Chaya and Mira

Well, after intense deliberation and negotiations, Eric and I have picked names for our kittens. The kitten with the white paws and chest is called Mira (pronounced MEE ra) after the Hindu heroine Mira Bai, a woman who was persecuted by her husband and her husband's family for her devotion to Lord Krishna despite their insistence that she worship Durga instead. Her husband sent her away to drown herself because of the shame that she brought to his family, but she was rescued by her Lord Krishna and freed from her marital bonds. She went on to become a saint, a philosopher, a poet and a sage. She is a very atypical Hindu heroine because she does not represent the ideal of the loyal and dutiful wife, and as our new kitten is also quite headstrong, we thought that Mira is a nice fit. Mira also happens to be a red giant star approximately 418 light-years away in the constellation Cetus, and like the star, our kitten is sometimes gaseous.



The second kitten which is dark all over has been named Chaya (pronounced CHI ya), which in Hindi means shade. Chaya is also the Hindu goddess of the beneficial effects of muted and dappled sunlight. We felt that this was a pretty apt name due to our kitten's dappled appearance. I have included several pictures of our kittens so that you all can meet them! (I have a feeling that I am going to be one of those annoying pet owners that love to talk about their pets and show pictures constantly, so be prepared!)