Goptri (गोप्त्री, IAST: Goptrī) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu girl-name meaning “She who is the protectress, the divine guardian”. From the Sanskrit root gup (to protect, guard), goptrī is the feminine agent noun meaning the one who preserves and shields, here naming Lalitā as the cosmic protectress of all beings.

Meaning, etymology & significance

The root gup underlies many Sanskrit words for protection and concealment; goptrī (feminine of goptā) specifically denotes an active, caring guardian who takes responsibility for the welfare of those under her care. In the Trika and Śrīvidyā traditions, the Goddess's protective function is inseparable from her identity as the sustaining will of the cosmos, holding every soul within her compassionate embrace. She protects not only from external danger but from the deeper harm of ignorance and separation from the Divine.

Goptrī aligns Lalitā with Viṣṇu's sustaining (pālana) function, affirming that the Goddess embodies all three cosmic roles: creation, preservation, and dissolution. As a given name it is uncommon; pronounced GOP-tree.

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Scriptural source

Goptri 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, Goptri aligns with the Shatabhisha nakshatra, under the Kumbha rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 7.