# माया
## Hindi
### Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit माया (māyā́).

### Pronunciation

* (Delhi) IPA: /mɑː.jɑː/, [mäː.jäː]

### Noun

माया • (māyā) f (Urdu spelling مایا)
* illusion, deceit
* (Hinduism) maya, the veil on reality
    यह संसार माया है। ― yah sansār māyā hai. ― This world is an illusion.
* (Hinduism) maya, divine power
    ईश्वर की माया अनंत है।īśvar kī māyā anant hai.The divine power of God is infinite.

#### 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)
* Love, affection
* Illusion

### References

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

## Pali
### Alternative forms

* 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
* fraud
* deceit
* magic
* jugglery

## Sanskrit
### 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: /mɑː.jɑ́ː/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /ˈmɑː.jɑː/

### Noun

माया • (māyā́) stem, f
* (Vedic) art, wisdom, inhuman or supernatural power
* (Vedic) love, affection
* (Vedic, Classical Sanskrit) illusion, deception, trickery, demonic magic
** Kālīdāsa, Raghuvaṃśa 2.62:मया मायां उद्भाव्या परीक्षितः असिmayā māyāṃ udbhāvyā parīkṣitaḥ asiI have examined you by creating an illusion
* an unreal or illusory image, phantom, apparition
* (Buddhism) duplicity, one of the 24 minor evil passions
* (philosophy) illusion
* (Shaivism) one of the 4 pāśas (“snares”) which entangle the soul
* (Vaishnavism) one of the 9 shaktis (“energies”) of Vishnu
* compassion, sympathy
* Operculina turpethum (Convolvulus turpethum)
* (poetry) name of two poetic meters

#### Descendants

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

### Proper noun

माया • (māyā́) stem, f
* The name of several goddesses (Illusion personified, Lakshmi)
* a female given name, equivalent to English Maya (famously held by the mother of the Buddha)
* A city
* (poetry, in the dual, māye indrasya) name of 2 sāmans

#### Descendants

* → English: Maya

### References

* ↑ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “māyā́-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 349-50

### Further reading

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