# Named for a Mark

> On inheriting a name and making it true

**Published by:** [Ankit's Pebble Jar](https://ipebbleyou.com/)
**Published on:** 2026-05-31
**Categories:** names, identify, mythology, mahabharata, ramayana, self-reflection, i-pebble-you, pebbles
**URL:** https://ipebbleyou.com/named-for-a-mark

## Content

I recently got into Indian mythology rap. Yes, that's a real thing. It sounds crazy the same way a hip-hop Broadway musical about Alexander Hamilton sounded ridiculous in 2015, right up until Lin-Manuel Miranda made it work. Weird is good sometimes. One line in a rap about Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, jumped out at me. He says: "In one swipe, I killed Lakshmana, Duryodhan's son, in battle." Which is true. On the thirteenth day of the war, trapped inside the chakravyuha, the wheel formation, Abhimanyu cuts down Duryodhan's son. The boy barely exists in the epic. He shows up and dies. But I got stuck somewhere else entirely. Why was Duryodhan's son named Lakshmana, of all possible names? Lakshmana is also the name of the brother who stood beside Ram through exile, war, and everything after, in the Ramayana, the epic that pre-dates the Mahabharata. He gave up everything to follow his brother into the forest. He's the closest thing mythology has to a pure portrait of loyalty. And Duryodhan chose that name. Are you kidding me? There's no way names in these epics are accidental. Duryodhan would never name his son Ram, or Bharat. Those names carry a moral gravity that would sit wrong on him. But Lakshmana? Surprisingly, it fits. Loyalty is the one thing Duryodhan can't get enough of. He buys his best friend Karna's with a kingdom. He leans on his grandfather's old vow and his guru's debt to the throne. His whole world is held together by loyalty he's purchased or pressured out of people. So of course he names his son Lakshmana. Funnily enough, he reached for it twice. He named a daughter Lakshmanaa too. We don't hear much about her. Here's the part that got me, though. The name Lakshmana doesn't mean "loyalty" at all. It comes from lakshana, a mark, a sign, an auspicious characteristic. One who bears good marks. Duryodhan wasn't naming his son after a virtue. He was pressing a hope onto a child who had no say in it. Which is what a name is, when you think about it. Not something you choose. Something done to you before you can argue. It's your parents' choice, and a reflection of them. If you want to know where South Asian parents get their sky-high expectations, spend a few hours with the Ramayana or Mahabharata. One son gives up a kingdom to honor his father's word. Another is sent to fight a war he never asked for. Sons march into impossible battles for causes they inherited, not chose. Against that backdrop, "Why aren't you a [fill in the blank] yet?" starts to feel less like a parenting style and more like a 5,000-year-old family tradition. I've thought about names a lot over the years. Do you remember that old Friends episode where Chandler hates his name? He's convinced it held him back his whole life, that a different name would have made a different person. There's a whole genre of Instagram videos now, "which brown name would you not date," strangers deciding in three seconds whether your name makes you worth knowing. I've thought about my own name a lot, too. Ankit means marked. Inscribed. To leave an impression. I had no say in the matter. And the strange thing is, I never once pushed back on it. I just grew toward it, the things I've built, the things I've tried to make better, like the name was quietly aiming me in the right direction this whole time. (Side note: @parents, I like my name, thank you. People occasionally mangle the pronunciation, but it makes me memorable, which is literally what my name means.) Duryodhan, somewhere in the background of the largest war epic ever told, pressing his deepest hope onto a son who only shows up to die. And me, a few thousand years and an ocean away, still here, and still building a life that fits my name. Leave an imprint. By the way, if you're curious about the mythology rap, start with these two: Ravana, Karna. Call me if you want a real-time translation. I Pebble You, Ankit "I Pebble You" is a heartfelt collection of thoughtful moments — articles, memes, videos, and insights —that spark joy and connection. Inspired by how penguins gift pebbles to their loved ones, it’s a space to pause, reflect, and share. Subscribe to receive these meaningful pebbles in your inbox, and add your own to help build something bigger — because together, we create more thoughtful connections. 👉 Read the previous pebble "The Catalyst Isn't the Hero" 👉 Read the original pebble "I Pebble You"

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