Mayavati, Māyāvatī, Māyāvāti: 5 definitions
Introduction:
Mayavati means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Tamil. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaMāyāvatī (मायावती).—An incarnation of Ratidevī. An asura named Śambara made her his wife. But Pradyumna, son of Kṛṣṇa, carried her away to Dvārakā. (See under Pradyumna).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana IndexMāyāvatī (मायावती).—Rati in her former birth: when her husband was burnt by śiva, she was reborn as the superintendent of Śambara's kitchen. Hearing from Nārada that Pradyumna was Kāma and that he was thrown into sea by Śambara and swallowed by a fish and was brought to her kitchen, she nursed him lovingly and when he came of age, she spoke the truth and taught him mahāmāyā vidyā with which he killed Śambara: She took him by air to Kṛṣṇa and was rejoiced to become the daughter-in-law of Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa X. 55. 6-38; Viṣṇu-purāṇa V. 27. 7-16, 27-30.
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: Kathāsaritsāgara1) Māyāvatī (मायावती) is the name of a Vidyādhara who was cursed to become the elephant named Bhadravatī, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 13. The elephant Bhadravatī was used by Udayana when he escaped from the clutches of king Caṇḍamahāsena, together with Vasantaka, Yaugandharāyaṇa, Vāsavadattā and Kāñcanamālā.
2) Māyāvatī (मायावती)is the name of a Vidyā dispatched by Ratnaprabhā to support Naravāhanadatta in his quest to obtain princess Karpūrikā from Karpūrasambhava, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 42. Accordingly, “in the meanwhile Naravāhanadatta performed a long journey on horseback in that forest, accompanied by Gomukha. Then a maiden suddenly came up to him in his path and said to him: ‘I am a science [vidyā], sent by Ratnaprabhā, named Māyāvatī; I will guard you on the path without being seen, so proceed now without fear’”.
3) Māyāvatī (मायावती) is the daughter of Malayasiṃha, an ancient king from Rājagṛha, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 112. Accordingly, as Agni said: “... long ago there lived in Rājagṛha a king named Malayasiṃha, and he had a daughter named Māyāvatī, of matchless beauty. One day a young man of the fisher caste, named Suprahāra, who was in the bloom of youth and good looks, saw her as she was amusing herself in a spring garden”.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Māyāvatī, is a famous Sanskrit epic story revolving around prince Naravāhanadatta and his quest to become the emperor of the vidyādharas (celestial beings). The work is said to have been an adaptation of Guṇāḍhya’s Bṛhatkathā consisting of 100,000 verses, which in turn is part of a larger work containing 700,000 verses.
Kavya (काव्य, kavya) refers to Sanskrit poetry, a popular ancient Indian tradition of literature. There have been many Sanskrit poets over the ages, hailing from ancient India and beyond. This topic includes mahakavya, or ‘epic poetry’ and natya, or ‘dramatic poetry’.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Māyāvatī (मायावती):—[=māyā-vatī] [from māyā-vat > māyā > māya] f. (atī) a [particular] magical an personified, [Kathāsaritsāgara]
2) [v.s. ...] Name of the wife of Pradyumna, [Harivaṃśa; Purāṇa] (cf. -devī)
3) [v.s. ...] of the wife of a Vidyā-dhara, [Kathāsaritsāgara]
4) [v.s. ...] of a princess, [ib.]
5) [v.s. ...] of an authoress of certain magical incantations, [Catalogue(s)]
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Tamil dictionary
Source: DDSA: University of Madras: Tamil LexiconMāyāvāti (மாயாவாதி) [māyā-vāti] noun < māyā-vādin. Follower of māyā-vātam; மாயாவாதக் கொள்கை யுடையவன். சதசத் விலஷணம் என்று . . . மாயாவாதி சொல்லுமா போலே [mayavathag kolkai yudaiyavan. sathasath vilashanam enru . . . mayavathi solluma pole] (நாலாயிர திவ்யப்பிரபந்தம் இயற். திருவிருத்தம் [nalayira thivyappirapandam iyar. thiruvirutham] 22, வ்யா. [vya.] 145).
Tamil is an ancient language of India from the Dravidian family spoken by roughly 250 million people mainly in southern India and Sri Lanka.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Full-text: Mayavadi, Pradyumna, Mahamaya, Mayavant, Mayin, Mayadevi, Rati, Suprahara, Bhadravati, Shambara, Malayasimha, Rukmini, Maya.
Relevant text
Search found 33 books and stories containing Mayavati, Maayaavaathi, Maya-vati, Māyā-vatī, Māyā-vāti, Mayavadhi, Mayavadi, Mayavathi, Māyāvatī, Māyāvāti; (plurals include: Mayavatis, Maayaavaathis, vatis, vatīs, vātis, Mayavadhis, Mayavadis, Mayavathis, Māyāvatīs, Māyāvātis). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Puranic encyclopaedia (by Vettam Mani)
Vishnu Purana (Taylor) (by McComas Taylor)
Chapter 27 - Kṛṣṇa’s son Pradyumna is taken by a demon < [Book Five: Kṛṣṇa]
Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)
Verse 2.18.35 < [Chapter 18 - The Sight of Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra]
Rukmini and Rukmi < [Fifth Section]
Brahma Purana (critical study) (by Surabhi H. Trivedi)
5. Age of Marriage < [Marriage, Family and Position of Women]
16. Description of Kamadeva < [Mythology]
37. Seclusion of Women < [Marriage, Family and Position of Women]
Vishnu Purana (by Horace Hayman Wilson)