Naciketas-3

[Amos Nevo]

Shalom to all,

Thanks for the responses to my previous messages. Naciketas is actually
quite a neglected hero of the Hindu scripturtes and he deserves being
treated, on the Internet and otherwise.

One of the minor issues that I deal with in my work is the meaning of
his  name -"Naciketas". Traditionally it was believed to mean "someone
who does not know", according to the division of the name "na+ciketas".
This iterpretation was accepted by Bohtlingk, and other interpreters,
European and Indian (Radhakrishnan, Whitney,  Helfer, and others),
assuming that the name is derived from the Sanskrit root“cit”, which
means “to know”. Wadhwani also derives the meaning of the name from
"cit", but says that the meaning of "Naciketas" is "someone who knows",
as the term "na-vedas" in the Rgveda, thus opposing tacitly the
traditional interpretation.
 Charpentier is most original and does not derive the meaning of the
name from "cit" or knowledge. He reads the name (following Wackernagel)
as "naci+ketas", parallel to Kamadeva's name - "Makaraketu", and hence
similar to the name "Svetaketu" of the Chandogya Upanisad.

I shall be very grateful for any comments, information and sources,
concerning the name Naciketas, or/and any clarification concerning the
term "naci" and its affinity to "nakra" or "nakraa".

I have sent a similar note to the "Sanskrit Digest List". My appologies
to those who have received it twice.

Thanks in advance,



Amos Nevo
14/51 Bolivia St. Jerusalem
96746
ISRAEL
fAX. 972 2 6419215


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