DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.636#0383
Modern Name-giving. 371
(Gopal), Rama, Rama-candra, Narayana, Siva, Sarikara *, Ga-
nesa; or the name may indicate that he is to be the god's
servant, as, for instance, Rama-dasa (Ram-das), Krishna-dasa,
Narayana-dasa (Narayan-das), Lakshml-dasa. Often the ho-
norific affix Ji (probably thought to be auspicious as derived
from either the root jiv, 'to live/ or ji, 'to conquer') is added
to the name, as in Rama-jl (Ram-jl), Siva-ji, Deva-ji. Candra,
the moon—corrupted into Candar and Cand—is believed to
bring good luck when forming part of an appellation, as in
Motl-cand, etc.
Again, in the present day as in ancient times, the names of
girls, like those of boys, are often taken from those of god-
desses, such as Lakshmi, Durga, Slta, Radha; or from cele-
brated women, such as Savitri, Yasoda, Subhadra, Sumangala;
or from rivers, such as Gaiiga, Yamuna, Bhagirathi, Godavan,
Narmada, Krishna; or from jewels, such as Manak (for San-
skrit Manikya), a ruby; Motl (Sanskrit Mukta), a pearl;
Rattan (Sanskrit ratna), a precious stone; Mani, a gem; or
from flowers, such as Padma, a lily; Phulli, a blossom; or
from words like Sundarl, beautiful; Prema, love, etc.
It is often considered unlucky, and not unlikely to bring
down a judgment on a child, if the name it receives is in-
dicative of any good quality it may happen to possess at
birth. Therefore it is not uncommon for a fair child to be
called ' Black' (Krishna). Moreover, a parent will sometimes
give an infant an ugly or inauspicious name from a super-
stitious fear that the child's beauty may excite the envious
glances or' evil eye' of malicious persons; for it is remarkable
that when a family has suffered early bereavements by death
these are attributed to evil influences exerted through the in-
strumentality of the human eye (see p. 253).
As a general rule, the name given on the tenth day is only
that by which the child is commonly known and addressed in
1 Narmada-sankar is the name of a celebrated living GujaratI poet.
B b 3
(Gopal), Rama, Rama-candra, Narayana, Siva, Sarikara *, Ga-
nesa; or the name may indicate that he is to be the god's
servant, as, for instance, Rama-dasa (Ram-das), Krishna-dasa,
Narayana-dasa (Narayan-das), Lakshml-dasa. Often the ho-
norific affix Ji (probably thought to be auspicious as derived
from either the root jiv, 'to live/ or ji, 'to conquer') is added
to the name, as in Rama-jl (Ram-jl), Siva-ji, Deva-ji. Candra,
the moon—corrupted into Candar and Cand—is believed to
bring good luck when forming part of an appellation, as in
Motl-cand, etc.
Again, in the present day as in ancient times, the names of
girls, like those of boys, are often taken from those of god-
desses, such as Lakshmi, Durga, Slta, Radha; or from cele-
brated women, such as Savitri, Yasoda, Subhadra, Sumangala;
or from rivers, such as Gaiiga, Yamuna, Bhagirathi, Godavan,
Narmada, Krishna; or from jewels, such as Manak (for San-
skrit Manikya), a ruby; Motl (Sanskrit Mukta), a pearl;
Rattan (Sanskrit ratna), a precious stone; Mani, a gem; or
from flowers, such as Padma, a lily; Phulli, a blossom; or
from words like Sundarl, beautiful; Prema, love, etc.
It is often considered unlucky, and not unlikely to bring
down a judgment on a child, if the name it receives is in-
dicative of any good quality it may happen to possess at
birth. Therefore it is not uncommon for a fair child to be
called ' Black' (Krishna). Moreover, a parent will sometimes
give an infant an ugly or inauspicious name from a super-
stitious fear that the child's beauty may excite the envious
glances or' evil eye' of malicious persons; for it is remarkable
that when a family has suffered early bereavements by death
these are attributed to evil influences exerted through the in-
strumentality of the human eye (see p. 253).
As a general rule, the name given on the tenth day is only
that by which the child is commonly known and addressed in
1 Narmada-sankar is the name of a celebrated living GujaratI poet.
B b 3