Sanskrit Names - Behind the Name

Ananda आनन्द m Sanskrit, Buddhism, Tamil, Bengali
Derived from Sanskrit आनन्द (ānanda) meaning "happiness, bliss". This was the name of an attendant and disciple of the Buddha.

Ashoka अशोक m Sanskrit
Means "without sorrow" in Sanskrit, from अ (a) meaning "not" and शोका (śokā) meaning "sorrow, grief". This name was borne by Ashoka (or Aśoka) the Great, a 3rd-century BC emperor of the Maurya Empire in northern India.

Gautama गौतम m Sanskrit, Buddhism
In the case of Siddhartha Gautama, it was a patronymic form of Gotama. Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha, was the founder of Buddhism. He was a 6th-century BC nobleman who left his family in order to lead a life of meditation and poverty.

Harsha हर्ष m Kannada, Telugu, Sanskrit
Means "happiness" in Sanskrit. Harsha (or Harṣa, also called Harshavardhana) was a 7th-century emperor of northern India. He was also noted as an author.

Jayadeva जयदेव m Sanskrit
Means "divine victory" from Sanskrit जय (jaya) meaning "victory" and देव (deva) meaning "god". This was the name of a 12th-century Indian poet.

Kalidasa कालिदास m Sanskrit
Means "servant of Kali" from the name of the Hindu goddess Kali 1 combined with Sanskrit दास (dāsa) meaning "servant". Kalidasa (or Kālidāsa) was a 4th-century Indian poet and dramatist, the author of the Abhijnanashakuntalam and other works.

Kunala कुणाल m Sanskrit
Means "lotus" in Sanskrit. This was the name of a son of the 3rd-century BC Indian emperor Ashoka.

Lilavati लीलावती f Sanskrit
Means "amusing, charming, graceful" in Sanskrit. The 12th-century mathematician Bhaskara gave this name to one of his books on mathematics, possibly after his daughter. This was also the name of a 13th-century queen of Sri Lanka.

Madhava माधव m Hinduism, Sanskrit
Means "sweet, vernal, of the springtime" in Sanskrit, a derivative of मधु (madhu) meaning "honey, sweet". This was the name of a 14th-century Indian scholar from Sangamagrama. This is also an epithet of the Hindu deity Krishna, given because he was a descendant of a Yadava king named Madhu.

Mahavira महावीर m Sanskrit
Means "great hero" in Sanskrit, from महा (mahā) meaning "great" and वीर (vīra) meaning "hero, man". Mahavira (or Mahāvīra) was the 6th-century BC founder of Jainism.

Mahendra महेन्द्र, महेंद्र m Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Sanskrit
From Sanskrit महा (mahā) meaning "great" combined with the name of the Hindu god Indra. This was the name of a son of the 3rd-century BC Indian emperor Ashoka, also called Mahinda. He is credited with introducing Buddhism to Sri Lanka.

Prabhakara प्रभाकर m Sanskrit
Means "light maker", derived from Sanskrit प्रभा (prabhā) meaning "light" and कर (kara) meaning "maker". In Hindu scripture this term is used to refer to the sun and the moon. A notable bearer of this name was a 6th-century scholar from Kerala.

Rahula राहुल m Sanskrit, Buddhism
Meaning uncertain, possibly derived from the name of the demon Rahu. This was the name of the son of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha).

Siddhartha सिद्धार्थ m Sanskrit, Buddhism, Bengali
Means "one who has accomplished a goal", derived from Sanskrit सिद्ध (siddha) meaning "accomplished" and अर्थ (artha) meaning "goal". Siddhartha Gautama was the real name of the Buddha.

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