We have been suggesting that five persons of the Biblical tradition have parallels in five persons of the Hindu Tradition. We should then expect that some similarity in their names may also be found. In this post we will review the names of twenty two persons in the two traditions. We have published a paper in the Journal of Indo-Judaic Studies on this subject. The reader can see that paper here. (https://www.academia.edu/45294707/Torah_Hindu_Parallels_in_the_Narratives_of_Five_Persons ).
We use two methods of tracing the parallels in the names. One method is that the names should be similar phonetically. For example Ab-Ram is phonetically similar to Ram. So we can say that these two names are parallel. The other method is the “Word Embedding Method.” This method is normally used for comparing names of organizations but we extended to use it to compare names of persons. In this method, the names may be phonetically dissimilar but the meaning of the names may be similar. For example, the embedded meanings of the words “woman” and “girl” are similar even though they are phonetically different. The reader can see details of these methods here https://www.rosette.com/blog/overview-fuzzy-name-matching-techniques/
Creative power of Elohim “B-r-“ is phonetically similar to “B-r-ahman,” the Hindu name for One God.
The first name is the creative power of Elohim. It is expressed in the Hebrew stem B-r-. The same stem B-r- is found in the Hindu name Brahman. The names Elohim and Brahman are phonetically different but the embedded meaning of the creative power of Elohim B-r- is phonetically similar to Brahman. Hence, we consider them to be similar.
Adam is the first man and Swayambhu Manu is self-created man.
The second name is that of Adam. Adam was the first man in the Biblical tradition. His parallel is Swayambhu Manu in the Hindu tradition. “Swayam” means “self” and Manu means “man.” The, the embedded meaning of Adam as the first man and Swayambhu Manu as the self created person are parallel.
Eve means “life” while her Hindu counterpart Shatarupa means “preserving life”
The third name is that of Eve and her parallel Shatarupa. The word Eve means “life or living.” Shatarupa was wife of Swayambhu Manu. Her second name is Tanu. The name “Tanu” with suffix “Krit” means “preserving life.” We find that the embedded meaning of Eve as “life” and Shatarupa as “preserving life” are parallel.
The names “Cain” and “Indra” are both related to “spear”
The fourth name is that of Cain in the Biblical tradition and his parallel Indra in the Hindu tradition. The word “Cain” is derived from the Hebrew word “Qayin” which means “spear.” Indra’s weapon too was a spear. Therefore, even though the names Cain and Indra are dissimilar but the names Cain and Indra are both related to “spear” and we consider them to be parallel.
Abel has connection with Vapour and Vritra has connection with water.
The fifth name is that of Biblical Abel and Hindu Vritra. These were killed by Cain or Indra. The word “Abel” is derived from the Hebrew word “Hebel” which means “vapour or breath.” Vritra was a person who had enclosed the waters. The Rig Veda says “O Indra , you Smotest Vritra… Let these life fostering waters flow” (1:80:4). Indra killed Vritra and let the water flow. This indicates an association of waters with Vritra. Perhaps Vritra had enclosed the waters in a reservoir. So, Abel means vapour and Vritra had enclosed the waters. Therefore, we consider these to be parallel.
“Noah” written as “Manowach” and “Manu” both have the same two consonants “M” and “N.”
The sixth name is that of Biblical Noah and his Hindu parallel Vaivaswat Manu. “Noah” is written as “Noach” which is then also written as “Manowach.” “Manowach” and “Manu” both have the same two consonants “M” and “N.” Therefore, we consider the name Noach or Manu to be parallel to Manu. We do not find parallels to the names Ham, Shem and Japheth in the Hindu tradition. However, this is a case of silence. There is no contradiction in these names hence we ignore these.
The seventh name is Biblical Arphaxad and Hindu Ikshwaku. Here, the beginning “A” is similar to “I”, “X” is similar to “Ksh,” and middle “A” is parallel to “A.” Therefore, “A-x-a” and “I-ksh-a” are parallel.
Biblical Selah means “to sprout” while Hindu Prithu milked the earth.
The eighth name is that of Biblical Selah and his parallel Hindu Prithu. Selah means “to sprout” or “to grow.” Prithu, on the other hand, is said to have milked the serials from the earth. Obviously, he would have made them sprout. Therefore, we consider the embedded meaning of these two names to be similar.
