माया

See also: मायी

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit माया (māyā́).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hindi) 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

Proper noun

माया • (māyā) f

1. a female given name, Maya, from Sanskrit

Related terms

• मायी (māyī)

References

• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975), “माया”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. “Sea of Hindi words”] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha, page 3893
• Caturvedi, Mahendra; Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970), “माया”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House, page 593
• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993), “माया”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 807
• Bahri, Hardev (1989), “माया”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons, page 505.

Nepali

Noun

माया • (māyā)

1. Love, affection
2. Illusion

References

• “माया”, in नेपाली बृहत् शब्दकोश (nepālī br̥hat śabdakoś) [Comprehensive Nepali Dictionary]‎^[3], 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. Probably unrelated to Bulgarian мая (maja, “distract, enchant, delay”).

Pronunciation

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

Noun

मा॒या • (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 मा॒या

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	मा॒या (māyā́)	मा॒ये (māyé)	मा॒याः (māyā́ḥ)
accusative	मा॒याम् (māyā́m)	मा॒ये (māyé)	मा॒याः (māyā́ḥ)
instrumental	मा॒यया॑ (māyáyā) मा॒या¹ (māyā́¹)	मा॒याभ्या॑म् (māyā́bhyām)	मा॒याभिः॑ (māyā́bhiḥ)
dative	मा॒यायै॑ (māyā́yai)	मा॒याभ्या॑म् (māyā́bhyām)	मा॒याभ्यः॑ (māyā́bhyaḥ)
ablative	मा॒यायाः॑ (māyā́yāḥ) मा॒यायै॑² (māyā́yai²)	मा॒याभ्या॑म् (māyā́bhyām)	मा॒याभ्यः॑ (māyā́bhyaḥ)
genitive	मा॒यायाः॑ (māyā́yāḥ) मा॒यायै॑² (māyā́yai²)	मा॒ययोः॑ (māyáyoḥ)	मा॒याना॑म् (māyā́nām)
locative	मा॒याया॑म् (māyā́yām)	मा॒ययोः॑ (māyáyoḥ)	मा॒यासु॑ (māyā́su)
vocative	माये॑ (mā́ye)	माये॑ (mā́ye)	मायाः॑ (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), மாயம் (māyam)
• → Thai: มายา (maa-yaa)

Proper noun

मा॒या • (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 मा॒या

	singular
nominative	मा॒या (māyā́)
accusative	मा॒याम् (māyā́m)
instrumental	मा॒यया॑ (māyáyā) मा॒या¹ (māyā́¹)
dative	मा॒यायै॑ (māyā́yai)
ablative	मा॒यायाः॑ (māyā́yāḥ) मा॒यायै॑² (māyā́yai²)
genitive	मा॒यायाः॑ (māyā́yāḥ) मा॒यायै॑² (māyā́yai²)
locative	मा॒याया॑म् (māyā́yām)
vocative	माये॑ (mā́ye)

• ¹Vedic
• ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• → English: Maya
• → Tamil: மாயை (māyai)

Further reading

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