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Help[Opinions] Sarasvati
I was in a museum today that explained a lot about Hindu gods and goddesses. I came across Sarasvati, who is one of the goddesses. She's the goddess of speech and learning, and (according to mythology) created the Sanskrit language. Most other goddesses symbolised fertility and wealth, among other things, but she is associated with art, music, and science (as well as language). As a total Linguistics nerd (with science on the side) I found the associations pretty awesome and the name's growing on me, possibly nn Sara (SAH-ra).
I've just found it in the database but as Saraswati. The notation on the Wikipedia page for the goddess suggests pronunciation is VAH-ti. Anyone here who can verify either way? I don't like Saraswati nearly as much.
Anyway, WDYT? Too religious? Could a white atheist get away with using it? (hypothetically as of now!)
I've just found it in the database but as Saraswati. The notation on the Wikipedia page for the goddess suggests pronunciation is VAH-ti. Anyone here who can verify either way? I don't like Saraswati nearly as much.
Anyway, WDYT? Too religious? Could a white atheist get away with using it? (hypothetically as of now!)
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One of my daughters has this on her short list, also spelled with the "v". She's been practicing yoga for more than a decade, though, as well as studying Indian art, cuisine, and history.
This message was edited 9/12/2012, 2:47 PM
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YMMV but I (in a typical white American non-religious family) wouldn't be comfy enough to use a Sanskrit name based only on having read about it. As a middle name, definitely, but not as a first name.
If you were more gutsy than I, though, I'd not get a bad impression from it on your daughter. I'd probably just assume that you had some connection to Hinduism. I don't think it'd be irreverent. I mean, people use the names of mythological figures and gods all the time without really caring about their deeper significance. It would just seem a little superficial, celeb-style, if you didn't have any connection.
I'd probably be annoyed if I had a daughter Sarasvati nn Sara "SAH-ra" and people pronounced Sara "SAIR-a," the way they'd be likely to do. Assuming that the Sara part of Sarasvati is pronounced SAH-ra. But they'd get used to it, just like I finally got used to the two pronunciations of Tara.
If you were more gutsy than I, though, I'd not get a bad impression from it on your daughter. I'd probably just assume that you had some connection to Hinduism. I don't think it'd be irreverent. I mean, people use the names of mythological figures and gods all the time without really caring about their deeper significance. It would just seem a little superficial, celeb-style, if you didn't have any connection.
I'd probably be annoyed if I had a daughter Sarasvati nn Sara "SAH-ra" and people pronounced Sara "SAIR-a," the way they'd be likely to do. Assuming that the Sara part of Sarasvati is pronounced SAH-ra. But they'd get used to it, just like I finally got used to the two pronunciations of Tara.
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