Meaning of most of the Hebrew words has been forcibly extracted to describe a biblical event; but that in reality, they do not imprint the real meaning to describe the spirit involved in those events.
Moses led Israel from the Red Sea region into the Desert of Shur. For three days they travelled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water, and the Commentators here say that the water of the place was ‘bitter’. Thus they are of the opinion that the name of the place was Marah, and the meaning of ‘Marah’ is ‘bitter’. But that was not the case. The meaning of ‘Marah’ is ‘Evil’ or the ‘Tempter’, a force that distracts people from doing something ‘good’ or thinking ‘good’. Mention is made of five Maras: Khanda-Mara, Kilesh-Mara, Abhisankhara-Mara, Maccu-Mara, and Devaputta-Mara; it is a force opposed to the concept of salvation. Names of three daughter of Mara are seen in the Buddhist texts, Tanha, Arati, and Raga.
In Buddhist literature, name of Radha as ‘Mara’, or as an evil force is mentioned. Radha or the Radhas are the Parthians of the ancient world. Name of Radha identifies Rhadamanthys of the Greeks, who was brother of Minos. He migrated to the ‘East’ and became a ‘Judge’ there.
Moses on his way to Canaan reached at this place called Radha(name of a place) where he did not allow his Israeli followers to drink waters from their wells. It was a place in the region of Shur, same as sur or surya, The region called sur was the confinements of peoples of Uruk, Uru, Seir, and Ashur.
Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.
Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.