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ArchivesRe: Names meaning life
in reply to a message by Rene
Re: http://www.babynames.ch/Info/Group/orPranav
Pranav is actually not related to prana etymologically: except both have the prefix pra- (cognate with English fore-) in them. The root in praNava is nu- to make a sound, roar, bellow, etc., and praNava (etymologically, thus, meaning the roar or bellow) specialized to mean the mystical syllable oM, possibly cognate with, but with very different symbolism and usage pattern than, the Amen in Christian usage, possibly again, originally implying assent. Mystically, the sound symbolizes the invocation of the Hindu trinity (the creator, maintainer, and destroyer) and precedes or is associated with the utterance of holy words, often from the vedas: in the caste system, it is supposed to be used very freely by the priestly caste, and in very ritualized setting by the settled people of the land, with the warrior class falling somewhere in the middle.
The root in prANa, however, is an, cognate with the root of animal in English, and meant to breath. Amongst the various intakes and release of air from the living body, this one symbolized the breath taken in, and thus generally life.
So, praNava should not be classed under life.
Pranav is actually not related to prana etymologically: except both have the prefix pra- (cognate with English fore-) in them. The root in praNava is nu- to make a sound, roar, bellow, etc., and praNava (etymologically, thus, meaning the roar or bellow) specialized to mean the mystical syllable oM, possibly cognate with, but with very different symbolism and usage pattern than, the Amen in Christian usage, possibly again, originally implying assent. Mystically, the sound symbolizes the invocation of the Hindu trinity (the creator, maintainer, and destroyer) and precedes or is associated with the utterance of holy words, often from the vedas: in the caste system, it is supposed to be used very freely by the priestly caste, and in very ritualized setting by the settled people of the land, with the warrior class falling somewhere in the middle.
The root in prANa, however, is an, cognate with the root of animal in English, and meant to breath. Amongst the various intakes and release of air from the living body, this one symbolized the breath taken in, and thus generally life.
So, praNava should not be classed under life.
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