Dasanath
Does anyone know the meaning of the above name given to a male Sri Lankan boy?
Replies
I am pretty sure it is from Sanskrit. The nath (if with an open A, as in English car) is probably from Sanskrit nAtha, master (originally, help, refuge, owner, from the causative of nadh/nath, to ask for help/aid). The problem of the first is there are a lot of Sanskrit words that would be written the same, and I am not familiar with the name or its pronunciation: it is also tricky because regional pronunciation may differ. Possibilities include dasha, ten; dashA, fate as controlled by the planets; dasa, a demon, dAsa/dAsha, slave, and may be others that I am not thinking about. The only use of a combination like this I am familiar with is dashAnAtha, the primary planetary entity controlling the fate during a period in one's life (many dashA systems in use: some of these divide the lifespan of 120 or 108 years into unequal durations of influence by the various planetary forces).