maya
माया
Illusion; measure; magic.
Tagged: Hindu
Technical Meaning
In Advaita Vedanta, the power by which the one Brahman appears as the many: the world as experienced is neither simply real nor simply unreal. In earlier Vedic use, maya is the creative power of the gods.
More Sanskrit Terms
- atman — Self.
- bhakti — Devotion; participation; sharing.
- brahman — The expansive; the great.
- dharma — That which is upheld; order; duty.
- karma — Action; deed.
- moksha — Release; liberation.
- samsara — Wandering; the flowing-on.
Related Across the Site
- dharma Glossary Term — That which is upheld; order; duty.
- karma Glossary Term — Action; deed.
- Old Tamil Language — The classical language of Tamil Shaiva and Vaishnava scripture, among the oldest living literary traditions in the world.
- Sanskrit Language — The sacred language of Hinduism and a scriptural language of Buddhism and Jainism: Vedic first, then the classical language of Indian theology.
- St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology Library — An open-access, multi-author theological reference with advanced articles on Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
- Gayatri Mantra Prayer or Creed — The most revered mantra of the Rig Veda, a meditation on the divine light that illumines the mind.
- Mahavakyas Prayer or Creed — The four "great sayings" of the Upanishads declaring the identity of the self (atman) and ultimate reality (Brahman).
- Hinduism World View — Hinduism gathers many traditions around one conviction: the soul is bound to rebirth by karma, and liberation comes when it realizes its oneness with the divine.