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Help[Facts] Indian name Sonakshi
The name Sonakshi is not included on this database, and I would like to add it. Every place I look at online gives its meaning as "golden-eyed" (Hindi, Sanskrit?) and a few say it is an epithet of the goddess Parvati. I don't want to add it to BtN unless I can confirm this information to be true! Any help appreciated. Thanks!
This message was edited 4/21/2014, 5:51 PM
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The word sonA evolved from Sanskrit suvarNa, which in turn is a combination of the prefix su- meaning "good" and corresponds in sense to Greek eu-, and varNa. varNa is from the root vR, to cover, and originally meant cover, but its common use is as "outward appearance", in particular, color. So, suvarNa literally meant "of good color", and "gold" was a common meaning. In many North Indian languages, sonA is the common word for gold.
akSi, cognate with oculus, is a common word for eye in Sanskrit, and is said by classical grammarians as having been derived from ash, to gain, pervade, etc. It is rare word in the North Indian languages today, but it is a common name ending.
So, sonAkSI (the retroflex S is often pronounced palatal sh, though in Bengal kS would be pronounced kkh), with the long I at the end (that is often shortened in some languages like Bengali) means "golden eyed (female)", except it is not used as a word in any language that I know. Golden eyes have been associated with goddesses in the mahAbhArata, an epic of the Hindu religion, so it could also be a name of Durga (but, also of Sarasvati, for example).
akSi, cognate with oculus, is a common word for eye in Sanskrit, and is said by classical grammarians as having been derived from ash, to gain, pervade, etc. It is rare word in the North Indian languages today, but it is a common name ending.
So, sonAkSI (the retroflex S is often pronounced palatal sh, though in Bengal kS would be pronounced kkh), with the long I at the end (that is often shortened in some languages like Bengali) means "golden eyed (female)", except it is not used as a word in any language that I know. Golden eyes have been associated with goddesses in the mahAbhArata, an epic of the Hindu religion, so it could also be a name of Durga (but, also of Sarasvati, for example).
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