Naciketas-3

[Edeltraud Harzer Clear]

>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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Dear Amos,
did you have a chance to look up Manfred Mayhofer's Etymolog. Dictionary?
Edeltraud.

Edeltraud Harzer Clear
Asian Studies
UT at Austin
Texas.