APPENDIX THREE

Names of Goddesses

Adi	“First”; name of the goddess
Adi Shakti	First emanation of the goddess
Aditi	Mother of the gods
Adya	Primordial earth goddess
Aindri	Female counterpart of Indra
Ambika	Female counterpart of Shiva; source of his power
Anandarupini	One whose form is bliss
Annapurna	Giver of food
Aparajita	The invincible
Aparna	Another name for Parvati; one who subsists on leaves
Arya	Another form of Adya; Sita’s name in a previous birth
Ashtadevis	Goddesses who were guardians of the eight directions
Ashta Lakshmis	The eight Lakshmis; givers of all types of felicities to human beings
Atiguptarahasya	Secret police of Lalitha’s army
Bagala	One of the Mahavidyas; has the head of a crane
Bala	Lalitha’s daughter
Bhagavati	One who has all the six qualities or bhagas: omnipotence, ability, excellence, beauty, omniscience, and nonattachment; feminine of Bhagavan
Bhagirathi	Name of Ganga because she was brought to the earth by Bhagiratha
Bhagya Lakshmi	One of the Ashta Lakshmis; giver of fortune
Bhairavi	Feminine of Bhairava; one who brandishes a bloody sword
Bharata Mata	Mother India
Bharati	Another name for Saraswati
Bhavani	Parvati; becoming; feminine of bhava or being
Bhudevi	The earth goddess
Bhuvaneswari	Ruler of the earth
Brahmaani	Feminine counterpart of Brahma
Brahma Shakti	The power of Brahma; Saraswati
Chamunda	One of the names of Kaali; slayer of the two demons Chanda and Munda
Chandi	Short for Chandika; epithet of Durga
Chandika	Durga
Chinnamasta	One of the Mahavidyas; she holds her own decapitated head in her hand
Cybele	Goddess of ancient Phrygia
Dakini	Presiding goddess of the muladhara chakra
Dakshayini	Sati; daughter of Daksha
Dandanatha;	General of Lalitha’s army
Dandanayika
Demeter	Goddess of ancient Greece
Devi	“Goddess”; filled with light
Dhana Lakshmi	One of the Ashta Lakshmis; giver of wealth
Dhanya Lakshmi	One of the Ashta Lakshmis; giver of grain
Dhumavati	One of the Mahavidyas
Durga	Virgin warrior goddess; born out of the various powers of the male gods
Gaja Lakshmi	One of the Ashta Lakshmis; one who is seated on an elephant
Ganga	Goddess of the holy river Ganga
Gauri	Another name for Parvati; the golden-colored one
Gayatri	Goddess of the Vedic hymn to the sun (the Gayatri mantra)
Hakini	Presiding goddess of the ajna chakra
Hariti	Buddhist goddess
Indrani	Wife of Indra
Ishtar	Goddess of ancient Assyria
Isis	Goddess of ancient Egypt
Iswari	The goddess as ruler of the universe; feminine of Iswara
Jaganmata	Mother of the world
Jahnavi	Name of Ganga; daughter of the sage Jahnu
Jwalamalini	One of Lalitha’s shaktis who makes a garland of fire to protect Lalitha’s army
Kaali	Goddess in the form of all-devouring time
Kakini	Presiding goddess of the anahata chakra
Kalaratri	Another name for Durga; the great night of destruction
Kalika	Another name for Kaali
Kamakelitarangita	Another name for Lalitha; one who overflows with love and desire
Kamakshi	Another name for Lalitha; one with love-filled eyes
Kamala	Lakshmi; one of the Mahavidyas
Kameswari	Another name for Lalitha; giver of desires
Kartyayini	Virgin goddess to whom the gopis prayed
Kaumari	Feminine counterpart of Kartikeya
Kaushiki	Form of Parvati that came out of her bodily sheath or kosha
Kumari	Daughter of Lalitha; name for a young virgin or a goddess
Kundalini	The goddess as the embodiment of kundalini
Kundalini Shakti	Another name for the goddess Kundalini
Lakshmi	Goddess of auspiciousness and wealth
Lalitha; Lalithambika	Most benign and beautiful form of Maha Devi; born to destroy the demon Bhanda
Lolakshikamarupini	Another name for Lalitha; one with tremulous eyes
Madhavi	The earth goddess; another name for Lakshmi
Maha Devi	The Divine Mother; all other goddesses are her shaktis or powers
Maha Kaali	The great Kaali
Maha Lakshmi	The great Lakshmi, who is independent, not attached to Narayana
Maha Maya	The great delusion
Maha Medha	The supreme intellect
Mahamoha	The great deluder
Maha Nidra	The great sleep
