Religion:Madhusudana

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Short description: Epithet of Vishnu
Sculpture of Vishnu slaying Madhu and Kaitabha
Madhusudana (Vishnu) and Madhusudana Kāminī (Lakshmi)

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

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

Literature

Main page: Astronomy: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.

References

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.