Yogamaya

Yogamāyā, often rendered as Yogamaya, is a theological concept and divine personification in Hinduism that denotes the supreme illusion or power of the divine to create, sustain and dissolve the material universe. The term combines “yoga,” meaning union or disciplined practice, with “māyā,” meaning illusion or cosmic creative force. In Vaishnavite traditions Yogamāyā is regarded as the internal potency of Vishnu (or Krishna) that enacts the divine play (līla) and governs the manifestation of material reality while remaining beyond it.

Scriptural references to Yogamāyā appear in the Bhagavata Purāna, the Mahābhārata and various Upaniṣads, where she is described as the cause of the world’s apparent duality and as the medium through which the deity interacts with devotees. In the narrative of Krishna’s childhood, Yogamāyā assumes the role of the divine mother who exchanges the newborn Krishna with the demon Bālāraka, thereby protecting the avatar and illustrating the protective aspect of the power of illusion. Later, she is identified with the goddess Durga, Tripura Sundarī and the supreme feminine principle (Śakti) in certain Shakta interpretations.

Philosophically, Yogamāyā is distinguished from ordinary māyā in that it operates under divine will rather than as a random veil of ignorance. Advaita Vedānta regards the ultimate reality as Brahman, with māyā, including Yogamāyā, as the superimposition that conceals the non‑dual truth. In devotional (bhakti) contexts, appeal to Yogamāyā emphasizes surrender to the divine’s compassionate orchestration of life’s circumstances, seeing all events as expressions of a purposeful cosmic order.