Mayayantra, Māyāyantra, Maya-yantra: 6 definitions

Introduction:

Mayayantra means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit. 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

Kavya (poetry)

[«previous next»] — Mayayantra in Kavya glossary
Source: academia.edu: Bhoja’s Mechanical Garden

Māyāyantra (मायायन्त्र) refers to that which is “both magical and mechanical”.—Miniature things were typically endearing in the world of Sanskrit courtly literature, and here the automaton and the toy have strong aesthetic (and linguistic) convergences. In fact the terms used for both the mechanical and magical automata reveal that they were first and foremost conceived of as dolls, puppets, or figurines. One is reminded of the damsel Somaprabhā’s little basket (karaṇḍikā) of wooden dolls (dārumaya... putrikā) brought to entertain her friend Kaliṅgasenā in Somadeva’s eleventh-century Kathāsaritsāgara. These wooden putrikās—perceptively translated at one point by Tawney as “toys”—are further described by Somadeva as both “magical” and “mechanical” (māyāyantra-putrikā), for with the pull of a pin (kīlikā), they performed amazing tasks like flying through the air to fetch garlands or water or dancing and conversing on command.

Kavya book cover
context information

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’.

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Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

[«previous next»] — Mayayantra in Sanskrit glossary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Māyāyantra (मायायन्त्र).—an enchantment.

Derivable forms: māyāyantram (मायायन्त्रम्).

Māyāyantra is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms māyā and yantra (यन्त्र).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Māyāyantra (मायायन्त्र).—[neuter] magical work, enchantment.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Māyāyantra (मायायन्त्र):—[=māyā-yantra] [from māyā > māya] n. ‘instrument of illusion’, enchantment ([in the beginning of a compound] = enchanted, magical, e.g. tra-vimāna mn. an ench° chariot, magical car), [Kathāsaritsāgara]

[Sanskrit to German]

Mayayantra in German

context information

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.

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