JOIN USShilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra have christened their son Viaan, which in Sanskrit means the ‘beginning of a new era’.
It is widely believed that names give a person a distinct identity. Since ancient times, scriptures have been an important source for names, which later turned to people naming their children after film stars or even their onscreen characters like Rahul, Raj (post SRK’s success) and Vijay (after Amitabh Bachchan’s character in several films).
Off late, the trend has been to pick as unusual name as it can possibly get. This trend is not restricted only to the common man, even celebs have fallen prey to choosing unusual names.
However, some may not be aware that a name affects our personality, behaviour and fate of the individual in the long term.
Astrologers say that if one accepts his or her name with conviction, its impact is bound to affect the personality. Sita or Siya or Urmila are two such names. While Sita dedicated her life to Lord Rama, in the process she faced a very difficult fate.
Lakshman’s wife Urmila, too had faced a tough life after Lakshman chose to serve his brother rather than staying back with his wife. Parents don’t like to name their daughters after these two characters fearing a similar difficult life post their marriages.
How does a name affect a person? Explains well-known astrologer Dr Prem Kumar Sharma, “When we call somebody by their name, it attracts maximum vibrations. If the name has a positive meaning, it will attract positive vibrations. A name affects not only the individual concerned but also people surrounding that person.”
Names which do not have pleasant and positive meanings or are tough to pronounce should also be avoided.
However good a name may be, if it is not pronounced correctly, it loses its character and positive energy. Acharya Gopi Kishore Bhatt, who has a PhD in Astrology from Banaras Hindi University says, “Names which have no meaning should not kept. It makes even the life of that individual meaningless. Words never die, therefore their impact is also very strong - be it positive or negative,” he says.
Nisha, Nishi and Nishant - all mean darkness and shouldn’t be even in the list of names while making a selection. Negative characters of mythology such Manthara, Kekayi, Dushassan, Duryodhan, Vikarna, Shakuni, Kans are kept at bay during selection.
Some of these names may have a positive meaning but the individual’s fate was not. For instance, Duryodhan means a person who is difficult to defeat but his fate and temperament are not something that parents would want their children to have.
Maneka Gandhi in her book Book of Hindu Names writes, “Vedic rishis believed that a name defined a child’s character - his face, figure, temper, morals, tastes and profession. Islam also considers it a child’s right to be invested with a good name so that it can benefit from the blessing associated with it.”
According to Hindu mythology, there are 27 nakshatras and they are all wives of Moon. Astrologers advise you not to keep names of girls after any of these 27 nakshatras. Hence Chitra, Swati, Anuradha, Revati, Rohini, Vishakha, Abhijit, Sravana are only some of the nakshatras’ names which should not be used as names of individuals.
“The impact of these nakshatras is bound to affect the people with these names. Plus, all 27 had Chandrama as their husband which is of course not a good thing,” says Acharya Gopi Kishore.
Dr Sharma says, “The impact of name on one’s personality is similar to having good or bad company. Jaisa sung waisa dhung.”
So next time, you come across an unusual name, be sure to check out its meaning and see how it has affected the personality of the individual.