Why do Sikhs name their daughter "Maya" when maya is an obstacle etween us and Vaheguru?

[Guest Kaur 2]

VJKK VJKF

I think that naming a child is very important because surely sometime in their life they will want to find out what their name means because I know for years I wanted to know what my name meant but no-one knew so I was pretty much lost but it isn't hard to find out what maya means and what the Guru says about maya.

VJKK VJKF

[Guest K A B]

Just in case anyone is still searching this... in some languages on the Indian subcontinent eg Nepali the meaning of Maya has shifted from the original Sanskrit, more negative meaning of "illusion or enchantment" to mean "love". 

[puzzled 3,652]

I was searching for a name for my nephew on those sikh name websites and started checking the girl names and one of the suggestions for G was Ganika. Which Sikh in their right mind who has read bani and knows ithiaas would call their daughter Ganika!   i can see some clueless non practicing Sikhs scrolling down the names and saying  "oh, Ganika, thats a nice name, lets call her Ganika Kaur,  lovely"       

[Ranjeet01 2,094]

10 hours ago, puzzled said:

I was searching for a name for my nephew on those sikh name websites and started checking the girl names and one of the suggestions for G was Ganika. Which Sikh in their right mind who has read bani and knows ithiaas would call their daughter Ganika!   i can see some clueless non practicing Sikhs scrolling down the names and saying  "oh, Ganika, thats a nice name, lets call her Ganika Kaur,  lovely"       

Ganika sounds African-American like Shaniqua or Laquisha. 

[Guest Another perspective]

I practice meditation everyday and not in a naam japu way but what I have found connection to is Guru Nanak Ji's way of looking at God.  It's very similar to the meditation Buddhist do.  Maya is illusion and we must come out of the illusion to see god in ourselves and in everything.  Blade of grass, flowers, other humans (even though there are no others-it is just one)  We are all just one.  "Ek noor se sab jag upja"  We all come from that one light.  I remember this verse when I sit for meditation or when my mind runs to much and sees the "other" as separate from me because one of two things are involved I like them or dislike them so basically attachment or aversion-both and badly...acceptance is the best way.  

I digress - recently I heard another meditator who believes in oneness share that she has named her child Maya because it was a constant reminder to her that attachment to her will bring suffering...here is where I have to clear up what she meant (attachment is the reason for pain and suffering and attachment is not love-attachment comes with expectations-example:  your my daughter you must be this, that or the other).  True love is really about loving the other for who they are even if they do nothing for you.  But we act like we own our children and that attachment is Maya and illusion that anything in this world belongs to you.  We are not here for that.  We are here to realize ourselves to ourselves and find God within all.  To her: everytime she says her daughters name she reminds herself that she doesn't own her, she is only here to guide the child when the child needs her so that the child can be who god wants them to be and go through challenges, failures or just the journey of life...whatever is written in there destiny so that the path takes them to god.  Her goal is to not get in the way of her child so a reminder to herself daily that yes, this child came through her but there is no ownership (maya).  

Everything is Maya...all relationships (this person is more important than that but how can that be if we are all one), all things we own are maya, our physical bodies are maya...only thing true about us and which is not maya is our essence...that's why we sit and meditate to transcend maya and all attachment to it.  

 

[Guest guest]

i agree with the first post that maya is something that makes us forgot God so why name your child that?  

another thing i find distasteful is when people stand up in Gurdware or on Sikh TV/Radio and start saying "give us your maya (money)?"

why don't they just say money?  why would anyone ask for 'maya' is a Gurdwara of all places?  and if they think it is 'maya' why are they asking for it? lol.

just so shifty!

[Guest guest]

On 2/8/2021 at 4:41 AM, Guest Another perspective said:

I practice meditation everyday and not in a naam japu way but what I have found connection to is Guru Nanak Ji's way of looking at God.  It's very similar to the meditation Buddhist do.  Maya is illusion and we must come out of the illusion to see god in ourselves and in everything.  Blade of grass, flowers, other humans (even though there are no others-it is just one)  We are all just one.  "Ek noor se sab jag upja"  We all come from that one light.  I remember this verse when I sit for meditation or when my mind runs to much and sees the "other" as separate from me because one of two things are involved I like them or dislike them so basically attachment or aversion-both and badly...acceptance is the best way.  

I digress - recently I heard another meditator who believes in oneness share that she has named her child Maya because it was a constant reminder to her that attachment to her will bring suffering...here is where I have to clear up what she meant (attachment is the reason for pain and suffering and attachment is not love-attachment comes with expectations-example:  your my daughter you must be this, that or the other).  True love is really about loving the other for who they are even if they do nothing for you.  But we act like we own our children and that attachment is Maya and illusion that anything in this world belongs to you.  We are not here for that.  We are here to realize ourselves to ourselves and find God within all.  To her: everytime she says her daughters name she reminds herself that she doesn't own her, she is only here to guide the child when the child needs her so that the child can be who god wants them to be and go through challenges, failures or just the journey of life...whatever is written in there destiny so that the path takes them to god.  Her goal is to not get in the way of her child so a reminder to herself daily that yes, this child came through her but there is no ownership (maya).  

Everything is Maya...all relationships (this person is more important than that but how can that be if we are all one), all things we own are maya, our physical bodies are maya...only thing true about us and which is not maya is our essence...that's why we sit and meditate to transcend maya and all attachment to it.  

 

thats a nice story, but for sikhs maya does not mean 'control'.  in fact i dont think it means that in any indian language.  our scripture defines maya as something that makes you forget God.  our aim is to always remember God.  to us, it is like a Christian naming their child 'satan'.  lol.

 

 

 

[puzzled 3,652]

If we look at our scriptures for guidance, then we get an idea of what type of name we should give to a child. In Bhai Gurdas jis Vaarn the sakhi of Ajmal is written. Ajmal was a papi, he was a drunk and he left his wife to live with a dancing girl. The dancing girl had a baby and a holy man suggested that Ajmal call the baby boy Hari/Narayan, which is another name for Waheguru ji. As Ajmal's bad lifestyle caught up with him he got very ill and was bed ridden, he then would call out for his son "Hari, Hari, Hari" day and night. By constantly repeating Hari, Ajmals sins started washing away and he fell in love with naam.

This sakhi may have difference versions, but the message is the same. 

So this Sakhi tells us which type of name we should give to a baby. Maya is an obstacle! Its the biggest obstacle between us and Waheguru Ji, so by giving your child the name Maya, you actually are doing the complete opposite of what bani says.

Some people shrug their shoulders and say "what's in a name" ?   well, bani suggests otherwise  ... 

[Guest kalashakala]

Beacuse they are stupid and name their child with any popular bollywood name or any english sounding name because as you know punjabiz are the new whites.