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?

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 Name	Sanskrit Equivalent	Sanskrit Meaning
Volga	Bul-ga	One that plunges, submerges & emerges
Pichora	Pichchora	Pipe/Flute
Dvina	Dwaina	Second
Vishera	Visara	Abundance
Varzuga	Varshauga	Torrent
Voronya	Varunya	Coming from god of water
Pregolya	Pragalya	That which falls off
Narva	Narba	To move
Kuma	Kuma	Lake
Tereshka	Taras	Energy
Kama	Kama	Wild
Samara	Samara	Battle
Kokshaga	Kokaha	White Horse
Moksha	Moksha	Salvation
Avacha	Avachya	Southern
Lokanka	Lu-Ganga	Dividing River

How Canada got its name.

Anglia, Hochelaga, Norland, Superior and Victorialand were some of the names considered before some wise men chose Canada as their country's name in February 1867. Wikipedia adds that the name Canada originated around 1535 from the Saint-Lawrence Iroquoian word Kanata meaning "village", "settlement", or "land"; another contemporary translation was "cluster of dwellings".

To me, Canada has always sounded like an Indian word. The Wiki explanation kind of solved an old puzzle in my head. However, I do wish to draw your attention to a remarkable coincidence. The Sanskrit word 'Kanda' which means 'branch, chapter or cluster' seems totally synonymous with the Iroquoian 'Kanata'. Kanda is of vedic vintage and has been in currency since god-knows-when. The Indian sub-continent was often referred to as Bharata Kanda. So is it possible that Kanda gave rise to Kanata which in turn gave us 'Canada'? Me thinks, YES. As the 'Kanda' usage somehow feels more appropriate than the small land mass sense conveyed by 'Kanata'.

How Saskatchewan got its name.

Saskatchewan is Canada's fifth largest province. It takes its name from the Saskatchewan river. Legend has it that Saskatchewan means 'swift flowing river' in the Cree Indian language.

My take: Saskatchewan is a prarie province with more than 50% forest land. The -wan suffix in the name seems of Sanskrit origin. Van in Sanskrit means forest which kind of fits the profile of the land. Further, 'Kutch' in Sanskrit means 'island' and 'sas' cues 'six'. So Saskatchewan means 'the forest with six islands'. My view is the six islands in reference are the six great tribes - Algonquins (Algonquin), Atikameks (Atikamekw), Cree (Cree), Inuit (Inuktitut), Montagnais (Innu), and Naskapi (Naskapi). The only way to nail this hypothesis is to study the connection between the Cree language and Sanskrit.

How Glass got its name.

Wikipedia says, "The term glass developed in the late Roman Empire. It was in the Roman glassmaking center at Trier, now in modern Germany, that the late-Latin term glesum originated, probably from a Germanic word for a transparent, lustrous substance."

But another entry in Wiki reads, "Indigenous development of glass technology in South Asia may have begun in 1730 BCE.Evidence of this culture includes a red-brown glass bead along with a hoard of beads dating to that period, making it the earliest attested glass from the Indus Valley locations. Glass discovered from later sites dating from 600–300 BCE displays common color."

Now the timeline of the Roman Empire is stated as between 27 BC and 476 AD. Clearly, the Indus Valley precedes the Roman empire. So glass must have been known to the Indian subcontinent much earlier than the Roman empire.

So could the word 'glass' have originated from India? Why not?

Here's my theory: There's a sanskrit word called 'Kelasa' which means 'crystal'. Incidentally, 'Kelasa' is the root word for Kailash. Mount Kailash is often referred to as the Crystal Mountain for being pure and sacred. Now doesn't 'kelasa' sound very similar to 'glass'? The red crystal beads that Wiki talks about would have been called the kelasa beads in ancient times. So may be with time, the 'kla' in kelasa became 'gla' and that's how we got glass.

How Denmark got its name.

Conventional Theory:The etymology of the word Denmark, and especially the relationship between Danes and Denmark and the unifying of Denmark as a single kingdom, is a subject which attracts debate.[16][17] This is centred primarily around the prefix "Dan" and whether it refers to the Dani or a historical person Dan and the exact meaning of the -"mark" ending. The issue is further complicated by a number of references to various Dani people in Scandinavia or other places in Europe in Greek and Roman accounts (like Ptolemy, Jordanes, and Gregory of Tours), as well as mediaeval literature. The earliest descriptions of the origin of the word 'Denmark', describing a territory, are found in the Chronicon Lethrense (12th century), Svend Aagesen (late 12th century), Saxo Grammaticus (early 13th century) and the Ballad of Eric (mid-15th century). There are, however, many more Danish annuals and yearbooks containing various other details, similar tales in other variations, other names or spelling variations. Most handbooks derive the first part of the word, and the name of the people, from a word meaning "flat land", related to German Tenne "threshing floor", English den "cave",the -mark is believed to mean woodland or borderland.

My Take: 'Dhana' in Sanskrit means 'Meadows or lush pastures' and 'Marga' means 'way or path'. So Dhana Marga is a land leading to a lush green domain. There is evidence that agriculture took root in Denmark around 3000 BC. So is Dhana Marga = Denmark? One fact that strengthens this case is the lead river of Denmark is called Guden. Gu in Sanskrit means 'Cow', Den is the act of consuming the 'dhana' and giving something in return!

