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.

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.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /mɑː.jɑ́ː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑː.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 (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 / मायायै² māyā́yāḥ / māyā́yai²	मायाभ्याम् māyā́bhyām	मायाभ्यः māyā́bhyaḥ
Genitive	मायायाः / मायायै² māyā́yāḥ / māyā́yai²	माययोः māyáyoḥ	मायानाम् māyā́nām
Locative	मायायाम् māyā́yām	माययोः māyáyoḥ	मायासु māyā́su
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• → Balinese: ᬫᬵᬬᬵ
• Pali: māyā
  • Indonesian: maya
  • Malay: maya
• → English: maya
• → Hindi: माया (māyā)
• → Lao: ມາຍາ (mā nyā)
• → 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 (māyā́)
	Singular
Nominative	माया māyā́
Vocative	माये mā́ye
Accusative	मायाम् māyā́m
Instrumental	मायया / माया¹ māyáyā / māyā́¹
Dative	मायायै māyā́yai
Ablative	मायायाः / मायायै² māyā́yāḥ / māyā́yai²
Genitive	मायायाः / मायायै² māyā́yāḥ / māyā́yai²
Locative	मायायाम् māyā́yām
Notes	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.