Kalikalmashashini (कलिकल्मषनाशिनी, IAST: Kalikalmāśanāśinī) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu girl-name meaning “She who destroys the impurities and sins of the Kali age”. Composed of 'Kali' (the present age of spiritual and moral darkness), 'kalmāṣa' (impurity, sin, moral stain), and 'nāśinī' (she who destroys), this name proclaims Lalitā as the most powerful refuge for souls born in the degenerate age of Kali.

Meaning, etymology & significance

The Kali Yuga is described in the Purāṇas as the age in which dharma has declined to its weakest point and human beings are most susceptible to spiritual impurity and moral confusion. 'Kalmāṣa' denotes the accumulated stains of such an age, and 'nāśinī' (from the root 'naś,' to perish) names her who causes those stains to perish utterly. Lalitā's grace is thus presented as specially potent in this age, dissolving what no other force can cleanse.

This epithet is among the most comforting in the Sahasranāma for contemporary devotees, assuring them that the Devī's power of purification is perfectly matched to the challenges of their age. Pronounced kah-li-kul-mah-sha-naa-shi-NEE, it is too complex as a given name but is deeply significant in devotional recitation.

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Scriptural source

Kalikalmashashini 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, Kalikalmashashini aligns with the Mrigashira nakshatra, under the Mithuna rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 6.