: the sense-world of manifold phenomena held in Vedanta to conceal the unity of absolute being
broadly
: illusion
plural Maya or Mayas
Examples of maya in a Sentence
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Harish Pullanoor, Quartz India, 18 Dec. 2019
Between the gods and mortal men and women there hung a veil, and its name was maya.
—Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 22 July 2019
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Noun
Circle of fire: The frame around Nataraja is maya, illusion, as experienced through the cyclical phenomenon of birth & death.
—Harish Pullanoor, Quartz India, 18 Dec. 2019
Between the gods and mortal men and women there hung a veil, and its name was maya.
—Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 22 July 2019
Cite this Entry
“Maya.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maya. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Maya
noun
Ma·ya
ˈmī-ə 
plural Maya or Mayas
: a member of a group of Indigenous peoples of the Yucatán Peninsula and neighboring areas
Mayan
adjective
ˈmī-ən
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