Boy · Sanskrit · Hindu
Pranav
प्रणवSay it PRUN-uv
- Meaning
- The sacred syllable Om; also a small drum Monier-Williams, p. 660
- Say it
- PRUN-uv
- Written
- प्रणव
- Other spellings
- Pranava
Pranav
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Pranav meaning
Pranav (प्रणव) is a Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin.
The sacred syllable Om; also a small drum
Pranav (प्रणव) is the Sanskrit praṇava, the mystical or sacred syllable om. Monier-Williams enters it under the verb pra-√ṇu and traces it to Vedic texts such as the Taittirīya Saṃhitā and the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, and to the law book of Manu. Om is regarded as the greatest of all mantras: it is recited at the beginning and end of Hindu prayers, chants and meditation, and the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad is devoted entirely to it. A few name lists split Pranav into prāṇa, "breath", and nava, "new", but the dictionary does not analyse the word that way. In Bengali the name is written and spoken Pranab, as in the former President Pranab Mukherjee.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 660 · entry praṇava · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, praṇava, p. 660 · Britannica, Om · President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee profile
Famous namesakes
- Pranab Mukherjee, 13th President of India (Bengali form Pranab)
Spellings
Pranav · Pranava