Sahasranama position 669 of the 1,072 names

Tilottama

तिलोत्तमा

Tilottamā

What Tilottama means

Tilottama is name 669 in the Adya Mahakali Sahasranama, the 1,072-name devotional text to Maa Kali. The foremost and best among all Tilas.

Also spelled

  • Source transliteration: TIL'OTTAMA

Sanskrit names travel into English in several romanizations. This page keeps the common spelling, the IAST form, and the source transliteration together so the same name is discoverable under each spelling readers use.

Meaning and elaboration

Meaning: The foremost and best among all Tilas.

Elaboration

Til'ottama is a beautiful name of the Goddess. It means "the foremost and best among all Tilas." In this context, "Tila" (sesame seed) serves as a Sanskrit image for what is minute, subtle, and essential. So Til'ottama points to her as the supreme essence, the highest perfection, and the quintessence present within everything.

The Quintessence of Beauty and Perfection In Hindu mythology, Tilottama is the celestial Apsara of incomparable beauty, created by Vishwakarma to bring about the downfall of the Asuras Sunda and Upasunda. Her name is said to come from the finest particle, the "tila," of every gem, ornament, and beautiful thing in the universe being gathered to form her. Read as a name of Mahakali, Til'ottama becomes the embodiment of unsurpassed perfection and divine beauty beyond earthly comparison. She is the complete union of all beautiful qualities.

The All-Encompassing Essence This name reaches far beyond physical beauty. It reveals her as the fundamental essence (rasa) of all existence. Just as a tiny sesame seed holds rich oil within it, Til'ottama signifies the concentrated power and subtle principle that underlies and pervades the whole cosmos. She is the prana (life force), the ojas (vitality), and the tejas (radiance) that animate and illumine every particle of creation.

The Subtle Creative Power This name also points to her as the most subtle, yet utterly complete, creative power (Shakti). Just as limitless potential can rest within the smallest seed, Til'ottama contains within herself all possibilities and the blueprint of manifestation. She is the fine and intricate force that weaves the fabric of the universe from its most imperceptible elements to its grandest forms, the supreme artistry through which existence takes shape.

Text and sources

The name list follows the Adya Mahakali Sahasranama as compiled for this project. The English meaning and elaboration are interpretive notes for devotional study, not a translation of a single critical edition.

Read the editorial method and source notes →

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