How Kentucky got its name.

Conventional Theory: "It is generally accepted that the historic Native American tribes who hunted in what is now Kentucky referred to the region as Catawba, or some similar variant. Some have said that the land was described in this way to Daniel Boone by a native Chief. According to The Kentucky Blue Book,Dragging Canoe, a young Cherokee chief opposed to selling ancestral hunting grounds, warned the whites that they were purchasing a "dark and bloody ground." The origin of Kentucky's modern name (variously spelled Cane-tuck-ee, Cantucky, Kain-tuck-ee, and Kentuckee before its modern spelling was accepted)comes from an Iroquois word meaning "meadow lands", referring to the buffalo hunting grounds in Central Kentucky's savanna." Wikipedia.

My Take: The Iroquois Indians are of Asian genetic stock (B Haplogroup). And there is this theory that the Haplogroup B could have been from the lost continent 'Mu' which many people believe to be the cradle for India, China and Japan. Now, the spoken language of this hypothetical civilization could have either been Sanskrit or Tamil (two of the oldest languages). 'Kantaka' in both these languages meant 'thorny'. And Kantaka Kshetra meant a 'thorny field or meadow'. It is possible that the Iroquois Indians used the same root words. So my surmise is Kantaka gave us Kentucky.

How Kazhakstan got its name.

There are at least 4 theories floating around to explain how Kazhakstan got its name:

a) It comes from the Turkish verb qaz (to wander), because the Kazakhs were wandering steppemen
b) It derives from the Mongol word khasaq (a wheeled cart used by the Kazakhs to transport their yurts and belongings).
c) The name came from the popular Kazakh legend of the white goose (qaz means "goose", aq means "white").[18][19] In this creation myth, a white steppe goose turned into a princess, who in turn gave birth to the first Kazakh.
d) Another theory on the origin of the word Kazakh (originally Qazaq) is that it comes from the ancient Turkic word qazğaq, first mentioned on the 8th century Turkic monument of Uyuk-Turan. According to the notable Turkic linguist Vasily Radlov and the orientalist Veniamin Yudin, the noun qazğaq derives from the same root as the verb qazğan ("to obtain", "to gain"). Therefore, qazğaq defines a type of person who seeks profit and gain.

I have a new theory. My view is, Kazhakstan has a Sanskrit root. Derived from Kashak-stan. Kashak is the sanskrit word for grass. The grassy terrain of the great Kazhak steppe might have been the trigger for Indic nomads to give this name. I shall present more evidence in the coming days.

How Brazil got its name.

Most of the theories on Brazil's etymology are fairly muddled. Wikipedia says, "Traditionally, the word "Brazil" comes from brazilwood, a timber tree that many sailors traded from Brazilian regions to Europe in the 16th century.[18] In Portuguese brazilwood is called pau-brasil, with the word brasil commonly given the etymology "red like an ember", formed from Latin brasa ("ember") and the suffix -il (from -iculum or -ilium).This theory is taught as official in schools of Brazil and Portugal." Somehow it's deeply unsatisfying. I am of the view that the tree is not distinctive enough to justify naming an entire region after it. Clearly, there's a need for an alternate theory. This is where Sanskrit can help. Bri/Bru, as we now know, means hill. And Shil or Shila means rock. What would you call a place where the terrain is predominantly rocky? Brushil, right? And that's how Brazil was born.

How Brian got his name.

Brian is of Celtic origin. Behindthename suggests that it is possibly related to the old Celtic element bre meaning hill. Now the Celts have an ancient Indian connect. Many of their words and customs are Proto-Indo-European in nature. Just like Bre in Celtic, the Bri in Sanskrit also means hill. So it is highly possible that Brian was derived from the Sanskrit Brihan which means 'hill-like' or 'as big as a hill' or by extension 'great'. This aspect of Brihan is what, we in India, are aware of, today. Brihan Mumbai for example, means Greater Mumbai. If Brihan Mumbai were a Celtic town, it would have been Brian Mumbai!

How Eindhoven, Antwerp & Rotterdam got their names.

Wikipedia says: "The name Eindhoven derives from the contraction of the regional words eind (meaning last or end) and hove (or hoeve; a section of some 14 hectares of land)." I think the name may have a vedic connect. The sixth descendant of Puru was Raudrasva. He had ten sons. Vaneyu was the last. Vaneyu (one from the forest) sounds suspiciously close to slavic deity vanja/vanya. Considering that the proto-indo-european language is said to have emerged from the Nordic regions, it is highly possible that Eindhoven is a nod to the last son of Raudra named Vanya. Incidentally, Vanya's elder brother is Varpeyu. The 'werp' in Antwerp may have something to do with Varpeyu. If so, then Ant must be a legacy of the Sanskrit Anth (meaning final, last or end)? But then, this poses a complication. If Antwerp = Anth Varpa = Land of the last son Varpeyu. And if Eindhoven = Antho Vanya = Land of the last son Vanya. Then clearly there must have been a confusion as to who was the last son. Now for all of this to have been true, Raudra must have been a great figure in Netherlands. We have evidence for this. Rotterdam is but Raudra-Dham!