Samshayaghni (संशयघ्नी, IAST: saṃśayaghnī) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu girl-name meaning “She who slays all doubt”. Composed of 'saṃśaya' (doubt) and 'ghnī' (she who strikes down, from the root 'han'), this name depicts the Mother as the fierce and compassionate slayer of the doubt that obstructs spiritual realization.

Meaning, etymology & significance

The verbal root 'han' means to strike, kill, or destroy, and 'ghnī' is its feminine agentive participle. This is a more intense image than 'nāśinī' — it suggests a decisive, sword-like severing of doubt rather than a gradual dissolution. The Bhagavad Gītā (4.42) exhorts the seeker to use the sword of knowledge to cut through doubt born of ignorance; Saṃśayaghnī is the very śakti that empowers that sword.

Lalitā is venerated as Saṃśayaghnī by seekers who find their sādhanā clouded by intellectual uncertainty or spiritual wavering. Pronounced sam-sha-ya-ghni, the conjunct 'ghn' at the end requires the 'gh' to be distinctly voiced.

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Scriptural source

Samshayaghni 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, Samshayaghni aligns with the Shatabhisha nakshatra, under the Kumbha rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 6.