Along my journey, my teacher gifted me the spiritual name Jānakī. You may see me as Su-Jung Lee, Su Jānakī Lee, or simply Su—all are welcome. Su from my Korean heritage, Jānakī from my Vedic path, woven together to reflect my evolution as a teacher.
I had begun to feel that my birth name did not fully express how I have grown & continue to develop with my Vedic Meditation practice &
knowledge. I shared this with Thom, and he blessed me with the beautiful name Jānakī,
another name for Sita,
meaning
daughter of Janaka
the enlightened King of Mithilia
from the Ramāyana.
Sita is also seen as an incarnation of
Śri Lakshmi
श्री
Su Jānakī
nāma rūpa sahitam eva bhavati
Name and Form are infinitely correlated indeed
Nāma = Name
Rūpa = Form
sahitam = together
eva = indeed
bhavati = they become
He also shared the story of the evolution of his name to Maharishi Vyasananda Saraswati, saying that names can evolve along with the individual. And in January 2025 at the Maha Kumbha Mela, he was officially coronated into one of the most revered akaras (think “holy houses”) in India; he was also officially renamed Bharata - becoming recognized as Śrī 1008 Mahamandaleshwar Maharishi Vyasanand Giri Maharaj
Today, I reflect on the energetic resonance of my new spiritual name and the arc of the story of evolution.
May we all find greater happiness & understanding with each step toward Unity Consciousness.
Love & Jai Guru Deva