Hindu Gods and Goddesses

Thursday, January 1, 2026

Excerpts from "To Be or Not To Be...brahman or Abrahman / The World Turned Upside-Down" . . . Evidence of Ancient Transpacific Contact

There is a great deal of linguistic evidence that people from India and Southeast Asia were engaged in transit and interactions with the peoples across the Pacific Ocean long before Columbus, as the plethora of Sanskrit and Tamil cognates in Native American languages clearly indicate.  Below is but a sample of the many lists of transpacific cognates included in To Be or Not To Be...brahman or Abrahman / The World Turned Upside-Down.  Enjoy and consider . . .

Excerpts from  To Be or Not To Be...brahman or Abrahman / The World Turned Upside-Down :

The ancient world shows connections of peoples across oceans that indicate a shared paradigm and sense of the sacred, extant in so many diverse expressions and resonant forms, telling of an ancient unity of the world that the current official story is generally loathe else at least hesitant to acknowledge.  Even looking to the plains and eastern tribes, not to mention Mexico and Central and South America to the Atlantic coast, further from likely landings of immigrants from Asia/Southeast Asia, many cognates and nigh cognates readily show that many Native American Indian languages are closely related to Sanskrit, Tamil and other Asian languages and cultures [Sanskrit and Tamil definitions are from the Cologne Digital Online Sanskrit Dictionary[i] or the Wisdom Library,[ii] unless otherwise noted].



[i] Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon (from Monier-Williams' 'Sanskrit-English Dictionary'), https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/csl-santam/php/index.html.

[ii] Wisdom Library Search the Database: Glossary, Wisdom Library Peace-Love-Dharma, Search the Database: Glossary, https://www.wisdomlib.org/index.php.

Native American Language followed by possible or likely Sanskrit and Tamil roots/cognates/related words:


Yavapai          literally “people of the sun” (from Enyaava “sun”Paay “people”)[i]

Sanskrit           ahnya              n. daily course (of the sun)

pA                   P. ... to watch, keep, preserve; to protect from, defend against … to protect (a country) i.e. rule, govern … to observe, notice, attend to, follow

Tamil               enRavan         Sun

                        pAy                 servant

paya-ttal          01 1. to yield, produce, put forth fruit; 2. to come into existence; to be made; 3. to take place; to be productive of good or evil; 4. to be obtained; 1. to produce, create; 2. to beget, generate, give birth to; 3. to give; 4. to blossom; 5. to compose [The Tamil suffix -ttal indicates the preceding word is a verbal noun][ii]

 

Chiquito          suur  “sun”[iii]

Sanskrit           surya    “sun, God of the Sun”

                        sUra     m. the sun.

 

Churápa           súush   “sun”[iv]

Sanskrit           surya    “sun, God of the Sun”

                        sUra     m. the sun.

                        sahas    prefix to a number of words related to the sun

                        sahas  mfn. powerful, mighty, victorious ...   sahasradhalman (%{saha4sra-}) mfn. having thousand-fold splendour AV. TBr. ; m. the sun ;  sahasradhAman a. having thousandfold might or    splendour; m. the sun ;   sahasradIdhiti m. `\" thñthousand-rayed \"\' , the sun sahasrAGka m. the sun L. ;  sahasragu  mfn. possessing a thousand cows  ; thousand-rayed L. ; thousand eyed , ; m. the sun Var. ; N. of Indra ;  sahasrakara m. `\" thousand-rayed \"\' , the sun  ;   sahasrakara m.  the sun (thousand-rayed) ;   sahasramarIci m. thousand-rayed N. of the sunsahasrAMzu mfn. thousand-rayed ; m. the sun ...  m. `\"sun-born \"\'N. of Saturn %{-sama} mfn. sun-like Ml. ;  sahasrapAda m. `\" thousand-footed \"\' or `\"thousand-rayed \"\' , the sun L. ;   sahasraruc m. the sun ;  sahuri  mfn. mighty , strong , victorious RV. ; m. the sun 


Blackfoot        Naato'si   the Sun[v]

Tamil               naTTucci          the time of the day when the sun is exactly at the zenith

 

Cree                 kîsikâwi-pîsim   sun or daytime sun[vi]

Sanskrit           Kīśa (कीश).—a. Naked. -śaḥ 1 An ape, monkey … 2) The sun.   Kisa (किस):—m. Name of an attendant of the sun

kavi   m. a thinker, intelligent man, man of understanding, leader; a wise man, sage, seer, prophet … Name of the ancient sages or patriarchs (as spirits now surrounding the sun); of the Ribhus (as skilful in contrivance); [Name] of Pushan (as leader or guider) … the sun

pUSan    m. N. of a Vedic divinity, often identified with the Sun.

 

Nahuatl           Tula     Spanish “place of reeds” from the Classical Nahuatl tōllin (“bulrush, sedge”).

