Dharmādhārā (धर्माधारा, IAST: dharmādhārā) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu girl-name meaning “She who is the foundation of righteousness”. A compound of 'dharma' (cosmic order, righteousness) and 'ādhārā' (support, foundation, basis), Dharmādhārā proclaims Lalitā as the very ground upon which all moral and cosmic order rests.

Meaning, etymology & significance

Dharma, the multivalent principle encompassing duty, virtue, and cosmic law, cannot sustain itself — it requires a deeper ground. Ādhārā, from the root dhṛ meaning to hold or support, names Lalitā as the one who holds dharma in place. Without her sustaining presence, righteousness itself would have no foundation.

This name resonates in both Purāṇic and Tāntric literature where the Goddess is celebrated as the cosmic base from which all ordered existence arises. A strong, beautiful name for a girl; pronounced 'dhar-MAH-dhah-rah'.

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Scriptural source

Dharmādhārā 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, Dharmādhārā aligns with the Purva ashadha nakshatra, under the Dhanu rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 9.