Madhusudana

Madhusudana (Sanskrit: मधुसूदन, romanized: Madhusūdana) is an epithet of Vishnu and is the 73rd[1] name in the Vishnu Sahasranama.

Sculpture of Vishnu slaying Madhu and Kaitabha
Madhusudana (Vishnu) and Madhusudana Kāminī (Lakshmi)

According to Adi Sankara's commentary on the Vishnu Sahasranama, Madhusudana means the "destroyer of Madhu".

Literature
Main article: Madhu-Kaitabha

The death of Madhu and the origin of the epithet is described in the Padma Purana:[2]

Then Madhu, screened with darkness, quickly disappeared. Through his illusion he dropped a hundred mountains on (the body of) Viṣṇu. Then in the battle, getting into the darkness, he cut off the mountains, and angrily cut off his head with his (disc called) Sudarśana. Then gods like Brahmā and Śiva made him known as ‘Madhusūdana’ in the worlds.

— Padma Purana, Section 1, Chapter 72

References
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Closeup of Vishnu, seated in the lotus position on a lotus. From depiction of the poet Jayadeva bowing to Vishnu, Gouache on paper Pahari, The very picture of devotion, bare-bodied, head bowed, legs crossed and hands folded, Jayadeva stands at left, with the implements of worship placed before the lotus-seat of Vishnu who sits there, blessing the poet.
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Cited from Sri Vishnu Sahasranama, commentary by Sri Sankaracharya, translated by Swami Tapasyananda, available at Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai;

available at an Indian web site and a US site.

  1. Vishnu Sahasranamam Archived 2008-01-10 at the Wayback Machine
  2. www.wisdomlib.org (2019-08-23). "The Slaying of Madhu [Chapter 72]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
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