Phala chandrar

Phala chandrar

 

The next name is phalachandrar. We must watch the pronunciation: phaalachandra. The first letter is phaa or baa. Nowadays, many keep the name balachandran. I wonder what they think is the meaning when they keep this name. May be they think this means the young moon? Like bala krishnan, and bala subramanian, they may be thinking of bala chandran. Because the two deities have done many miracles during their childhood, they called by those names (bala krishnana, and bala subramanian). In the valmiki Ramayana, there is no description of rama's childhood miracles. When the incarnation is introduced in the first chapter, already dasaratha started to think of the marriage of his four sons. Then he runs fast to say that sage viswamitra came. That is why like bala krishna we do not have bala rama. There are no child time miracles for the moon. We call the crescent moon as bala chandran. But that is a disfigured and waned form. Therefore keeping that name is not auspicious.

 

Until the fashionable names became in vogue, it was not the practice in the south to use the name chandran, by itself. However, there is practice here and there, where ramachandran is shortened and used as R. chandran. Also the people with original names of ramachandran, and chandramouli are often called chandru, and chander.

 

Overall, not just the moon, except the Sun, there no practice in the south to use the names of the 9 planets for people's names. There is no wise practice of using these names. The names relating to the balachandran that indicates waning, or the poornachadran (representing the full moon) are not used. Do we keep names such as Ankarakan (mars), bhudan (mercury)? Only to tease some one we call him (jupitor), "brhaspathi". We do not keep the name sukran (venus). [The acharya laughed loudly] sani (Saturn) is used only for scolding someone! Because rahu and ketu are inauspicious planets their names are also not used. So among the 9 planets we only use the name of surya (sun). Even that we add the name of lord Vishnu as surya narayanan. In the south only bhaskaran, which is one of the names of lord surya is popularly used. In the north, they use names such as, ravi, diwakar, prabhakar, aditya, and marthanda. Nowadays, several north Indian names are used in the south. Let us leave it aside. I came to tell you that other than lord surya, other planets' names are not used for people's names. In the panchayathana deities only surya appears. One of the six religions established by the sankaracharya is sauram (which considers the lord surya as the predominant deity). Therefore, only he is the exception not the moon. Therefore, though pala chandran is in vogue for some time, it has no relationship to the moon at all.

 

You may find it funny; the name palachandran is not the name of the moon at all. At the name should not be pronounced as bala chandran.

 

It is phaala chandran – the paa is the (second) phaa in Sanskrit. That is the correct name. Phaalam refers to the front part of the hair. Phaala chandran means the one who keeps the moon in the front part of the hair.

 

The meaning of phaala chandran is the same as the meanings of chandrasekaran, and Chandra mouli.

 

The one keeps the moon in his head is the lord Siva. However, two more people have that praise. The goddess parvati, kalidasa [in syamala tandakam] praises her as "Chandra kalavadamse". Sankaracharya also praises her that she does not just look as though she took the left part of the husband, but when he makes fun that it appears that she indeed took his entire form, he praises her wearing the moon on her crown, as "sasi soodala makutam". In the [lalita] sahasaranam, the name 'charu chandra kaladhara' comes.

 

Not just the wife of lord Siva, his elder son also wears the moon on his crown.