Abhay

AH-bhay

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The name Abhay means “fearless, undaunted.” It comes from the Sanskrit language tradition.

Abhay combines the prefix 'a' (without) and 'bhaya' (fear), creating a name that means completely fearless. Fearlessness (abhaya) is one of the highest virtues in Hindu and Buddhist traditions — the abhaya mudra, the gesture of fearlessness, is one of the most common hand positions in depictions of the Buddha and Hindu deities.

From the Sanskrit अभय (abhaya), a compound of the negating prefix a- with bhaya, meaning fear. The construction is literal and absolute: not fear, rather than merely brave. The same word functions as an abstract noun meaning fearlessness or safety.

Abhaya is a substantial concept in both Hindu and Buddhist thought, not simply a desirable quality. The abhaya mudrā — right hand raised, palm outward — is among the oldest gestures in Indian religious art, appearing on images of the Buddha and of Hindu deities alike to signify protection and the removal of fear from the viewer.

• Abhay Deol (Indian film actor)
• Abhaya mudra (universal gesture of fearlessness in Buddhist and Hindu art)

Sibling names that share Abhay's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.