माया¹ (māyā́¹)	मायाभ्याम् (māyā́bhyām)	मायाभिः (māyā́bhiḥ)
dative	मायायै (māyā́yai)	मायाभ्याम् (māyā́bhyām)	मायाभ्यः (māyā́bhyaḥ)
ablative	मायायाः (māyā́yāḥ) मायायै² (māyā́yai²)	मायाभ्याम् (māyā́bhyām)	मायाभ्यः (māyā́bhyaḥ)
genitive	मायायाः (māyā́yāḥ) मायायै² (māyā́yai²)	माययोः (māyáyoḥ)	मायानाम् (māyā́nām)
locative	मायायाम् (māyā́yām)	माययोः (māyáyoḥ)	मायासु (māyā́su)
vocative	माये (mā́ye)	माये (mā́ye)	मायाः (mā́yāḥ)

• ¹Vedic
• ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• → Balinese: ᬫᬵᬬᬵ
• Pali: māyā
  • Indonesian: maya
  • Malay: maya
• → English: maya
• → Hindi: माया (māyā)
• → Lao: ມາຍາ (m)
• → Nepali: माया (māyā)
• → Tamil: மாயை (māyai)
• → Thai: มายา (maa-yaa)

Proper noun

माया • (māyā́) stem, 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

	singular
nominative	माया (māyā́)
accusative	मायाम् (māyā́m)
instrumental	मायया (māyáyā) माया¹ (māyā́¹)
dative	मायायै (māyā́yai)
ablative	मायायाः (māyā́yāḥ) मायायै² (māyā́yai²)
genitive	मायायाः (māyā́yāḥ) मायायै² (māyā́yai²)
locative	मायायाम् (māyā́yām)
vocative	माये (mā́ye)

• ¹Vedic
• ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• → English: Maya

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “माया”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, pages 811/1-2.