THE Doctrine of Maya - HolyBooks.com

""""""""""""28 THE DOCTRINE OF MAYAEven at the present day in India some girls areactually named Maya-Devi or Maya-vatiorThe chief reason why they areMaya-Kaur."so named is that they are looked upon as auspiciousif their name means "wealth" ora bringerwealth/ etc., everything bearing on wealth beingsupposed to be auspicious. In India almost allnames mean something definite most of them areafter the designations of some gods or goddesses.It issupposed that if a girl is named maya shewill ever be abounding in riches. This idea ofriches leads us to the next meaning of the word,which is the goddess of wealth, called Laksmi."Laksmi is the presiding deity of wealth, and herpresence is always desired by the Hindus. 1 Italso means sometimes mere wealth." This isespecially noticed in modern works in Hindi andPunjabi.In the Sankhya system Mayaofis identified withPress, Bombay ;further see F. Bopp, Glossarium Sanscritum,Berolini, 1847, p. 263 ; Macdonell, Sanskrit EnglishDictionary, Lond., 1893, p. 226 ;Theodore Benfrey, ASanskrit English Dictionary, Lond., 1866, p. 701, etc., etc.i Every year in the month of Asvina there is a specialfestival observed called the Dlpamala a row (lit.of lamps),as on that day every Hindu burns a number of lamps (generally of clay) arranged in long rows in all parts of his house,especially on the outside. A special traditional story ofLaksmi is recited, and it is hoped that the goddess ofthose who love light (prakasa) andwealth will come to allnot darkness.