As a deity name
Name 28 of the Durga Sahasranāma — Kula Arnava Tantra / Skanda Purana, as taught by Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvati
Name 787 of the Gayatri Sahasranāma — Devi Bhagavata Purana, as taught by Sages
Name 14 of the Lakshmi Sahasranāma — Skanda Purana / Sanat Kumara Samhita, as taught by Sages Sanatkumara and Devotees
Name 481 of the Lakshmi Sahasranāma — Skanda Purana / Sanat Kumara Samhita, as taught by Sages Sanatkumara and Devotees
As a Hindi name
महामाया · noun · feminine
प्रकृति · दुर्गा · गंगा — Śabdasāgara
Cited formation "महामाया" is महामाय + -आ: महामाय means "शिव", and the suffix -आ forms abstract, agent, action or instrumental nouns (masc.); also past participles. CHD Basic Grammar App. I §8(3) — cited from the extracted rule table — base gloss: Śabdasāgara
Cited formation "महामाया" is महामाय + -आ: महामाय means "शिव", and the suffix -आ forms 'having' (adjectives). CHD Basic Grammar App. I §9(1) — cited from the extracted rule table — base gloss: Śabdasāgara
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
gr˚ deceit or illusion, the divine power of ill˚ (which makes the universe appear as if really existing and renders it cognizable by the senses), the illusory nature of worldly obj…
Scripturally attested Verified derivationMultiple readings (4)Why this matches what you typed
M1 · same meaning "mahāmāyā" is the feminine form of "mahāmāya" — the same word with the feminine ending (nominative).
Dictionary citations
mahā—māyā f. gr˚ deceit or illusion, the divine power of ill˚ (which makes the universe appear as if really existing and renders it cognizable by the senses), the illusory nature of worldly objects personified and identified with Durgā, Pur.
N. of a wife of Śuddhodana, Buddh.
mahāmāyā f. (-yā) 1 A name of DURGĀ. 2 Worldly illusion or unreality. E. mahā great, and māyā illusion.
mahā—māya mf(ā)n. having great deceit or illusion, R.
practising gr˚ d˚ or ill˚ very illusory, R.; Kathās.
Alternative readings
More than one analysis survives full verification. That ambiguity is real, so we show every reading rather than pick one silently.
Caveats
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