Story of Māyāvī

An asura.

Birth.

Māyāvī was born to the great architect of the Dānavas, Maya, of his wife Hemā, a nymph. Maya fell in love with Hemā when he once found her dancing in Devaloka and the devas coming to know of it gave her in marriage to Maya. Maya took Hemā to the southern side of the Himālayas and constructing a city there called Hemapura stayed there happily. They got two sons named Māyāvī and Dundubhi. (Uttara Rāmāyaṇa).

Death.

Valorous Māyāvī fought against anybody and everybody. He once challenged Bāli to a fight. But the mighty blows of Bāli were unbearable to him and the defeated Māyāvī ran away from Bāli and hid himself in a big cave. Bāli followed him and when he reached the mouth of the cave he posted his brother Sugrīva there with instructions to shut tight the opening of the cave in case he died in the cave in the fight. He said that if blood flowed from the cave the dead person was Māyāvī and if milk flowed from the cave the dead person was himself. In the cave a great fight ensued in which Māyāvī was killed. But Māyāvī by his powers of magic made the blood that flowed out look like milk for Sugrīva and the latter thinking that it was his brother who was killed shut tight the mouth of the cave and went his way. (Sarga 9, Kiṣkindhā Kāṇḍa, Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa and Pūrva Kāṇḍa, Kamba Rāmāyaṇa.