<p>If you know any Sanskrit at all, you know that the most frequent request you will get from friends and strangers alike is for name suggestions for babies. Always for unique ones, and of course, fancy sounding – I get it, it is difficult to find a Gmail ID these days! When I saw Ponniyin Selvan, the first thing that struck me was Nandini’s name – very out of place in a premodern setting – but that just tells you what people think names sounded like in medieval and early modern times. So did we have Aarav-s and Advik-s and Kiara-s walking around in the tenth century? Unfortunately, dear reader, we did not. Names were much longer and very unfashionable by today’s standards, but far more entertaining.</p>.<p>Take the Sanskrit equivalent of today’s English John – the default name when trying to teach grammar or logic – Devadatta, meaning, the one given by the gods. “Fat Devadatta does not eat during the day” is the standard maxim to teach about inferences – surely, Devadatta must eat at night. Or consider the standard name in stories like the Kathasaritsagara or Panchatantra – Somasharma. The characters of some Sanskrit texts have truly memorable names that would be hilarious today. Banabhatta’s Kadambari features Shukanasa, the one whose nose is like a parrot’s beak. The epics have Sage Lomashapada, Hairy Feet. And many other characters are named in a way that indicates their role in the story; a beautiful courtesan might be called Madanamanjari, Love’s Sprout.</p>.<p>Now you must have heard that Upasana and Ram Charan named their daughter ‘Klin Kara’ which they claimed means transformative energy. I can safely say I have never heard of transformative energy in any Sanskrit text. On the other end, we have misguided attempts to help parents give their children unique names. Unfortunately, if the name is unique, it did not catch on for a reason. Sure, the great archer Arjuna’s name can be called Kapidhvaja – the one with a monkey on his battle-flag – but would you really want to call your child that?</p>.<p>But if there was ever a contest for bizarre names, the son of King Shibi could give everyone a run for their money. Once, in the middle of a sacrifice, a pigeon (kapota) came flying to the king, seeking his protection from a hawk that was chasing it. The king Shibi immediately promised protection to the pigeon. But then, the hawk came right behind the pigeon, rebuking the king for his action. “Why, King Shibi, I thought you were a righteous man! I did not expect this of you. I have been starving for a long time, and this bird is my rightful food. You protected the bird, yes, but now I will die of starvation, and then my wife and children will die of grief. So congrats, you protected one life, but destroyed many others.”</p>.<p>Shibi saw the merit of the hawk’s argument and offered to help it by fetching oxen, deer, or even buffaloes to satiate the hawk’s hunger. The hawk retorted, “What will I do with oxen or deer, king? Fate has decreed that hawks eat pigeons, and that is how it has been for all eternity. I want my own food, and that means a pigeon.” Finally, the two reached a compromise that the king could offer his own flesh in exchange for the pigeon. So they set up a weighing scale, and it turned out that no matter how much of his own flesh the king sliced off and placed on the weighing scale, the pigeon turned out to be heavier. Finally, the king stepped on the scale himself, offering his life in exchange for the pigeon. Then the pigeon turned out to be Agni, and the hawk turned out to be Indra, who had attempted to test King Shibi’s virtue. Then, importantly for us, they blessed Shibi with an illustrious son whose name marked the event – Kapotaroma – Pigeon-Haired! Now we don’t know if the baby was born with grey hair, but try to outdo that name if you can!</p>
<p>If you know any Sanskrit at all, you know that the most frequent request you will get from friends and strangers alike is for name suggestions for babies. Always for unique ones, and of course, fancy sounding – I get it, it is difficult to find a Gmail ID these days! When I saw Ponniyin Selvan, the first thing that struck me was Nandini’s name – very out of place in a premodern setting – but that just tells you what people think names sounded like in medieval and early modern times. So did we have Aarav-s and Advik-s and Kiara-s walking around in the tenth century? Unfortunately, dear reader, we did not. Names were much longer and very unfashionable by today’s standards, but far more entertaining.</p>.<p>Take the Sanskrit equivalent of today’s English John – the default name when trying to teach grammar or logic – Devadatta, meaning, the one given by the gods. “Fat Devadatta does not eat during the day” is the standard maxim to teach about inferences – surely, Devadatta must eat at night. Or consider the standard name in stories like the Kathasaritsagara or Panchatantra – Somasharma. The characters of some Sanskrit texts have truly memorable names that would be hilarious today. Banabhatta’s Kadambari features Shukanasa, the one whose nose is like a parrot’s beak. The epics have Sage Lomashapada, Hairy Feet. And many other characters are named in a way that indicates their role in the story; a beautiful courtesan might be called Madanamanjari, Love’s Sprout.</p>.<p>Now you must have heard that Upasana and Ram Charan named their daughter ‘Klin Kara’ which they claimed means transformative energy. I can safely say I have never heard of transformative energy in any Sanskrit text. On the other end, we have misguided attempts to help parents give their children unique names. Unfortunately, if the name is unique, it did not catch on for a reason. Sure, the great archer Arjuna’s name can be called Kapidhvaja – the one with a monkey on his battle-flag – but would you really want to call your child that?</p>.<p>But if there was ever a contest for bizarre names, the son of King Shibi could give everyone a run for their money. Once, in the middle of a sacrifice, a pigeon (kapota) came flying to the king, seeking his protection from a hawk that was chasing it. The king Shibi immediately promised protection to the pigeon. But then, the hawk came right behind the pigeon, rebuking the king for his action. “Why, King Shibi, I thought you were a righteous man! I did not expect this of you. I have been starving for a long time, and this bird is my rightful food. You protected the bird, yes, but now I will die of starvation, and then my wife and children will die of grief. So congrats, you protected one life, but destroyed many others.”</p>.<p>Shibi saw the merit of the hawk’s argument and offered to help it by fetching oxen, deer, or even buffaloes to satiate the hawk’s hunger. The hawk retorted, “What will I do with oxen or deer, king? Fate has decreed that hawks eat pigeons, and that is how it has been for all eternity. I want my own food, and that means a pigeon.” Finally, the two reached a compromise that the king could offer his own flesh in exchange for the pigeon. So they set up a weighing scale, and it turned out that no matter how much of his own flesh the king sliced off and placed on the weighing scale, the pigeon turned out to be heavier. Finally, the king stepped on the scale himself, offering his life in exchange for the pigeon. Then the pigeon turned out to be Agni, and the hawk turned out to be Indra, who had attempted to test King Shibi’s virtue. Then, importantly for us, they blessed Shibi with an illustrious son whose name marked the event – Kapotaroma – Pigeon-Haired! Now we don’t know if the baby was born with grey hair, but try to outdo that name if you can!</p>
