Saharsh Week 4: सहर्ष
My name is Saharsh; in Sanskrit, it means happiness or joy. I have known the meaning of my name for as long as I can remember. I have tried to live up to the meaning of my name.
Growing up, I always felt like I was supposed to be a happy person—whenever I was mad, my parents would tell me that I had to be happy because of my name. At the time, I would just disregard my parents, but those comments really stuck with me more than I realized. I wanted to be someone who could make other people laugh and stay positive even when I am not feeling the best.
Obviously, I am not happy all the time. But I usually try to make a joke or find something to laugh about—it has become an integral part of my personality. If a conversation becomes awkward, I just say something stupid to make everyone laugh. Sometimes I wonder if that is my personality being happy, or if I have spent my entire life trying to become the meaning of my name.
This made me realize how small things like a name can shape an entire person’s personality. Maybe I was a person that liked making people laugh, and my name gave the part of me a way to do it. Or maybe hearing what my parents told me for years turned me into the person I am. Nobody will ever know what specific catalyst influenced someone's personality.
When people say my name, they most likely aren't thinking about its Sanskrit meaning and I am not either. But somehow I always try to live up to the meaning of that word. It became an expectation that I created myself without realizing it. I do not feel pressured to be happy, but I have always wanted to be the person that goes into a room and brings happiness to other people.
Maybe my name didn’t create my personality, but it definitely became a part of how I see myself. When you are reading this, think about what your name means and if that has played a part in your personality.
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ReplyDeleteWhat a reflective piece Saharsh! It is fascinating how you observed how a names meaning can weave itself into the intricacies of your identity, acting as a gentle compass, or a inherent intention we carry with us. I love how you use humor to diffuse tension and connect with others, and its importance to your name. As someone with a Sanskrit-translation name (Nakul-mongoose), I am still trying to figure out the significance. I deeply related to your blog, and internalizing your name is a trait I believe most people subconciously retain. Does your name have any other double meaning, and do you carry your names meaning as (postive) emotional weight? I look forward to future blogs!
ReplyDeleteYour story inspired me to search up the meaning of my own name. I can recall doing projects in elementary school about the meaning of it, but I have never remembered it. For me, my name is important to me because people constantly struggle with its pronunciation, so I worry or think about what it is, rather than the meaning inside. I think this demonstrates how a simple thing, like a name, holds a different amount of sentimental value to different people in different ways.
ReplyDeleteIn my quick Google Search, I learned that it means a “divine and wise soul.”
Although I try to constantly learn and grow, my name did not play a role in this feeling of pursuing academic success. I think it stems from other situations growing up. So, I do agree that moments in our childhood contribute to our overall attitude in various situations, such as how you mention that it may have been your parents suggesting you to be happy that ultimately resulted in you being a spirited, comedic individual.
Perhaps this blog will influence my future personality to consider my name’s meaning more in depth. I hope that one day I will be able to live up to the powerful meaning of my name, but for now, I will focus on continuing to meet the other catalysts in my life.