Women are also frequently named after goddesses, as: Parvati, the
consort of Siva; Sita, the wife of Rama; Janki, apparently another name
for Sita; Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, and the goddess of wealth;
Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom; Radha, the beloved of Krishna;
Dasoda, the foster-mother of Krishna; Dewaki, who is supposed to
have been the real mother of Krishna; Durga, another name for Siva's
consort; Devi, the same as Durga and the earth-goddess; Rukhmini, the
bright or shining one, a consort of Vishnu; and Tulsi, the basil-plant,
sacred to Vishnu.
Women are also named after the sacred rivers, as: Ganga, Jamni or
Yamuni (Jumna); Gomti, the river on which Lucknow stands; Godha or
Gautam, after the Godavari river; and Bhagirathi, another name for
the Ganges. The river Nerbudda is commonly found as a man's name,
especially in places situated on its banks. Other names of women are:
Sona, gold; Puna, born at the full moon; Manohra, enchanting; Kamala,
the lotus; Indumati, a moonlight night; Sumati, well-minded; Sushila,
well-intentioned; Srimati, wealthy; Amrita, nectar; Phulwa, a flower;
Imlia, the tamarind; Malta, jasmine; and so on.
If a girl is born after four sons she will be called Pancho or fifth,
and one born in the unlucky Mul Nakshatra is called Mulia. When a
girl is married and goes to her husband's house her name is always
changed there. If two girls have been married into the household,
they may be called Bari Bohu and Choti Bohu, or the elder and younger
daughters-in-law; or a girl may be called after the place from which
she comes, as Jabalpurwali, Raipurwali, and so on.