Trigunatmika (त्रिगुणात्मिका, IAST: Triguṇātmikā) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu girl-name meaning “Whose very nature is the three cosmic qualities”. From tri (three), guṇa (quality or strand of existence: sattva, rajas, tamas), and ātmikā (whose self is), this name declares that Lalitā is the living ground of all three cosmic forces that weave together the fabric of creation.

Meaning, etymology & significance

In Sāṃkhya and Vedāntic philosophy, all of manifest existence is woven from three guṇas: sattva (clarity, luminosity), rajas (dynamism, passion), and tamas (inertia, density), and the Goddess as Triguṇātmikā is not bound by them but is their very soul and origin. She transcends the guṇas even as she manifests through them, making her both the dancer and the dance, the weaver and the loom. This name affirms her absolute freedom and sovereignty over the forces that govern all conditioned existence.

Triguṇātmikā is a philosophical epithet of Lalitā and the cosmic Devī, and while it is profound in contemplation it functions better as a mantra-name than a common personal name. Pronounced tri-gu-NAAT-mi-kaa.

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Scriptural source

Trigunatmika appears in the Lalitha Sahasranama, among the sacred names of Lalitha.