My Name Is Swahilya
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When somebody asks me, "What's your name?" I say Swahilya. The reply and reaction is the same always - What a beautiful name, What does it mean, Is it Indian, It sounds like the African language. Not just people. Even the Google Search on the good old World Wide Web asks, "Do you mean Swahili?" before throwing up some of my byline stories that appeared in The Hindu, the newspaper I work for. So I thought I will dabble with a little history of what is in this one and only name in the whole world so far as I know. Any claimants to this title may please report to this blog and I will stand corrected.Well, how did this all come about. My name given to me at birth was Akila, after a Goddess whose temple is in Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu - her name is Akhilandeshwari. Akila means Universe. I was getting on with this name for over 30 years from B. Akila (bearing my father's initial) to Akila Dinakar - my husband's surname. There was also Akhilanada Bharati, a pen name I coined for myself to write my poetry and extra-curricular literature (besides my newspaper reports and special stories!).
One fine morning in November 2003, I got a feeling that my name is going to change. On December 2, my birthday, I e-mailed my Guru, Swami Akshara who was then in Japan, asking him for a pen name with which I can write articles and poems on meditation and contemplation.
His reply was instant, considering the voluminous mails he gets in several of his mail ids.
The name he thought for me was Swahilya - It is a combination of Swaha - the feminine energy of Agni, the God of Fire. Ahilya sounds similar to a character in the epic Ramayana Ahalya - who is known for her patience. Swahilya is an aspect of Swaha who is invoked during the Ashwamedha Yagnas and her nature is to absorb negativities and purify. Swaha is also the deity who takes the offerings in the form of mantras to the gods. Most of the mantras are suffixed by Swaha:
This name, which is reflective of the qualities of fire and patience seemed alluring and with Swamiji's consent, it became my official name published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette.
My Guru said once that anyone who pronounces this name goes through that much time of meditation. True to this, whenever people hear my name, it sparks off a discussion on the components of the name and the topic turns towards the source of this name - Swami Akshara - and eventually to meditation.
And so I love to talk about my name and love to hear my name being called Swaha or Swahilya - whichever way you like it.
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6 comments:
Hi Swahilya (Akila :-))
That was a nice explanation of your name. Having followed many of your articles in the online version of THE HINDU under both the names, I always wondered about the origin of this name. Thanks for clarifying it suo moto and good that you are joining the ranks of THE HINDU journos creating their own blogs. I am also adding you under the Indibloggers list that I maintain under Swahilya itself.
Thangal pani thodarattum :-)
Godspeed!
Thank you Thennavan: I learnt from my friends that you are a Tamil blogger. I have written some poems in Tamil and I wish to know how I can post in Tamil.
Pani ovvoru kanamum thodarndhukonde Irukkum - tirelessly.
Swaha.
Hi Swahilya,
The pronouncing of your name and hearing it pronounced really gives the feeling of pure ecstasy and meditation as Swami Akshara rightly said.
I think this is numerology at its very best coming as spontaneously as it ever can from a great person. i think it symbolises the purity of spirituality in you.
Ironically, according to numerology, somebody told me eight is not a lucky number and told me to add an initial to it. Now can anybody even think I will do such a thing. The dropping of all initials was a conscious effort to stand alone - just like Brahman, Consciousness, God, Divine - anything you may call it, alone with no support from anything, but supporting everything.
Dont you worry 8 is an excellent number. all the best
It was your name that dragged me to your blogs (4 years late though!!!). Nevertheless, I learnt today the meaning of Swaha and why they say Swaha during Yagnas!
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