“Eber” means “the region beyond.” Likewise, his Hindu counterpart Sagar is said to have “expanded the ocean.”
The ninth name is that of Biblical Eber and his parallel Hindu Sagar. “Eber” means “the region beyond.” Likewise, Sagar is said to have “expanded the ocean.” The Valmiki Ramayana has a story wherein Hanuman wanted to cross the sea. At this time the sea self-introduced himself and said that “I have been expanded by Sagar.” The expansion of the area is the common embedded meaning.
The tenth name is that of Biblical Peleg and his Hindu counterpart Bhagirath. Peleg means “channel.” According to the Ramayana, Bhagirath brought the Ganga from the hills and divided the water into seven channels. “Channel” is the common embedded meaning.
The eleventh name is that of Biblical Reu and his parallel Hindu Raghu. Both have the same sounds “R” and “U.”
The twelfth name is Biblical Serug and his parallel Hindu Shighrag. We here have parallel sounds “S,” “R” and “G.”
The thirteenth name is Biblical Nahor and his counterpart Hindu Nahusa. The common sounds are “N” and “H.”
The fourteenth name is Biblical Terah and his counterpart Hindu Dasaratha. The common sounds are “T” or “D” followed by “R” and “H.”
The fifteenth name is Biblical Abraham. He was earlier known as Ab-Ram. His parallel in the Hindu tradition is Ram. So, “Ram” is the common name. We may mention the prefix “Ab” means father. Thus, Ab-Ram means “Father Ram” which matches with the Hindu tradition.
The sixteenth name is Biblical Sarah and her counterpart Hindu Sita. Here we find common sounds “S” and “A.” However, the middle sound “R” and “T” are different hence we consider name to be only half similar.
The seventeenth name is that of Biblical Haran, brother of Abraham; and his counterpart Hindu Bharata, brother of Rama. Both the words Haran and Bharata mean mountaineer.
The eighteenth name is Biblical Lot and his parallel Hindu Lakshmana. Here, the beginning sounds “L” are common. However, rest is not common so we consider this to be half similar.
The nineteenth name is that Amram, father of Moses, and his parallel Hindu Vasudeva, father of Krishna. The name Amram means “exalted people.” The name “Vasudeva” has two parts. “Vasu” means “excellent, good, beneficent” and Deva means God. Thus, Vasudeva means “excellent God” which is similar to “exalted people.”
The twentieth name is Moses’ mother Jochebed and her parallel Krishna’s mother Devaki. The name “Jochebed” is derived from Jehovah or God. “Jochebed” means “Jehovah is glory.” Devaki, on the other hand was daughter of Devaka. The name Devaka means “divine or celestial”. So Devaki means daughter of the divine which is parallel to Jochebed meaning Jehovah is glory.
The twenty-first name is that of Biblical Moses and is parallel Hindu Krishna. Moses’ skin was dark. At one time Moses was at Mount Sinai. God wanted to show him His powers. He asked Moses to put his hand inside his cloak. The Bible says that his hand became white. Then God again asked him to put his hand in the cloak and it regains its normal color. The skin becoming white means that the skin was “not white” before it became white; which means it was dark. Therefore, we can say that the word Moses has a connection with darkness. The name Krishna directly means black, dark or dark blue.
The last and twenty-second name is that of Biblical Aaron and his parallel Hindu Balarama. Both names have the common sounds “A,” “R” and “N” or “M.”
20 of 22 names are parallel and 2 are half-parallel between Biblical and Hindu tradition?
In this way we find that 20 of the above 22 names are parallel and two are half- parallel. Against these similarities we find that four names are dissimilar: Seth who is equivalent to Vivaswan, Nahor who is equivalent to Shatrughna, Zipporah who is parallel to Rukmini and Gershom who is parallel to Pradyumna. Therefore, overall we find 20 or 22 similarities and four differences. This gives a sense that these two traditions may have some remote deep connection. That is how similar names were carried forward into the present tradition with certain variations.
My article to this effect is published in the Journal of Indo-Judaic Studies which you can see here- https:/Torah_Hindu_Parallels_in_the_Narratives_of_Five_Persons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQjlKg3WzkQ