Wisdom of Parables: What's in a Name?
Of Philosophies Expressed through Ancient Stories and Modern Cultural Ways.
Philosophy of the ancients suggests that there is immense power in the name of God—any of His or Her names. The Preserver-God, for instance, has a thousand names, each extolling different characteristics, from which many Indian names are derived.
These selected stories in the series demonstrate the power of the divine name as portrayed in ancient texts.
Parable
Once there lived a miser who was also an atheist—traits that were unconnected.
But he doted on his grandson named Hari.
Each day, he found joy in playing with his grandson and was very attached to the young boy.
One day, the old man fell sick and soon found himself at death’s door.
The servants of the Lord of Death, Yama, who escort souls to hell hovered nearby.
The man called out to his grandson, “Hari, Hari, where are you?”
The grandson was brought to the man’s side, but the delay caused the man to incessantly call out for him—"Hari."
Out of nowhere, the angels of Heaven swooped in and denied the demons entry.
The demons argued to take possession.
The angels claimed his soul for the man had invoked the name of God - Hari.
The demons laughed at this, arguing that he wasn’t calling to God. The man did not believe in God; he was merely calling to his grandson.
But the angels remained firm.
Whether intentional or not, the man called to God in his dying hour.
He was no longer theirs, for he had been redeemed.
His yearning for the name resulted in his being saved by it, for such is believed to be the power of the name—a power capable of redeeming a soul even under such circumstances.
The demons left, and when the hour came, the angels claimed him for a better afterlife.
Takeaway
The implicit belief is that any one of the many names of God is enough not just only to redeem you at the end, overcoming all your prejudiced ways of life, but also to offer succor during your life.
This is a key tenet in the culture.
The belief permeates the majority, leading many to choose names for their children derived from these divine names.
When you meet a person of Hindu origin and seek an explanation for their name, you will often find it is derived—directly or indirectly—from the many thousands of names attributed to core Gods of the culture.
For instance, ‘Abhaya’ in Sanskrit technically means ‘without [a] fear [bhaya] ’—an attribute describing the nature of the Preserver-God [fearlessness or one who grants it]—and from it derives the Indian female name Abhaya or the Indian male name Abhay.
Moreover, daily practices in homes and temples include the recitation of mantras composed by the ancients, weaving the various names of their chosen God or Goddess1 into melodies.
Each name showcases a special attribute or act.
Some compositions are a thousand words long, others perhaps in the hundreds.
The daily practice is recommended as a way to achieve calm, discernment, and protection.
In times of challenge or despair, those who believe or are on the fence are advised by elders to recite these names for peace of mind and positive resolution of their troubles.
This belief also gives rise to a hello greeting when some Indians meet, especially in rural areas, that is rooted in a name of God.
These beliefs are embedded and sprinkled across daily observances in the culture, reflecting the core idea—remember God.2
In this parable, the name used is ‘Hari,’ which is a reference to the Preserver-God and the name signifies that He is the One who forgives/redeems mistakes/sins. Apt!
Analogy
An 18th century saint distinguishes between invoking the name of God in love, faith, and devotion and children playing and saying, ‘God-promise,’3 or swearing in God’s name during their childish games, to demonstrate their honesty, without any understanding of the depth of the meaning of the word ‘God.’
Explore this ancient story of a robber who became a renowned saint-author through the power of a name.
Read other posts in the ‘Wisdom’ series.
A common misconception is that Hinduism has millions of gods due to the numerous forms in which they are worshipped. However, the core philosophy of Hinduism teaches that there is one formless God, who can also be worshipped in various forms to help humans relate to the Divine. Among these forms, the Preserver-God is considered the most common form of a singular God. Different schools of thought offer varying explanations of the Formless.
Good explanation in Footnote #1!
Hindu names come from Sanskrit? Have other meanings. Hare (Hari) Krishna for example. God is God formless. What’s in a name? A rose is a rose, is a rose.