As a deity name
Name 21 of the Gayatri Sahasranāma — Devi Bhagavata Purana, as taught by Sages
Name 554 of the Saraswati Sahasranāma — Skanda Purana, as taught by Lord Brahma / Sages
As a Hindi name
No reading on this path — this spelling has no entry in our Hindi sources, and no near neighbour is attested there either. We say so rather than invent one.
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
ignorance, spiritual ignorance, -
Scripturally attestedWhy this matches what you typed
M1 · same meaning "avidyāyai" is the dative of "avidyā" — the same word in a different grammatical case.
M1 · same meaning "avidyāyai" is the dative of "avidya" — the same word in a different grammatical case.
Related forms
Dictionary citations
a-vidyā f. ignorance, spiritual ignorance, AV. xi, 8, 23; VS. xl, 12-14; ŚBr. xiv
(in Vedānta phil.) illusion (personified as Māyā); ignorance together with nonexistence, Buddh.
a-vidya mfn. unlearned, unwise, Mn. ix, 205, &c.
avidya a. 1 Not educated, unlearned, foolish, unwise; avidyānāṃ tu sarveṣāmīhātaśceddhanaṃ bhavet Ms. 9. 205. 2 Not pertaining to knowledge. — dyā 1 Ignorance, folly, want of learning. 2 Spiritual ignorance. 3 Illusion, illusion personified or Māyā (a term frequently occurring in Vedānta; by means of this illusion one perceives the universe, which does not really exist, as inherent in Brahma which alone really exists). The term appears also in the systems of Gautama, Patañjali, Kapila, where it has different bearings; (with Buddhists) ignorance together with non-existence.
Caveats
Sources contain errors and engines have limits; every claim above carries its citation so you can verify it. This is guidance about names and their sources — not religious or astrological consultation. How we work · Our sources