Maya

Maya is a central concept in Hindu dharma, denoting the cosmic power that projects the appearance of the phenomenal world, veiling the true, unchanging reality of Brahman. The term appears as early as the Rigveda (e.g., Rigveda 6.47.18), where it refers to the mysterious, creative power of the gods, especially Indra, who assumes many forms through his māyā. In the Upanishads, Maya evolves into a philosophical principle: the Shvetashvatara Upanishad (4.10) declares that Prakriti (nature) is māyā, and the great Lord (Maheshvara) is the wielder of māyā. The Bhagavad Gita (7.14) describes Maya as the divine, three-guṇa (sattva, rajas, tamas) energy of Krishna, difficult to overcome, yet those who surrender to Him cross beyond it.

In Advaita Vedanta, systematized by Shankara, Maya is the inscrutable power (shakti) of Brahman that superimposes the world of names and forms (nama-rupa) upon the one non-dual reality. It is neither real (sat) nor unreal (asat), but anirvacaniya (indescribable). The Devi Mahatmya (5.23) personifies Maya as the great goddess Durga, who deludes even the gods, highlighting her role as both the creative and delusive aspect of the divine. Iconographically, Maya is often depicted as a beautiful woman holding a veil, or as a goddess with multiple arms, symbolizing her power to weave the cosmic web.

In some traditions, she is identified with Lakshmi or Saraswati as the consort of Vishnu or Brahma, respectively. Regional worship includes the cult of Maya Devi in parts of North India, where she is revered as a form of the Goddess. In Hindu cosmology, Maya operates at both the macrocosmic level (creating the universe) and the microcosmic level (binding the individual jiva through ignorance). The goal of spiritual practice is to pierce the veil of Maya and realize one's identity with Brahman, as taught in the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads.

Often personified as a woman, the goddess Maya. Represented as a veil over reality.