NAMING BABIES IN vEDik LIFESTYLE

When sitaa-DEvii, wife of SHRii raam, the 8th avtaar of viSH`ANu-DEv, asked vaalmiikii-muni what names she should give to her twin boys born, vaalmiikii-muni said:

"All babies are born with names given by creator bRH`m" 

And saying this and after meditating on creator bRH`m, vaalmiikii-muni  replied that these two boys will be called lv and kush...

vaalmiikii-muni was blessed and ordained by pRjaapti bRHmaa, the grandfather of all creations, to be the first poet in creation by composing raamaayAN which is the epic of SHRii raam life as 8th avtaar of viSH`ANu-DEv, taken to restore rule of DHARm in tETRaa-yug when king raavAN who after conquering the domains of bhu (pruthvi-lok=domain of mortals), buARv (space) and svARg (DEv-lok=domain of immortals) ruled with his aDHARmik reign of terror.  

Here are some of the facts
from various vEDik texts
on the subject of NAMES found in creation:

• pRjaapti bRHmaa was told his name by the divine voice of creator bRH`m when he asked "who am I?"  pRjaapti bRHmaa is the creator of everything that has existed, that exists, and that will exist in a universe .
   

• Among peoples of vEDik lifestyle, the babies are named starting with the sNskRUt alphabets allocated to each of the 12 raashi (zodiac birth signs). raashi is determined from astronomical almanac called pNchaaNg from the time of birth, day of birth and place of birth.
   

• Among peoples of vEDik lifestyle, a baby is given name on the sixth day after birth when SHSH`THii-maataa is propitiated in a pUUjaa to protect the child from all evils during her growth to adulthood. The naming of a baby is also done after 10 or 38 days or of birth and within a year depending on the local and regional vEDik customs and traditions.
   

• Names of rivers, mountains in vEDik texts should not be used for humans.
   

• Names of DEvo, DEviio, (gods and goddesses) and sacred words from vEDik texts also should not be used because if one invokes these names and words in anger or inappropriately then one are committing sacrilege.
   

• One's name given at birth should not be changed or altered during the life time as the change will have effect on the personal traits. This is because you name is connected to your kARm and life path of your previous lives and the current life.
   

• All names have meanings in sNskRUt language and languages derived from sNskRUt even if the name has to be broken down into component syllables.
   

• The rig-vED prescribes the formula of giving a name with four components: the nKSHTR name, the name of the DEv (deity) of the month, the family Dev's (deity) name, and the popular name by which the child will generally be addressed. (nKSHTR means an asterism in moons' path determined through astronomical calculations based on day, time and place of birth) 
   

SOME TRADITIONAL FAMILY CUSTOMS OF
naamkrAN sNskaar
(Naming ceremony which is one of the total of 16 sNskaar (vEDik passage of life rites from birth to death) 
 (From various web sites:)

naamkrAN is the traditional vEDik practise of naming the baby child. naam literally means 'name' and krAN means 'to make, to effect'.

• The naamkrAN ceremony is held at home or in a temple where the father of the child whispers the name in the child'.
   

• The ceremony usually takes place on the twelfth day after birth.
   

• Choosing a vEDik name is a difficult process. Friends and relatives are invited celebrate the naamkrAN ceremony.
   

• In some peoples a designated person such as father's sister in a family is called upon to name a new born.
   

• According to the gRUH sUUTR, there are 5 requisites to selecting a name for the baby. This is the name that the child is will be called. It depends on the culture, vEDik belief system & education of the family, and should be auspicious.
  
  1. The name of the baby should be easy to pronounce and sound pleasant.
  2. The baby name should contain a specified number of syllables and vowels.
  3. The name should indicate the sex of the baby.
  4. The baby' name should signify wealth, fame or power.
  5. The name should be suggestive of the caste of the family.
   

• The naamkrAN ceremony varies depending on family, local and regional customs and traditions. In a typical naamkrAN ceremony, the mother and child are given a ritual bath. The mother wraps the baby in a piece of new cloth, applies kajal to its eyes, and makes a little beauty mark on the cheek.
  
  The baby is then placed in the father's lap to be blessed. The priest offers prayers to all the gods and to aGNi-DEv (bRH'm's shkti presiding over fire) and invokes purifying mNTR, the pNch-mHaa-BHUUto^* , and the spirits of the forefathers, and entreats them to bless and protect the child. He also places the sheet on which the child's horoscope is written, in front of the image of the deity, for its blessings.
  
  Then, the father leans towards the baby's right ear, and whispers its chosen name. Usually, the father does not whisper directly into the child's ear, but uses a betel leaf or its silver imprint, or a few leaves of kusaa grass to direct the words to the child's ear.
  
   * pNch-mHaa-BHUUto are five fundamental elements of creation out of which bodies of all creations are composed of:  1. (aakaash (space), 2. vaayu (air), 3. tEjs (energy of bRH`m that empower all functions), 4. ap (water) and 5. pRUthvii (earth).

Understanding each other starts with the name itself...YOU must have experienced how anyone reacts when addressed with one's own name rather than using the words "YOU, HE, SHE". ...

To get YOU started on this NAME learning path PVAF provides you with the addresses of some web sites in the opposite box....just click on the red hilites.....

• OVER 10,000 BABY NAMES IN DIFFERENT CULTURES
   
• POPULAR BABY NAMES AROUND THE WORLD
   
• INDIA EXPRESS: INDIAN BABY NAMES AND MEANINGS
   
• INDIAN BABY NAMES AND MEANINGS