To many of my friends from EUROPE and elsewhere, my 6 syllable, 13
letter name is a puzzle.
Two questions are asked frequently:
What does Parthasarathy mean ?
What is my first-name/surname (French: prenom/nom , German:
Vorname/Name) ?
Here are the answers:
1. What does "Parthasarathy" mean ?
The name is derived from a famous episode in Hindu mythology: the
Mahabharata war. Lord Krishna -- an incarnation of
Vishnu -- played the role of a driver (sarathy) of the
chariot of the prince Arjuna(Partha). And, during this
incident, Lord Krishna pronounced the essentials of Hindu philosophy
to Arjuna. Thus, the name literally means: driver of Arjuna (as
depicted in the portrait on your left).
Thus, in Hindu mythology, the name Parthasarathy is associated
with
images of: a humble driver (sarathy), a dutiful warrior (partha), and
the
greatest teacher of all times (Parthasarathy).
The sayings of Lord Krishna, compiled under the name:
Bhagavatgita (also called as Gita) form the essence of the wisdom
which leads and guides millions of Hindus around the world.
If the semantics of my name is typically Hindu, the syntax of my name
is typically South-Indian. I do NOT have a first-name/prenom/Vorname.
My name is Parthasarathy which serves both as a first-name and
surname. My friends call me Partha (which is only my nickname).
Officially, my full name is : S. Parthasarathy . The
"S" in front denotes the name of my father: Srinivasan . You
guessed it: my name is in two parts. The first part denotes my father,
the second part denotes me. This chaining of names continues across
generations. My father, Rangachari Srinivasan , carries his
fatherīs name (Rangachari) . I am Srinivasan Parthasarathy
. My son is Parthasarathy Parishram . His son/daughter
would be Parishram ???? . In the case of girls, the first part
(fatherīs name) gets replaced by the husbandīs name when they get
married. Thus, my daughter: Parthasarathy Prayathna will
become xxx Prayathna when she gets married.
In computer science, this arrangement is known as a linked
list with backward pointers.
The advantages of this scheme are manifold. It is extremely
simple. This method gives every one an individual identity. Come to my
home and ask for Srinivasan Parthasarathy, you will have only me
answering your call. It is very easy to trace the
family tree with this method.
