# मधुसूदन (madhusūdana)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/madhusudana

मधुसूदन (madhusūdana) is a Sanskrit word meaning a bee, an epithet of Vishnu-Krishna, the name of various scholars, beta Bengalensis, the name of various authors, a name of Vishnu. Its 12 recorded definitions are grouped into 4 contexts, among them Epithet of Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa, Name of Persons (Authors/Scholars), A Bee.

- **Etymology:** E. मधु the Daitya or honey, and सूदन destroyer — E. madhu the Daitya or honey, and sūdana destroyer
- **SLP1:** `maDusUdana`  **IAST:** madhusūdana  **Devanagari:** मधुसूदन
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhusudana
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/madhusudana/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Epithet of Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa (8 definitions)
- an epithet of Vishnu-Krishna  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > ‘destroyer of the demon Madhu’, N. of Viṣṇu-Kṛṣṇa, MBh.; R. &c. [ ID=156127 ]
- 1. A name of Vishnu. 2. Bengal beet.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मधु (madhu) सूदन (sūdana) (madhusūdana) [Printed book page 639 ] मधु (madhu) सूदन (sūdana) (madhusūdana) m. ( - नः (-naḥ) ) A name of VIṢṆU. f. ( - नी (-nī) ) Bengal beet. E. मधु (madhu) the Daitya or honey, and सूदन (sūdana) destroyer. [ ID=29405 ]
- 1. Vishnu. 2. A bee.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मधुसूदन (madhusūdana) [Printed book page 573-a ] मधु - सूदन (madhu-sūdana) ( नः ) ((naḥ)) 1. m. Vishnu; beet. [ ID=28920 ]
- an epithet of Vishnu  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मधुसूदन (madhusūdana) [Printed book page 548-15 ] मधु - सूदन (madhu-sūdana) m. an epithet of Vishṇu, R. ix.48, Sis. xv.1. [ ID=28691.8 ]
- 1. A name of Vishnu. 2. Bengal beet.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मधु (madhu) सूदन (sūdana) (madhusūdana) [Printed book page 548-a ] मधु (madhu) सूदन (sūdana) (madhusūdana) m. ( - नः (-naḥ) ) A name of VISHṆU. f. ( - नी (-nī) ) Bengal beet. E. मधु (madhu) the Daitya or honey, and सूदन (sūdana) destroyer. [ ID=30399 ]
- the slayer of Madhu, an epithet of Krishna  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मधुसूदन (madhusūdana) [Printed book page 393 ] मधुसूदन (madhusūdana) m. the Madhu-slayer (Kṛṣṇa). [ ID=23719 ]
- The destroyer of Madhu, an epithet of Krishna and Vishnu  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > मधुसूदन (madhusūdana) [Printed book page 450-2 ] Madhusūdana (“the destroyer of Madhu”) = Kṛṣṇa (Viṣṇu): I, 7364, 7887, 8064, 8197, 8323; II, 45, 889, 953, 1354, 1355, 1366, 1578, 1580; III, 473, 482, 494, 496, 511, 520, 524, 537, 539, 576, 581, 585, 593, 892, 1900, 1982, 1985, 4076 ( surāṇāṃ sarveṣām ādiḥ ), 8349 (in Dvāravatī), 8353 ( Hariḥ, do.), 8755 (i.e. Viṣṇu (Nārāyaṇa)), 8761 (do.), 13497 (do.), 13569 (do.), 13579 (do.), 13580 (do., slew Madhu and Kaiṭabha); V, 139, 141, 2144, 2261, 2541 ( triyugaṃ ), 2542 (do.), 2563, 2573, 2594, 2620, 2646, 2657, 2717, 2726, 2727, 2780, 2814, 2874, 2882, 2908, 2944, 2967, 2982, 2984, 2995, 3015, 3022, 3026, 3056, 3125, 3143, 3151, 3159, 3165, 3217, 3231, 3242, 3256, 3257, 3272, 3273, 3276, 3286, 3290, 4235, 4239, 4240, 4246, 4438, 4441, 4726, 4730, 4759, 4773, 4774, 4776, 4790, 4807, 4833, 4838, 4841, 4847, 4859, 4860, 5342, 5343, 5349; VI, 865, 878, 882, 1097, 1143, 2171, 3027 (origin of the name), 3045, 4326, 4330, 4333, 4907, 4932, 5547; VII, 1197, 1229 (only B.), 2680, 2684, 2947, 2954, 2957, 3050, 3693, 3857, 6421, 6458, 7804, 7808, 8183, 8187, 8941; VIII, 3608, 3768, 3783, 3784, 3789, 4117, 4364, 4487, †4656, †4678; IX, 1905, 1973, 1980, 1983, 2848 ( K° ), 3405; XI, 343, 452, 455, 480, 548, 557, 618, 668, 705, 711, 726, 731, 746, 749; XII, 16 ( Hariṃ ), 1583, 1601, 1867, 1872, 1896, 1937, 7533 ( Puruṣottamaḥ, i.e. Viṣṇu, origin of the name), 7546 (= do.), 13129, 13188, 13522 (i.e. Viṣṇu, slew Madhu and Kaiṭabha), 13620, 13672 (i.e. Viṣṇu); XIII, 622, 689, 722, 2138, 2140, 3469, 4657, 4658, 5377, 6315, 6333, 6359, 6879, 6894, 6957 (= Viṣṇu, 1000 names), 7401, 7404, 7443, 7458; XIV, 424, 569, 1484, 1486, 1488, 1521, 1544, 1557, 1961, 1992 ( purāṇarṣiḥ ), 2004, 2559; XV, 259; XVI, 23, 79, 100, 160; XVIII, 128. [ ID=6629 ]
- an epithet of Vishnu  
  *The Purana Index*
  > मधुसूदन (madhusūdana) [Printed book page 2-614 ] Madhusūdana — an epithet of Viṣṇu; 1 temple of, in the Himālayan slopes visited by Purūravas; 2 also Madhudviṣa. 3 [ Footnote: 1) Br. III. 71. 52, 208. M. 7. 15; 9. 1; 16. 3; Vi. III. 7. 14-6; V. 5. 21; 6. 1; 7. 5; 12. 5; 13. 17; 20. 74, 85; 21. 9; 26. 11; 31. 18; 33. 18.] [ Footnote: 2) M. 119. 39; 167. 41; 243. 13; 244. 52; 248. 10; 249. 45; Vā. 96. 51, 203; 99. 44.] [ Footnote: 3) Vi. V. 33. 36, 39; 34. 34; 37. 15; VI. 4. 6.] [ ID=10052 ]

### Name of Persons (Authors/Scholars) (2 definitions)
- The name of various scholars  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of various scholars, Cat. [ ID=156128 ]
- the name of various authors  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of various authors (also with गुरु (guru), गो - स्वामिन् (go-svāmin), ठक्कुर (ṭhakkura), दीक्षित (dīkṣita), दुजन्ति (dujanti), पण्डित (paṇḍita) and ° त - राज (°ta-rāja), वाचस् - पति - सरस्वती (vācas-pati-sarasvatī) ), Cat. [ ID=156130 ]

### A Bee (1 definition)
- a bee  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3) [Printed book page 780,3] मधु (madhu) — सूदन (—sūdana) m. ‘destroyer of honey’, a bee, L. [ ID=156126 ]

### Bengal Beet (Plant) (1 definition)
- Beta Bengalensis  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3B) [Printed book page 780,3] मधु (madhu) — सूदनी (—sūdanī) f. Beta Bengalensis, L. [ ID=156129 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Purana Index; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

The Sanskrit Lexicon app for iPhone, iPad and Mac: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sanskrit-lexicon-dictionary/id6746787546