Re: Why I chose Sikhism
What's in a Name?
by MANJYOT KAUR (formerly, Laurie Bolger)
Since my very childhood, I have been fascinated by given names and their meanings. So, naturally, once I knew I had passed the "point of no return" in my journey of becoming a Sikh, I wanted to learn as much as I could about Sikh names: what they signify and how they are derived.
Devoting time and thought to selecting the name that would be mine when I formally embraced Sikhi, through taking Amrit, turned into a source of great satisfaction and enjoyment for me. The process was indeed an illuminating one - not only did I learn a lot about the Punjabi language, but also about the ideals of my chosen faith and what becoming an Amritdhari Sikh means to me.
As the absolute core of Sikhi, Guru Granth Sahib is given utmost primacy in all matters of Sikh life. So it was not at all surprising for me to learn that Naamkaran, the ceremony whereby a Sikh name is chosen, revolves around deriving the name's initial letter from taking a Hukam, or Vaak: opening the sacred scripture at random and using the letter from the first word of the Shabd at the start of the upper left-hand page (or the page before that, if the one turned to is a continuation).
It seemed tremendously meaningful, and totally appropriate, that Guru Granth Sahib, as our eternal and living Guru, would occupy such a position of centrality in the important process of name selection.
It deeply impressed me that almost all elements that make up Sikh names are derived from Gurbani. Some refer directly to God, the Lord of all, through a variety of names, in a uniquely Sikh approach to the Ultimate Deity - such as "Brahm", "Dev", "Har", "Inder", "Ishar", and "Prabh". Many others describe attributes of the Divine: for example, "Amar" - immortal, "Deep" - light, "Ik" - one, and "Jit" - victorious.
Yet others speak of actions or qualities we would do well to cultivate in our human lives on Earth, like meditation on God ("Simran"), love ("Preet"), virtue ("Gun"), and humility ("Nimarta").
Two other major characteristics of Sikh names were also of great interest to me. One was their unique unisex nature, reflecting the gender equality inherent to Sikhi. Traits such as bravery or beauty that, in most other cultures, are deemed to be specifically masculine or feminine become, quite rightly, applicable to all people, regardless of sex. The presence of "Singh" for males and "Kaur" for females is almost always the only way of determining the gender of a Sikh name.
The second was their compound composition: the fact that the vast majority of names are constructed with combinations of two or more segments. Sometimes, these elements can act as either prefixes or suffixes. For example, "Inderdeep" and "Deepinder" both mean "Light of God".
I know that many Sikh children are not named right away. After the name's initial letter is determined by the Vaak, Sikh parents often take considerable time to choose what they believe would be the perfect name for their son or daughter, consulting books and websites designed specifically for this purpose, and deliberating at length with family and friends. It seems quite safe to say that newborns are unaware of this time lapse, and retain no conscious memory of ever having been nameless.
As an adult, however, I felt this option was not the right one for me. I knew I wanted to possess a Sikh name immediately upon formally converting to Sikhi. Even though more than one person told me, "Get your letter first; why have the burden of needing to find a name for every letter of the alphabet?", I nonetheless welcomed and relished the research and reflection this task would entail.
So the linguistic challenge began. First, I tried to familiarize myself as much as I could with the Punjabi alphabet. Coming to the conclusion that I could disregard letters (such as "jhajhaa" and "njanjaa") that do not commonly occur at the beginning of words, I figured out that I would need to find names starting with 27 of Punjabi's 35 letters (40 letters, if one counts the 5 added to accomodate the sounds of "loan words" from Urdu), in order to feel reasonably secure that my list would cover every eventuality.
A concept inherent to Sikhi that immensely captivates me is the idea of Jot, or Divine Light. I firmly adhere to the fundamental tenet that the first Sikh Guru, Nanak, was not only himself imbued with Jot, but also that the very same Light was transferred to all of his nine human successors, and that it now dwells perpetually in Guru Granth Sahib. Moreover, I believe that it pervades the entire universe, including within us mere mortals - that there is nowhere that Divine Light does not reside.
So right away, I knew I wanted to include "Jyot" (with an added "y" for the sake of easier phonetic pronunciation) in many of the names on my list. More than a dozen names that made the final cut fell into this category.
I then thought I would like to come up with some "wishful thinking" names. Don't all parents want their offspring to be happy, intelligent, attractive, strong, and so forth? Of course, they do!
But, being that I was choosing a name for my own self, I decided that many of these types of names might come across as boastful or pretentious.
Therefore, appelations like "Pargat" (one who blossoms forth into fame), "Kuldev" (the Godlike person in the family), "Jagmohan" (one who captivates the world) and "Anokh" (extraordinary and wondrous), while splendid names in their own right, seemed like they might be more than just a bit excessive, at least in my very humble case. So, I decided some serious self-introspection was in order - what quality am I now sorely lacking that I would most like to have?
That is how I came to add "Bachint" (without worry) and "Sehej" (patient and equipoised) to my candidates.
Some letters of the Punjabi alphabet do not often start words - like "ghaghaa", "chhachhaa", and "phaphaa" - but, wanting to be as assiduous as possible, I thought it unwise to leave them off the list completely. So off to the dictionary I went. I was relieved to find one word for each of these unusual initials that I felt would work well as a name.
Finally, after much revision, I ended up with a list of more than forty names I really loved. I showed it to two of my dearest friends, who both gave me "thumbs up" on my choices. Then, I was ready to face the big day. Whatever letter Guru Granth Sahib would bestow upon me, I knew I would have a Sikh name I would feel immensely honored and privileged to carry for the rest of my life. (I have taken the liberty of including all these names at the end of this piece. I hope readers will like them.)
Through the Grace of the Guru, I was infinitely blessed with the incomparable gift of Amrit on the day before Vaisakhi this year. The Vaak that provided my initial letter was a beautiful Shabd, but then, what Shabd is not beautiful?
It began with the line:
Man tan prabh aaraadheeai,
mil saadh samaagai.
"Worship and adore God in your mind and body,
Join the company of the holy".
So now, I am Manjyot Kaur - "light of the mind".
I truly hope and pray that I will always live up to the gift of my new name.
(Source: sikhchic.com | The Art and Culture of the Diaspora | Article Detail)
Also read:
Exploring Sikhi, By LAURIE BOLGER, The Sikh Times, Apr. 10, 2006
A review of The World According to Sikhi by I.J. Singh.