Maha Prakriti	The great Prakriti or root cause of creation
Maharatri	The great darkness
Maha Saraswati	Saraswati as an independent principle
Mahasuri	The great demoness; appellation of the goddess who contains both good and bad
Maheswari	Feminine counterpart of Maheswara or Shiva
Mahishasuramardini	Name of Durga when she slew the demon Mahisha
Mantranayika;	General of Lalitha’s army
Mantrini
Matangi	One of the ten Mahavidyas
Maya	The delusory aspect of Maha Devi
Medini	Name of the earth goddess
Moharatri	The great night of delusion
Mohini	Incarnation of Vishnu as a female of great beauty in order to dupe the demons who had stolen nectar
Mula Prakriti	The transcendental feminine force that lies submerged in the Brahman
Narayani	One of the names of Durga
Navadurga	The nine aspects of Durga
Nrisimhi	Feminine counterpart of Narasimha, the manlion incarnation of Vishnu
Padma	Lakshmi; lotus
Padmavati	Lakshmi; born from the lotus
Para Brahma	The goddess who is no different from the Para
Swarupini	Brahman or transcendental absolute
Parameswari	The supreme feminine power
Parashakti	The supreme feminine force
Parvati	Wife of Shiva; daughter of Himavan
Prakriti	The original force that emanates from the transcendental Mula Prakriti and produces this universe of forms
Radha	Beloved of Krishna; Prakriti incarnate
Rajarajeshwari	Queen of queens
Rakini	Presiding goddess of the swadishtana chakra
Ramya	Another name for Lalitha; the pleasing or beautiful queen
Rati	Wife of Kama, the god of love
Raudri	Feminine counterpart of Rudra or Shiva as destroyer
Rukmani	Princess of Vidharba; wife of Krishna
Sampatkari	General in Lalitha’s army
Sandhya	Goddess of dawn and twilight
Santana Lakshmi	One of the Ashta Lakshmis; giver of progeny
Saraswati	Goddess of arts and sciences; wife of Brahma
Sarvavidya Swarupini	Saraswati; the embodiment of all wisdom
Satakshi	Another name for Maha Devi; one with a hundred eyes
Satchidananda	The inherent form of the Brahman; existence,
Swarupini	consciousness, and bliss
Sati	Wife of Shiva; daughter of Daksha
Savitri	Goddess of the sun; wife of Satyavan; famed for the power of her chastity
Shakambari	Another name for Maha Devi; one who carries a sheaf of corn
Shakini	Presiding goddess of the vishudha chakra
Shakti	Force; energy; power of the Maha Devi
Shankari	Feminine counterpart of Shankara (Shiva)
Shiva Shakti	The female energy of Shiva
Shivaduti	Fierce incarnation of Durga; one who made Shiva her ambassador
Shivani	Beloved of Shiva
Shodasi	One of the Mahavidyas; young girl of sixteen
Sita	Wife of Rama; princess of Videha
Smashan Tara	One of the Mahavidyas; found in burning ghats
Sri	Another name for Lakshmi
Sringararasapurna	Another name for Lalitha; one who is filled with the intoxication of beauty
Tamasi	Delusion; one of the names of Maha Devi
Tantrini	One of the chief attendants of Lalitha
Tara	Tibetan goddess; gentle in nature
Tirasankaranika	One of the shaktis of Lalitha who caused the opposing army to become blind
Tripurasundari	Most beautiful in all the three worlds
Tulasi	Wife of the demon Shankachuda
Uma	Another name for Parvati; “don’t go”
Ushas	Vedic goddess of the dawn
Vaarahi	Female energy of Varaha, Vishnu’s incarnation as a boar
Vac	Saraswati; the personification of the spoken word
Vagadeeswarees	Warrior goddesses of Lalitha’s army
Vaishnavi	Feminine energy of Vishnu
Vamakesi	Another name for Lalitha; one with beautiful
	hair
Vamanayana	Another name for Lalitha; one with beautiful eyes
Vani	Saraswati; “sound”
Vara Lakshmi	One of the Ashta Lakshmis; giver of boons
Vidya Lakshmi	One of the Ashta Lakshmis; giver of
	knowledge
Vindhya Vaasini	Goddess who resides in Vindhyachala
Virya Lakshmi	One of the Ashta Lakshmis; one who gives courage
Vishalakshi	Another name for Maha Devi; one with large eyes
Vishnu Shakti	The feminine energy of Vishnu
Vrindavani	Another name for Tulasi
Yantrini	One of the chief attendents of Lalitha
Yashaswini	A shakti created by Lalitha
Yoga Nidra	Goddess in the form of sleep