Ankushadipraharana (अङ्कुशादिप्रहरणा, IAST: Aṅkuśādipraharaṇā) is an Sanskrit-origin Hindu girl-name meaning “She who wields the goad and other weapons”. Combining 'aṅkuśa' (the elephant goad, symbolizing the power to direct the mind), 'ādi' (and others), and 'praharaṇā' (one who strikes or wields weapons), this name glorifies Lalitā as the fully armed sovereign of all consciousness.

Meaning, etymology & significance

The aṅkuśa or goad is one of the four principal weapons of Lalitā, the others being the sugarcane bow (icchāśakti), the noose (pāśa), and the five flower-arrows. Together they represent her dominion over the four aims of human life and the complete spectrum of cosmic power. 'Ādi' extends the meaning to all her divine weapons, and 'praharaṇā' — from 'pra-hṛ,' to strike or bear — identifies her as their active wielder.

This epithet of Śrī Lalitā is celebrated in her iconographic hymns and in the Śrī Vidyā tradition's descriptions of her warrior form. As a stand-alone given name it is cumbersome, but 'Aṅkuśā' functions elegantly as a short devotional form.

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Scriptural source

Ankushadipraharana appears in the Lalitha Sahasranama, among the sacred names of Lalitha.

Astrology — nakshatra, rashi & numerology

By the standard Vedic correspondence between a name’s first syllable and the lunar mansion, Ankushadipraharana aligns with the Krittika nakshatra, under the Mesha rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 9.