Sunday, July 15, 2007

Behind the Name: Message: "meaning of the name Somaiah"

This is mostly for those who need to know the meaning of name Somaiah:

When I was a kid, I asked my dad what my name meant - most Indian names have a meaning. He replied that Somaiah meant 'Chandra' or moon god, as 'Som' meant moon, and 'aiah' meant master or god.

However, after doing some research on my own, I have come to a different conclusion. My family comes from an Aryan tribe, as most Indians do. Aryans drank a hallucigenic drink made from a mushroom called 'Soma' (Amanita muscaria or the Fly Agaric ). This hallucinogen gave Aryans an edge over their enemies in battle because they went beserk and fought better, as they did not feel the pain of their wounds until the effects of their drink wore off, which was usually after the battle was over. One of the Aryan kings was especially fierce after taking this drug, and is referred in the Rig Veda as a master of 'Soma'.

Eventually this king became so accomplished that he was deified permanently into the hindu pantheon of gods as Indra.

So essentially the name Somaiah refers to Indra the king who got intoxicated and got into fights, which sounds a lot like the Coorgs of today!

Interestingly Indra, the Greek Apollo and the Norsk Thor all have the same root."

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