Aruna

What does Aruna mean?

Aruna is associated with dawn and its reddish glow, from Sanskrit aruṇa. Wiktionary records color senses such as ‘ruddy’ or ‘tawny’, along with dawn and the divine charioteer of the sun. The feminine form aruṇā has a long final vowel. ‘Glow of dawn’ draws together the recorded color and daybreak senses, rather than translating a separate phrase. The name can therefore be understood through natural imagery as well as its Hindu mythological connection.

Source: Wiktionary, अरुण. How we use sources.

Spelling and pronunciation

अरुणा is read a-ru-naa, in three syllables with a short opening vowel and a long ending. The n is made with the tongue curled back. Arun is a masculine form without the final vowel; Aruna also appears for boys in South Indian usage, so Roman spelling alone does not determine gender.

Aruna in tradition and story

In Hindu tradition, Aruna is the son of Kashyapa and Vinata and the charioteer of Surya. He travels ahead of the sun as the red light of dawn, giving the color word a personified role in the story of sunrise.