Meaning and elaboration
Meaning: She who is the life and soul of the universe.
Elaboration
Jagat Jiva Mayi means "She who is the life (Jiva) and soul of the universe (Jagat), pervaded by Maya." This name reveals Kali as the indwelling force within all existence and, at the same time, as the power through which the cosmic play of illusion unfolds.
The Cosmic Life Force (Jagat Jiva) Jagat Jiva Mayi names Kali as the very life-principle moving through the whole universe. She is not only a deity beyond creation, but the inner essence, the breath, and the consciousness (Prana and Chit) that sustain every living being and the cosmos itself. Just as the potter is present in the clay, and the sun in its rays, Kali abides within all things as their indwelling spirit and vital energy. The name points to her all-pervasive nature and to her as the fundamental substratum of existence.
The Play of Illusion (Maya) The term "Mayi," understood here through Maya, is central to the name. Maya is the Divine's creative power that manifests the phenomenal world, a world that appears real but, from the highest non-dual perspective, is ultimately an illusion. Jagat Jiva Mayi therefore means that Kali, as the life and soul of the universe, is also the architect and weaver of this cosmic appearance. She is the power by which the multiplicity of the world is experienced as real, even though it is, in truth, a manifestation of absolute unity.
Transcendence and Immanence This name brings together both of Kali's aspects: her immanence as the life-principle within everything, and her transcendence as the master of Maya who stands beyond the illusion she creates. For the devotee, to understand Jagat Jiva Mayi is to recognize the divine spark within all beings and all phenomena, while also striving to see through the veil of Maya and perceive the ultimate reality, which is Kali herself. She is the energy through which the universe comes alive, and the power by which its illusory dance is sustained.