# The meaning behind 'Rama'



## pudding (Aug 16, 2014)

I'm in the process of pre-planning an upcoming novel.  You may have seen my earlier post about it, or you may not have.
To be brief, the story consists of an original species I came up with- they are somewhat similar to demons, but in a less religious perspective.  Beasts, to put it simply.  I did some research on terms and names with meanings behind them instead of using a cliche to call them, and discovered 'Rama'.  Supposably the site claimed it meanings 'black, dark', and a noun for 'darkness' in Hindi.  I loved the sound of the name.  Thing is, I can't find anywhere else to back it up, as it seems Rama is also a Hindu god, and his name means purity and peace.  Yikes!  Not what I wanted.  However, it would be seriously interesting and relevant to my story if I can use this to my advantage: a name with two opposite meanings, like good and evil, which is an important element in my story.

Is there anyone who may be more educated with the god and/or the name itself?


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## aj47 (Aug 17, 2014)

Have you read Arthur C. Clarke's _Rendezvous with Rama_? I have not but it is what comes to my mind when I see the word/name.


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## Pluralized (Aug 17, 2014)

Rama's a great name - I've used it m'self for a main character's first name. The deity Himself, I wouldn't characterize as 'dark' anything. From the Wikipedia article on Rama: 

*As a person, Rama personifies the characteristics of an ideal person (purushottama)[SUP][3][/SUP][SUP][45][/SUP] who is to be emulated. He had within him all the desirable virtues that any individual would seek to aspire, and he fulfills all his moral obligations (maryada).
*
*Here's a link to the article *- it's a really informative read. Beware the rabbit-hole you get sucked into when trying to learn about Hinduism. It's deep and deceptively wide, so jump hard.


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## TKent (Aug 17, 2014)

I am pretty sure I had my forehead smudged in a Rama temple once in India. But don't remember anything dark about the him. I visited a bunch of temples on that trip though..so who knows.


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## pudding (Aug 17, 2014)

I'll do more research; I know some things about Rama the god now, but if there is another meaning behind the name, I know it has nothing to do with Him.

edit; so I happened to find this response to a yahoo question concerning Rama... however, I don't really understand it, except that (while yahoo and not very source-worthy) it does refer to what I thought the original meaning is:



> 7. Rāmá in the Rigveda and the Atharvaveda is an adjective meaning "dark, black", or a noun meaning "darkness", e.g. RV 10.3.3 (trans. Griffith):


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## TKent (Aug 17, 2014)

Also, when I read your original piece (before this conversation), I thought Rama fit really well.  I liked it as a name for the beast 



pudding said:


> I'll do more research; I know some things about Rama the god now, but if there is another meaning behind the name, I know it has nothing to do with Him.
> 
> edit; so I happened to find this response to a yahoo question concerning Rama... however, I don't really understand it, except that (while yahoo and not very source-worthy) it does refer to what I thought the original meaning is:


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## alanmt (Aug 17, 2014)

I only use the word rama following "[noun]-o-", which means big and festive or a bunch of, in a retro and occasionally ironic way.​
For example, if a bunch of your critters are partying it up or otherwise acting crazy, I would call it a Rama-o-rama!


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## dragonslayer (Sep 6, 2014)

Rama is Vishnu. The 7th avatar and is generally the most worshipped. 

I got to laugh about this stuff about "dark", "black"... darkness. Wherever you got this information originally - this website mentioned initially - is nothing more than an ignorant fool. 

If Rama is "dark" that is a statue to associate him with Vishnu and has absolutely no relation to his "good / evil". The time of RAMA is considered some of the best in Hindu religion... when God [as a man] ruled. 


I advise you to look that up carefully because using Rama in any demeaning term, particularly if you link it to a demon / deity, will have a LOT of negativity amongst Hindus and others that practice.


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