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Morpheus Mellitus is my Latin for Sweet Dreams.
Morpheus is the Greek God of Dreams (and so of sleep since we are not talking of daydreams and delusions).
And Mellitus literally means Honey or Madhu in Sanskrit.
Madhu is a very common male name in Bengal. But it is often the short for Madhusudan that has nothing to do with honey. Indeed the full name literally means killer of Madhu who was a demon.
The story goes that Lord Vishnu was lying supine on the coils of his coir bed, the Seshnag (the serpent), floating on the Ocean of Milk. And felt too drowsy to take up the job of Creation. So he slept off and, lo and behold, the stem of a Lotus sprang up from his navel at the end of which was the blooming flower. On it was seated the just-born Brahma to whom were revealed the four Vedas in the form of 4 Penguin Pocket Books. This was just the beginning. And the entire drama was witnessed by two demon brothers called Madhu and Kaitabh who wanted to be spoilsports. Kaitabh started pinching the newborn and while Brahma was crying like a child and lifted his hands to his eyes, Madhu stole the four Vedas and dropped them at the bottom of the Ocean. The cries of his navel-child woke up Vishnu who killed the two demons and dredged the ocean for the Vedas and fished them out.
So, Madhusudan is actually the name of Vishnu while its short form Madhu is that of the demon he killed....and by calling Madhusudan Chakraborty: 'Madhu', I am calling him a demon literally (which of course he is not).
The other Bengali shortcut that always amused me is Indra (the lecherous god). It is often the short form of Indrajit which literally means the one who defeated Indra. He is the son of Raavan. His other name is Megh Nad (Saha).
One day soon after I joined IIT KGP, I was attending my first Faculty Meeting. The crowd was all-male which surprised me, since I came from a University in which the science departments were flooded by females (sort of). And the Meeting didn't start as advertised at 9 AM sharp. When SVD asked the HoD, Prof HNB, what the delay was for, HNB replied that he was waiting for Girija to arrive. My hopes revived and I was keenly looking forward to the entrance of a lovely lady-physicist. But, alas, what hobbled in was as different from a lady as a barn owl:
http://true-wildlife.blogspot.in/2010/10/barn-owl.html
from a butterfly:
http://www.funeralbutterflies.com/testimonials_funeralbutterflies.htm
Yea, it is sliding gently into my soul now....have to get up early tomorrow...the 9th Day Rituals are due in a few hours.
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Morpheus Mellitus is my Latin for Sweet Dreams.
Morpheus is the Greek God of Dreams (and so of sleep since we are not talking of daydreams and delusions).
And Mellitus literally means Honey or Madhu in Sanskrit.
Madhu is a very common male name in Bengal. But it is often the short for Madhusudan that has nothing to do with honey. Indeed the full name literally means killer of Madhu who was a demon.
The story goes that Lord Vishnu was lying supine on the coils of his coir bed, the Seshnag (the serpent), floating on the Ocean of Milk. And felt too drowsy to take up the job of Creation. So he slept off and, lo and behold, the stem of a Lotus sprang up from his navel at the end of which was the blooming flower. On it was seated the just-born Brahma to whom were revealed the four Vedas in the form of 4 Penguin Pocket Books. This was just the beginning. And the entire drama was witnessed by two demon brothers called Madhu and Kaitabh who wanted to be spoilsports. Kaitabh started pinching the newborn and while Brahma was crying like a child and lifted his hands to his eyes, Madhu stole the four Vedas and dropped them at the bottom of the Ocean. The cries of his navel-child woke up Vishnu who killed the two demons and dredged the ocean for the Vedas and fished them out.
So, Madhusudan is actually the name of Vishnu while its short form Madhu is that of the demon he killed....and by calling Madhusudan Chakraborty: 'Madhu', I am calling him a demon literally (which of course he is not).
The other Bengali shortcut that always amused me is Indra (the lecherous god). It is often the short form of Indrajit which literally means the one who defeated Indra. He is the son of Raavan. His other name is Megh Nad (Saha).
One day soon after I joined IIT KGP, I was attending my first Faculty Meeting. The crowd was all-male which surprised me, since I came from a University in which the science departments were flooded by females (sort of). And the Meeting didn't start as advertised at 9 AM sharp. When SVD asked the HoD, Prof HNB, what the delay was for, HNB replied that he was waiting for Girija to arrive. My hopes revived and I was keenly looking forward to the entrance of a lovely lady-physicist. But, alas, what hobbled in was as different from a lady as a barn owl:
http://true-wildlife.blogspot.in/2010/10/barn-owl.html
from a butterfly:
http://www.funeralbutterflies.com/testimonials_funeralbutterflies.htm
The word Madhu in the sense of honey-sweet frequently occurs in Vedas and Upanihshads.
For instance here is a Vedic Shanti Mantra:
Om madhu vaataa ritaayate madhu ksharanti sindhava:
Maadhvirnassantvoshadhi:
Madhunaktamutoshasi madhumatpaardhivagm raja:
Madhudyaurastuna: pitaa
Madhumaannovanaspati: madhummaagm asthu suurya:
maadhvirgaavo bhavantu na:
On Shanti: Shanti: Shanti:
Again, in Briahadaaranyaka Upanishad:
Ayam aatma sarveshaam bhutaanaam madhu
Asyantmana: sarvaani bhuutani madhu
So sleep is like honey to the soul.
In Christianity Mother Mary is supposed to have gifted sleep to mankind:
Oh sleep! it is a gentle thing,
Beloved from pole to pole!
To Mary Queen the praise be given!
She sent the gentle sleep from Heaven,
That slid into my soul.
Yea, it is sliding gently into my soul now....have to get up early tomorrow...the 9th Day Rituals are due in a few hours.
Good Night!
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