Gods and Lords

Names that contain the element "dev" refer to the divine in some way. For instance, there are the names Baldeva (god of strength), Devadas (servant of the gods), Devaraja (king of the gods), Devdan (gift of the gods), and Jaidev (divine victory). Many other godly names incorporate the names of specific gods, such as Indra, Kali, Krishna and Shri.

The element "isha" means lord and can be found in names like Dinesh (lord of the day), Girisha (lord of the mountain), Harisha (lord of monkeys), Jagdish (lord of the world), Mahesha (great lord), Rajesh (lord of kings) and Rajnish (lord of the night).

Very; Good

You're probably familiar with Greek names like Eugene and Eustace, in which the "Eu-" element means good or well. There's a similar group of Indian names--they start with "Su-", which means good or very. Some of these names are Sudarshan (good-looking), Sudhir (very wise), Sujay (good victory), Suman (good mind), Sumantra (good advice), and Sushil (good-tempered).

Cow Crazy & Lotus Love

Cows are considered holy in Hindu culture, so several Indian names refer to cows. Gopala (cow finder) and Govinda (cow protector), for instance, are both alternative names for Krishna, who was a cowherd in his youth.

The lotus is the national flower of India, and it is revered in many cultures as a symbol of purity. Indian names that refer to the lotus include Aravind, Kunala, Padma and Pankaja.

Others

Here are a dozen more Sanskrit-based names and meanings: Anuj (younger), Arjuna (clear), Chandan (sandalwood), Kumara (son), Lalit (playful, charming), Manu (wise), Pravin (skilled), Rohan (ascending), Sandip (blazing), Sanjaya (victorious), Vimal (clean, pure), and Vinay (leading, guidance).

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