Hrimati (Susan) Fauman

I was given my name, Hrimati (HREE ma tee) almost 5 years ago, and I have had lots of opportunities to reflect on its meaning. My name is composed of two parts: Hri, which is the bija or seed syllable signifying modesty and mati, which means mother or mother goddess. When people ask what my name means and I answer “goddess of modesty,” I often get a surprised look. “How is a goddess modest?” people ask. To answer I have to  point to the deeper meaning of modesty. Modesty is the root of compassion. When we can get out of our own way and allow the human expression of the heart center (which is expressed by the bija “Hrim”), compassion is the natural result. Hrimati is also a name for the mother goddess Durga.

Lalita literally means “she who plays”. This name is related to Tripura Sundari, one of the ten wisdom goddesses of Hindu thought. Lalita is also a term for the very center of the Sri Yantra. Sri is a word that invokes auspiciousness and cutting through.

When Dharmanidhi-ji gave the name Sri Lalita, he said it referred to all-encompassing, unmanifest shakti, the ultimate, auspicious creative potential. It also relates to Sodasi, a goddess who is ever and always the potent age of 16. As such, she hovers at the powerful moment of fully-formed ripening. The enthusiasm of youth remains, yet she is womanly power through and through. She is full, creative, powerful.

Every year at Navaratri, we celebrate this power on the last, the tenth night of the festival, called Vijayadashami. This is the day on which the goddess Sri Lalita defeated the terrible demon Mahishasura. In this case, Sri Lalita is recognized as possessing the cumulative energies of Kali, Lakshmi and Sarasvati. She is ultimate detachment (Kali), ultimate generosity (Lakshmi) and ultimate wisdom (Sarasvati) all in one. This combined feminine force, born of pure desire and manifested by true compassion, is that which defeats the demon.

May we all be graced to connect to this power to defeat whatever demons seem to lurk in our dark corners, no matter what our name may be!

His heroic death is a significant part of his legend – which made it a pill to swallow when receiving his name (Couldn’t I be Ananda – Bliss – instead?!!). He is considered by some as a Rakshasa (demon), a romantic, a playboy, and one prone to fits of anger (Gee, clearly the name is right for me, as even my astrology will confirm!). He is also compassionate, self-sacrificing, and trusting of others.

The reason I believe my teacher, Dharmanidhi, gave me his name as something to grow into is that -Abhi- translated means, “self” and – man- “respect.” So, as I understand it, and it is certainly something for me to grow into, Abhimanyu means “ul timate self-respect.”

Taking on a spiritual name is a transformational aid to the spiritual aspirant; a constant reminder to the bearer to strive to walk the path of the Dharma. This name may be given by a teacher, or chosen by the practitioner. The name could be selected to evoke certain qualities which the practitioner needs to strengthen. Alternatively, the name might be chosen because it resonates so perfectly with the practioner’s unique expression of Essential Nature that it can lead to recognition and/or awakening. Each time you call a practioner by their name, it helps to strengthen their spiritual path.

As a student of Yoga philosophy since 16 I have been graced with many opportunities to understand my inherent nature. Throughout my path such blessings continue to shape my experience and offer an ever-present invitation to align myself with that Essence. One such blessing was when I received the name Bhaktiprasad this past spring from Dharmanidhi Saravati.

Bhakti is generally translated as “devotion” or “love.” In this sense bhakti connotes the emotional quality of the instinct within each of us to return to the expansive freedom of our essential nature. Bhakti is the longing Shakti and Siva feel to reunite in the heart just as two poles of a magnet ‘yearn’ to move toward each other.

Prasad is an offering that has been transformed by a deity. Taken lightly prasad is the mercy and grace of the divine as a gift for all who wish to partake. On another level prasad is a substance that has been ‘digested’ and purified through the act of offering. In this context prasad is both the tasty food available after puja is performed and also the compassion of the deity or guru set forth into the world. Considering these two beautiful words I have taken my name to mean ‘that which has been offered to the divine with love and is a blessing to all.”