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ArchivesRe: What does my name mean?
in reply to a message by Mukeshbala
Mukesh comes from Mukesha, which is Sanskrit for "Ruler of Muka". Muka was a demon in the form of a wild boar. Mukesha was another name of the Hindu god Shiva.
Bala is Sanskrit for "young".
Bala is Sanskrit for "young".
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I have seen this repeated a number of times, but I am not sure of this. First, I do not know where in Sanskrit literature is Mukesha used as the name/epithet of Shiva. Of course, the literature is vast, but that none of the dictionaries have picked it up is surprising, and I looked at a few standard places and failed to come up with an example.
Second, the name of the demon is mUka, with a long -u- (as in English shoot), whereas I have never seen the name Mukesh spelt with a long -u-, it is always mukesha with a short -u- (like in English rook). In languages like Hindi, where vowel length still matters, this is rather surprising.
For what it is worth, mUka with a long -u- comes from the verbal root mU, to tie (it is old, but I do not see clear Indoeuropean cognates), and mUka means tied, tongue-tied, silent or dumb (both literal and figurative). This is the name of the demon.
muka with short -u- means the smell of cowdung (I don't know the etymology), and the feminine mukA is the name of a town in Hindu mythology (e.g., in viSNupuRaNa). The ruler of the town of mukA, would also be mukesha, because Isha (from Ish, to own) simply means master (in both literal and figurative senses).
Mukesh seems to be a name which has been in common use in recent times, especially since a famous singer of that name.
bAla is a general word for an young person (below 16), with no clear etymology, is not a common name element, but the feminine bAlA is very common ending for female names.
Of course, the original poster gave no indication of the context of the name: no idea of the linguistic/religious/cultural background, nor of gender. I had originally refrained from responding to a poster such inconsiderate of this board as to not even read the suggestions provided for posting, but decided to air my doubts about Mukesh when that was given as the response.
Second, the name of the demon is mUka, with a long -u- (as in English shoot), whereas I have never seen the name Mukesh spelt with a long -u-, it is always mukesha with a short -u- (like in English rook). In languages like Hindi, where vowel length still matters, this is rather surprising.
For what it is worth, mUka with a long -u- comes from the verbal root mU, to tie (it is old, but I do not see clear Indoeuropean cognates), and mUka means tied, tongue-tied, silent or dumb (both literal and figurative). This is the name of the demon.
muka with short -u- means the smell of cowdung (I don't know the etymology), and the feminine mukA is the name of a town in Hindu mythology (e.g., in viSNupuRaNa). The ruler of the town of mukA, would also be mukesha, because Isha (from Ish, to own) simply means master (in both literal and figurative senses).
Mukesh seems to be a name which has been in common use in recent times, especially since a famous singer of that name.
bAla is a general word for an young person (below 16), with no clear etymology, is not a common name element, but the feminine bAlA is very common ending for female names.
Of course, the original poster gave no indication of the context of the name: no idea of the linguistic/religious/cultural background, nor of gender. I had originally refrained from responding to a poster such inconsiderate of this board as to not even read the suggestions provided for posting, but decided to air my doubts about Mukesh when that was given as the response.
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