Sanskrit           tUla     n. a tuft of grass or reeds

 

Nahuatl           Tepoztli   “Principal English Translation: a workable metal; copper, iron (see Molina); devices made from metal (see Karttunen); e.g., used as a noun to refer to metal bell(s), metal tool(s), armor; can also refer to steel.  Orthographic Variants: tepostli, tepustli, tepuztli, tepoztl”[vii]

Sanskrit           tapaneSTa       n. `\" loved by sunbeams \"\', copper

Tamil               Tappu  1. small copper coin[viii]


 

Muscogee/Mvskoke    yvmvse (pronounced “Yamasee”) “tame”[i]

Sanskrit           yama   a rein, curb, bridle[ii]

 

S. Iroquois       nvda   moon[iii]

Sanskrit           navodaya        mfn. newly risen (moon)

 

Aztecs             Aztecah[iv]  Nahuatl for Aztec

Sanskrit           Astika mf(%{I})n. (fr. %{asti} , `\" there is or exists \"\' … one who believes in the existence (of God, of another world , &c.) ; believing, pious, faithful.[v]  This name origin would very much fit the central Aztec myth of their ancestors originally coming from another homeland, “Aztlan.” 

 

 Hopi words corresponding to Sanskrit and Tamil words:


"Kiva," round half-underground Hopi/Pueblo ceremonial houses with entrance on the roof.

Sanskrit           ki, anthill,[vi]

va, dwelling[vii]

 

Hopi                Sipapu   the hole in the floor of every kiva that represents the place the people emerged from underground via a ladder made of a hollow log.

Sanskrit           sopAna           n. (perhaps contracted fr. %{sa} + %{upA7yana}) stairs, steps, a staircase, ladder to (gen. or comp.)

                        sopAna  n. stairs, a ladder

                        sopAnabhUta    mfn. become or being a staircase

                        sopAnamAlA   f. winding stairs

                        sopAnapaGkti   f. a line or flight of steps, staircase ib.

                        sopAnapatha    m. a way of steps, staircase Ragh.

                        sepAnakaparamparA   f. a flight of steps , staircase

Tamil               sOpAnam  step; stair

 

Hopi                Taawa  sun[viii]

Tamil               Tavaṉaṉ  sun[ix]

 

Hopi                Muuyaw   moon[x]

Tamil               muyaRcaRai    spots on the moon, as like a hare

                        muyaRkUTu   moon[xi]

 

Hopi                Kuuyi water[xii]

Tamil               kOlA or kayam[xiii]

 

Hopi                anu   ant

Sanskrit           aNu     f. … small, minute, tiny, atomic[xiv]

Tamil               aNu     1. atom, minute particle of matter; 2. smallness, subtleness[xv]

 

Hopi                buxhu or pòoko   dog[xvi]

Sanskrit           bhaSa, bhaSaka or Tamil pAki, purOkam [xvii] “dog”

 

Hopi                döva   earth[xviii]

Sanskrit           dhara[xix] earth

 

 

Hopi                paayu   river[xx]

Sanskrit           payo- (prefix) payodhArA “stream”, payoraya “river current”[xxi]

 

Hopi                patupha   lake[xxii]

Tamil               patu   “pond, deep pool”[xxiii]

 

Hopi                qööhi   fire[xxiv]

Tamil               koLLi   fire[xxv]

 

Hopi                tiva   dance

Sanskrit           tandava   dance

 

 

Navajo/Diné words[xxvi] [xxvii] [xxviii] cognate to/related to Sanskrit Tamil and Punjabi words[xxix] [xxx]:

 

The name of the Diné and related Athabascan Dene peoples, including the Denesuline (Chipewyan) people, generally means “the people” or “original people,” as with many tribal names where the people may have forgotten the original meaning of their peoples’ name.  Generosity is a central tenet of the Dene/Diné culture, and especially food-sharing.  As I formerly noted, it seems not unlikely that the Dene/Diné were Danavas, of the children of Danu and Kashyapa.

Sanskrit           dAna   1 n. giving, imparting, bestowing of (gen. or ---) on (loc. or ---); giving in marriage, giving up, sacrificing, offering, paying; teaching, communicating; granting, conceding; gift, present, donation.

                        dAnazIla        a. of liberal disposition, munificent.

dAnazUra      m. = {dAnapati}.  m. `\" liberality-lord \"\' , munificent man

The name of the Dene/ Diné people may also indicate they were of the offspring of Kashyapa’s wife Danu, the Danavas.  The Sanskrit root da generally means “to give.”

