Nihara is a Sanskrit female name which comes directly from the word for “mist; dew; fog; hoarfrost; snow.”
The masculine form is Nihar.
Another female form is Nihari.
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The name comes directly from the Shona word for a winner, victor or conqueror.
Mukundi can also be an alternate form for the Sanskrit male name, Mukunda, which has various meanings and is an epithet for Vishnu.
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Pran is a male Indian given-name derived from the Sanskrit प्राण (prana), meaning, “breath; breath of life,” “life force” or, “vital energy.”
In Indian philosophy and yoga, prāṇa represents the universal life energy that animates all living beings.
The Thai feminine form Prani (ปราณี) combines this same Sanskrit root with the suffix -i, creating a meaning closer to “kind,” “merciful,” or “gracious.” In Thai and Pali contexts, Prani can also mean “a living being” or “one endowed with breath.” It is sometimes transcribed as Pranee.
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The name comes from Sanskrit मैथिली (Maithilī), meaning “from Mithila.” Mithila was the name of an ancient kingdom located in present-day Bihar (India) and parts of Nepal.
The most famous bearer of this name is Sita, heroine of the Ramayana. As the daughter of King Janaka of Mithila, she was called Mythili (“princess of Mithila”).
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From the Sanskrit and Hindi word ज्योत्स्ना (jyotsna) meaning, “moonlight,” and is an epithet for the goddess Durga.
Another form is the Bengali Jochna জোছনা.
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The name Padma (पद्म) is derived from Sanskrit, meaning “lotus.” In South Asian tradition, the lotus is one of the most sacred flowers, symbolizing purity, beauty, spiritual awakening, and transcendence — a blossom that rises pristine from muddy waters.
Religious & Mythological Significance
Lakshmi: In Hindu texts, Padma is used as a by-name of the goddess Lakshmi, goddess of wealth, fortune, and prosperity. She is often depicted standing or seated upon a lotus, holding lotus flowers in her hands.
Vishnu: The lotus is also associated with Vishnu, Lakshmi’s consort, and the cosmic lotus from which the universe springs.
Attributes: The padma is one of the four attributes (ayudhas) often shown in iconography of deities — symbolizing purity, enlightenment, and divine perfection.
Buddhism & Jainism: The lotus also holds deep meaning in Buddhist and Jain traditions, where it represents spiritual liberation and the blossoming of wisdom.
The name is technically unisex but more commonly bestowed on females. A notable bearer is American author, Padma Lakshmi (b. 1970).
It is also the name of a major river in Bangladesh and in the Harry Potter series, Padma Patil is the twin of Parvati Patil.
International Variations
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Both names come from Sanskrit, where the root śubha / शुभ means “auspicious, fortunate, good, beautiful, excellent.”
Forms & Gender
Shubh is most often a masculine given name in modern India, though it can also be used more generally as a unisex name meaning “auspicious” or “good omen.”
Shubha adds the feminine suffix -ā, making it the standard feminine form, commonly used across Hindu communities in India and the diaspora.
Pronunciation
Shoobh (with a long “oo,” rhyming with move). In classical Sanskrit the initial “ś” is a soft sh sound.
Religious & Cultural Resonance
The word appears throughout Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain texts to describe anything auspicious or spiritually pure. It carries connotations of good fortune and positive beginnings, which is why it’s a popular choice for children’s names and for ceremonial greetings like “Shubha Deepavali” (“Auspicious Diwali”).
Variants & Related Names
Regional spellings include Subh, Shubho (Bengali masculine form), and compounds such as Shubham शुभम् (male name meaning, “auspiciousness”) or Shubhangi शुभांगी ( female name meaning, “having an auspicious body/limbs”).
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Both Sparsh and Sparsha come from the Sanskrit root sparśa (स्पर्श), which literally means “touch, contact, sensation.”
Sparsh is widely used as a given-name in India and among the Indian diaspora, the name is unisex but more common for boys in North India and for girls in South India when spelled Sparsha.
In Hindu philosophy, sparśa refers not just to physical touch but to the faculty of sensory perception—one of the five tanmātras (subtle elements) that correspond to the senses.
Sparśa (Pāli: phassa) is also a key concept in Buddhist philosophy, not only in Hindu thought.
In the chain of dependent origination (pratītya-samutpāda), sparśa is the sixth link:
contact between sense organ, sense object, and consciousness gives rise to feeling (vedanā).
It refers to the meeting of the sense base (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind) with its object and the corresponding consciousness. Only when all three are present does “contact” occur, which then conditions sensation and craving.
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The name is composed of the Sanskrit roots, tri (त्रि) “three,” and dhā (धा), “to place, to hold, to divide.” Combined it literally means “in three parts,” “threefold,” or “divided into three.”
In Hindu philosophical and scriptural texts, tridha is an adjective or adverb describing something that exists or manifests in three ways—for example, the threefold division of the Vedas or the three aspects of time.
It is borne by Indian actress, Tridha Choudhury.
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Rudraksha रुद्राक्ष is a male Sanskrit name. It is the name of a genus of Eleocarpus plant. The seeds are considered sacred to Lord Shiva. They are harvested and dried to be used to create prayer beads in both Hinduism and Buddhism. The etymology is composed of the Sanskrit Rudra and अक्ष (akṣa), meaning “eyes.”
Another masculine for is Rudraksh.
Rudrakshi रुद्राक्षी is the feminine form.
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