THE NAME SAKA AND ITS MEANING. By Darya Khan

THE NAME SAKA AND ITS MEANING. By Darya Khan

Greek writers have thrown no light on the origin of this name . It is only through a study of the Purăņas that we come across a plausible origin , but one which has still to be verified . 

Some Puraņas state that this land had once a network of some rivers and their tributaries had the shape of a Saka or a teak tree . ' In India the word Sagavāna a corruption of Sanskrit Saka is used even up to this day for the teak tree . 

This may also mean that the delta of some rivers of this land had this shape . A Purana says that there was a Śaka mountain in the Sakadvipa , and hence the name of this land . This mountain may have been rich in the growth of Saka trees . 

On the other hand in various Sanskrit dictionaries we can trace its meaning as a tree , an island , ' a kṣatriya , a country , a tribe , and a king .