Meaning and elaboration
Meaning: The Divine Power of Illusion that Veils Reality, both binding and liberating.
Elaboration
The name Maya refers to the Goddess's divine power of appearance and projection. In Hindu philosophy, Maya is the cosmic force that makes the phenomenal world seem solid, distinct, and compelling, while veiling the ultimate non-dual truth of Brahman.
The Veil of Illusion Maya acts as the veil of Avidya, obscuring the true nature of reality. It presents the many forms and relationships of the material world as solid, separate, and final, creating the experience of duality and multiplicity. Under this veil, beings see themselves as apart from the divine and from one another, and so remain bound within Samsara, the cycle of birth and death. Kali, as Maya, is the power through which this vast cosmic drama unfolds.
Creative Potency (Shakti) Though Maya is called illusory, it is not unreal in the sense of nonexistence. It is unreal in the sense that it is changing, shifting, and temporary when compared with the eternal and changeless truth. As divine Shakti, Maya is the creative potency through which the unmanifest Brahman appears as the many-sided universe. Kali is this active principle, the very energy through which names and forms arise.
Binding and Liberating Maya is both binding and liberating. On one side, it binds the individual soul, the Jiva, to the material world through attachment and ignorance. On the other, insight into Maya becomes part of the path to Moksha, because once its nature is understood, its hold begins to loosen. Kali, as the mistress of Maya, can draw beings deeper into the play of illusion or, when she is propitiated, tear away the veil and reveal the highest truth. She is both the artist of the cosmic play and the one who grants the understanding needed to see through it.