Kaulini (कौलिनी, IAST: kaulinī) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu girl-name meaning “She who belongs to and embodies the Kaula path”. Derived from kula with the possessive suffix -ina and feminized as kaulinī, this name proclaims Lalitā as the very essence and sovereign of the Kaula Tāntric tradition, the one in whom all its wisdom is perfectly realized.

Meaning, etymology & significance

The adjective kaula denotes that which pertains to the kula — the sacred family, the lineage, and the esoteric Tāntric school that regards the entire universe as a living expression of Śakti. By taking the form Kaulinī, the Goddess is not merely associated with this path but is identified as its living embodiment, the Mistress of the Kaula dharma who initiates, sustains, and liberates all who walk it. This name thus carries the weight of the entire Śrīvidyā–Kaula philosophical heritage.

Lalitā is hailed as Kaulinī in Śākta Āgamas and the Lalitā Sahasranāma, particularly by Kaula initiates for whom she is the supreme guru of their lineage. Kaulini is an elegant, pronounceable given name warmly used in Karnataka and Kerala; it is accented on the first syllable — KAU-li-ni — with the 'au' sounding like the 'ou' in 'out'.

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Scriptural source

Kaulini 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, Kaulini aligns with the Mrigashira nakshatra, under the Mithuna rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 1.