Monday, January 14, 2013

How Russia and Moscow got their names.

In my previous post, I had cited some Russian hydronyms (river names) that seem to have a Sanskrit origin. This time, I have a more intriguing finding that might seem hard to digest but difficult to refute.

Let's first take RUSSIA. Etymology online is of the view that either Russia derives its roots from the Finnish name for Sweden or it's derived from the Indo European word for 'Red' in reference to the hair colour.

I have a third theory. And in my theory, the etymology of Russia is intertwined to the origins of Moscow.
Ok, the picture to your left is that of the Siberian Musk Deer (image courtesy: Wikipedia). Largely found in the Russian Federation, Moschus moschiferus is the source for producing Musk (an aromatic substance used as a base for perfumes). The commonly known Sanskrit word for the Musk Deer is Kasturi Hiran. But there is another word. It's Rushya.

Now what does Rushya sound like? Russia, right? So is it possible that the place got its name as it was teeming with these musk deers? Hold that thought. Let's now jump to MOSCOW. Moscow derives its name from the Moskva river. And how did Moskva river get its name? Wikipedia maintains that 'origin is unknown although several theories exist'. What are these theories? The only theory I've come across is Moskva's roots lie in the Finno-Ugric word for 'dark water'.

Let me muddle the water further with a new theory. What if, the river ran through forests that reeked of musk? Plausible, right? But then if Russia is derived from Sanskrit, shouldn't Moscow have a similar linguistic origin? This is where, we have a strong piece of evidence. The word Musk is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Muska' which means 'testicle'!

So that leads us to the big question: did the Siberian Musk Deer or the Muska Rushya have a hand in giving Russia and Moscow their names?

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

How, many Russian Rivers, got their names.

The Arkaim archaelogical site in Russia has provided the world evidence of the presence of an ancient civilizaton of Indo-Aryan origins. Now, I shall provide you etymological evidence of a Sanskrit connect. At least 16 hydronyms (river names) in Russia have clear equivalent roots in Sanskrit. Let's take Volga. The broadly accepted view is that it draws its meaning from the Russian word for moisture. There's a Sanskrit word Bul (root for bulayati). It means 'to plunge//dive/submerge/emerge'. Now the ga in ganga (means 'that which moves') is a Sanskrit suffix used to connote rivers. So Volga could have been derived from Bulga. Considering the Bulgarians took their name from the river Volga, Bulga seems a credible explanation.

The stunning coincidences with 15 other rivers listed below kind of convinces me that there's a need for a deeper study into the vedic links of Russia.

Russian River NameSanskrit EquivalentSanskrit Meaning
VolgaBul-gaOne that plunges, submerges & emerges
PichoraPichchoraPipe/Flute
DvinaDwainaSecond
VisheraVisaraAbundance
VarzugaVarshaugaTorrent
VoronyaVarunyaComing from god of water
PregolyaPragalyaThat which falls off
NarvaNarbaTo move
KumaKumaLake
TereshkaTarasEnergy
KamaKamaWild
SamaraSamaraBattle
KokshagaKokahaWhite Horse
MokshaMokshaSalvation
AvachaAvachyaSouthern
LokankaLu-GangaDividing River