The influence of Hindu gods on Thai auspicious names

Abstract

Thai society pays great attention to the importance of auspicious names with positive and beneficial meanings including those of Hindu gods. The objective of this paper is to study the influence of Hindu gods in Thai auspicious naming. According to the data, there are 686 names associated with Hindu gods. From a linguistic study of the semantic domains of these names, five semantic domains are found, ordered from highest to lowest in popularity, namely: 1) gods and groups of gods 2) metaphors of gods and things 3) god-like characteristics 4) god possession and ownership of things and 5) appreciation of gods. According to Thai auspicious names related to gods, of the twenty six presented, ten were especially popular as follows: 1) Sun 2) Moon 3) Shiva/Isavara 4) Brahma 5) Vishnu/Naraya 6) Krishna 7) Indra 8) Lakshmi 9) Parvati and 10) Agni respectively. Moreover, combinations of one to four god attributes to make an auspicious name were also found. Hindu god names were upgraded from their original meanings to possess cultural meanings according to mythologies, which became diffused and integrated over time. This created a powerful or sacred representation above humans and can be dependent. Therefore, Thais reference the characteristics and virtues of Hindu gods in selecting desirable auspicious names.