Airavata (ऐरावत, IAST: Airāvata) is an Sanskrit-origin Hindu boy-name meaning “Born of the ocean; the divine white elephant”. Derived from Irāvatī (a heavenly river) or from the ocean of milk, Airāvata is the magnificent white elephant that arose at creation and serves as the mount of Indra, with Viṣṇu identified as its divine essence.

Meaning, etymology & significance

Airāvata is the celestial white elephant, also called Abhra-mātaṅga ('cloud elephant'), who emerged from the churning of the Milky Ocean alongside Uccaiḥśrava. His name is connected etymologically to Irā (water, the ocean of nectar) and to the cloud, since divine elephants were associated with rain-bearing clouds in Vedic cosmology. In the Bhagavad Gītā (10.27), Śrī Kṛṣṇa declares 'airāvataḥ gajendrāṇām' — among elephants, I am Airāvata — affirming that Viṣṇu's glory shines supremely in this magnificent creature.

This name is borne by Indra's royal elephant and is invoked as a vibhūti (divine manifestation) of Lord Viṣṇu in the Gītā and Sahasranāma alike. Pronounced ai-RAA-va-ta, it carries an air of celestial majesty and serves well as a traditional masculine name.

Advertisement

Scriptural source

Airavata appears in the Vishnu Sahasranama, among the sacred names of Vishnu.

Astrology — nakshatra, rashi & numerology

By the standard Vedic correspondence between a name’s first syllable and the lunar mansion, Airavata aligns with the Krittika nakshatra, under the Mesha rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 8.