New Post
Search
Help
ArchivesRe: Names meaning life
in reply to a message by তন্ময় ভট্টাচার্য্য
Thanks for the information.
I am not sure, but I think I took my info from one of the many sites that explain some kind of Yoga, like e.g. the following:
http://www.vyanayoga.com/om.php
This site sports the following info: "The sound of Om is also called Pranava, meaning that it sustains life and runs through Prana or breath."
Did I misunderstand something, or is that info misleading or even wrong?
Rene www.BabyNames.ch
I am not sure, but I think I took my info from one of the many sites that explain some kind of Yoga, like e.g. the following:
http://www.vyanayoga.com/om.php
This site sports the following info: "The sound of Om is also called Pranava, meaning that it sustains life and runs through Prana or breath."
Did I misunderstand something, or is that info misleading or even wrong?
Rene www.BabyNames.ch
1
Replies
Well, it hinges on the meaning of meaning :-) Mystical meanings have little to do with either etymology or historical origins. In Hindu mysticism, moreover, there is no central authority, so anybody is free to turn what originally was a misconception into a sectarian belief. Ultimately a folk etymology does provide a meaning if enough people believe it.
In this case, I do not know what the author is talking about since (i) it is unfamiliar to me and (ii) I wonder whether he meant it as a pun (or folk etymology) between pranava and prana, except the pun does not work in Sanskrit: the -a- in pranava (both of them) is a schwa, whereas the first -a- in prana is the wide open -a- as in English car, and change of this long A to a short a is rather rare morphological transformation (the opposite is not uncommon), and sounds odd to the native ear.
But, the mystical sound oM is supposed to be the mystical sound behind all creation, behind all life and consciousness. And, sound is connected deeply to breath. But, by now, we are in the soft territory of semantic fuzziness and I do not know what to say.
In this case, I do not know what the author is talking about since (i) it is unfamiliar to me and (ii) I wonder whether he meant it as a pun (or folk etymology) between pranava and prana, except the pun does not work in Sanskrit: the -a- in pranava (both of them) is a schwa, whereas the first -a- in prana is the wide open -a- as in English car, and change of this long A to a short a is rather rare morphological transformation (the opposite is not uncommon), and sounds odd to the native ear.
But, the mystical sound oM is supposed to be the mystical sound behind all creation, behind all life and consciousness. And, sound is connected deeply to breath. But, by now, we are in the soft territory of semantic fuzziness and I do not know what to say.
1