Sunama Book
All parents wish to give a unique and meaningful name to their child. In India, a Sanskrit name is mostly preferred. Often parents turn to the Internet, which is replete with misinformation on Sanskrit names. Popular name websites too mispresent the meaning of many Sanskrit words and sometimes even list names from other languages, presenting them as Sanskrit.
Some bestselling books on Sanskrit names also carry such mistakes. Parents are misled by such sources and end up giving a kunama (‘a bad name’) to their children. Each Sanskrit sunama-or ‘a good name’-has a mathematical derivation (vyutpatti) and/or a mystical explanation (nirukti). This work by Sanskrit scholar Nityananda Misra is a wonderful collection of more than 3,000 sunamas, most of which are rare or unused today.