 

Diné                Aoo’   yes

Sanskrit           Aho (अहो).—ind.  1) A particle showing (a) surprise or wonder; often agreeable (ah, how great or wonderful)[xxxi]

Punjabi            Aaho  yes

 

Diné                ni   you, yours

Tamil               nI   you

 

Diné                cheii   grandfather

Tamil               cIyAn  great-grandfather

                        ciyyAn   maternal grandfather

 

Diné                Klaychaa’i   dog

Sanskrit           kauleya           m. dog (lit. family or domestic animal).

Kauleyaka  mfn. sprung from a noble family … pertaining to a family W. ; m. … `\" domestic animal \"\' (or `\" of good breed\'?) , a dog (esp. a hunting dog)

 

Diné                     water

Sanskrit           toya     n. water (p. {-vant}Å); acc. w. {kR} make a libation of water.

 



[i] “Mvskoke Word List Y,” Muscogee Nation, Muscogee (Creek) Nation 2016, accessed August 1, 2022, https://www.muscogeenation.com/word-list-y/.

“Vocabulary Words in the Iroquoian Language Family,” Native Languages of the Americas, accessed February 26, 2024, https://www.native-languages.org/famiro_words.htm.

[iv]   “Aztecs,” Wikipedia, last edited August 31, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztecs.

[vi] Ibid., s.v. “ki,” accessed March 1, 2021.

[x] “Vocabulary in Native American Languages: Hopi Words.”

[xi] Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon (from Monier-Williams' 'Sanskrit-English Dictionary'), s.v. “moon.”

[xii] “Vocabulary in Native American Languages: Hopi Words.”

[xiv] Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon (from Monier-Williams' 'Sanskrit-English Dictionary'), s.v. “anu.”

[xv] Ibid.

[xvi] Glosbe Dictionary, translate English to Hopi, s.v. “dog,” accessed March 17, 2024, https://glosbe.com/en/hop/dog.

[xvii] Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon (from Monier-Williams' 'Sanskrit-English Dictionary'), s.v. “dog.”

[xx] Glosbe Dictionary, translate English to Hopi, s.v. “river,” accessed March 17, 2024, https://glosbe.com/en/hop/river.

[xxii] Wiktionary The Free Dictionary, s.v. “patupha,” last edited on June 16, 2017, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/patupha.

[xxiii] Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon (from Monier-Williams' 'Sanskrit-English Dictionary'), s.v. prefix “patu.”

[xxiv] Glosbe, s.v. “Hopi word fire”, accessed June 30, 2025, https://glosbe.com/en/hop/fire.

[xxv] Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon (from Monier-Williams' 'Sanskrit-English Dictionary'), s.v. “kolli,” accessed June 30, 2025, https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/csl-santam/php/index.html.

[xxvi] “Diné Bizaad,” Black Mesa Indigenous Support, accessed August 26, 2024, https://supportblackmesa.org/dine-bizaad/.

[xxvii] “Navajo Word List,” UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive, accessed August 26, 2024, https://archive.phonetics.ucla.edu/Language/NAV/nav_word-list_1983_01.html.

[xxviii] Leon Wall and William Morgan, Navajo-English Dictionary (1958), University of Northern Colorado: Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC, https://digscholarship.unco.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=navajo.

[xxix] Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon (from Monier-Williams' 'Sanskrit-English Dictionary'), https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/csl-santam/php/index.html.

[xxx] Wisdom Library Search the Database: Glossary, Wisdom Library Peace-Love-Dharma, https://www.wisdomlib.org/.

[xxxi] Wisdom Library Search the Database: Glossary, Wisdom Library Peace-Love-Dharma, s.v. “aho,” accessed February 26, 2024, https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/aho.



[i] “Yavapai,” Wikipedia, last edited February 11, 2024, accessed February 26, 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yavapai. 

[ii] Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon (from Monier-Williams' 'Sanskrit-English Dictionary'), s.v. “sun,” accessed August 1, 2022, https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/csl-santam/php/index.html.

[iii] Chiquitano language, Wikipedia, last edited January 7, 2024, accessed May 12, 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiquitano_language.

[iv] Ibid.

[v] “Blackfoot Mythology,” Wikipedia, last edited July 7, 2024, accessed June 18, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackfoot_mythology.

[vi] Itwêwina Plains Cree Dictionary, s.v. “kîsikâwi-pîsim,” accessed June 28, 2025, https://itwewina.altlab.app/word/k%C3%AEsik%C3%A2wi-p%C3%AEsim/#:~:text=only%20one,+%20show%20more.

[vii] “tepoztli,” Online Nahuatl Dictionary, Stephanie Wood, ed., accessed September 30, 2025,  https://nahuatl.wired-humanities.org/content/tepoztli#:~:text=Headword:-,tepoztli.,%2C%20steel%2C%20copper%2C%20workable%20metal.

[viii] Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon (from Monier-Williams' 'Sanskrit-English Dictionary'), s.v. prefix “t” English s.v. “copper,” accessed September 30, 2025, https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/csl-santam/php/index.html.


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