Brāhmaṇī (ब्राह्मणी, IAST: Brāhmaṇī) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu girl-name meaning “She who embodies the power and nature of Brahman”. Brāhmaṇī is the feminine power of Brahmā and of Brahman itself, formed with the suffix -ī to indicate the śakti or feminine energy that is intrinsic to the Absolute; she is the very selfhood of the sacred, the consciousness that permeates all knowledge and creation.

Meaning, etymology & significance

In the tradition of the Saptamātṛkās (seven divine mothers), Brāhmaṇī is the śakti of Brahmā, carrying his four-faced, lotus-bearing, swan-riding iconography; but in the Lalitā Sahasranāma she is exalted as an identity of the Supreme Mother herself rather than a subordinate power. The name also suggests 'she who belongs to Brahman' — the Goddess as the feminine face of the Absolute ground of being. This dual resonance makes it one of the most theologically rich epithets in this section.

Brāhmaṇī is a venerable name used across Śākta and Smārta communities; in South India it is sometimes rendered as Brahmani, and in Maharashtra it is associated with the fierce yet gracious mother goddess. It is a fully usable and respected given name, pronounced brāh-ma-ṇī with the retroflex ṇ.

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Scriptural source

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