In the middle of the discussion regarding the research topics yesterday, when Professor Dr. VP Agrawal asked me if I knew why I was named Keshav (Keshava), I was confused how to begin.
Keshava is one of the names of Lord Krishna. And, I knew this. Since yesterday with my limited knowledge of Sanskrit language, I was of the opinion that the word got derived from two other words Ka (=water) and Shava (=dead body). If you go into the Sanskrit linguistics, you will get to know how true I am.
Also, I believed that there would be some legend with regards to Lord Krishna, water and dead body, which I had not known yet, behind the genesis of the name.
And, I preferred telling him this thing. I recited a humorous stanza in Sanskrit which has two meanings. It talks about Keshava (Lord Krishna), Kaurava and Drona.
केशवं पतितम् दृष्ट्वा
द्रोणाहर्षमुपागतम्
रुदन्ति कौरवा: सर्वे
हाहा केशव केशव।।
Keshavam patitam drishtwaa
Dronaah harshamupaagatam
Rudanti Kauravaah sarve
Haha! Keshava Keshava!
The first meaning may be pertained to the great war of Mahabharata. “When Lord Keshava fell down, Drona was delighted but the Kauravas started crying.” But this doesn’t make good relation with the original story of the Mahabharata.
Meanwhile, the literal meaning of the verse is
* Ke shavam patitam drishtwaa == by seeing dead body falling in water
(Ka= water, Ke= in water, patitam=falling, drishtwaa=by seeing)
* Dronaah harshamupaagatam == Crows came to the state of joyfulness
(Drona= crow, Dronaah= crows, Harsha(m)= joyfulness, upaagatam=came)
* Rudanti Kauravaah sarve = All the Kauravas cry
(Rudanti = cry, Kauravaah= the Kauravas, sarve=all)
*Haha! Keshava Keshava= hey Keshava, hey Keshava!
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The professor was, with interest, listening to me. I was “through” making evident my ‘noesis’ on linguistics and legend. And, the learned elderly gently smiled at me and said, “Well Keshav, this name got established when Lord Krishna killed a demon called Kishi who had called to take life of the baby Krishna.”
Okay. This is the legend then. Thanks to the professor of Bio-chemistry, he taught me something related to the mythology which I did not knew earlier.
After all, we can learn new things every time with anybody.
Right now, it will be appropriate to remember Lord Dattatreya, who had considered even the beasts as his guru.
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