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NAME COLLECTION

Names of Vishnu

Names of Vishnu from the Viṣṇusahasranāma and the Amarakośa, each with its dictionary sense.

This collection follows names to their sources. It describes where a name comes from, not who uses it.

Names recorded in Indian use

Nārāyaṇa

patronymic from Nara (the primeval Man); identified with Brahma/Vishnu; a name of Vishnu

MBh 13.135.39; Amarakośa 1.1.37

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Hari

tawny/yellow-brown (adjective); a name of Vishnu-Krishna

MBh 13.135.52; MBh 13.135.82

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Viṣṇu

all-pervader (Monier-Williams: probably from √viś), name of one of the principal Hindu deities

MBh 13.135.14; MBh 13.135.41; MBh 13.135.83

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Ajita

not conquered, invincible (adjective); Monier-Williams: lists it as a name of Vishnu

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Keśava

having long or handsome hair; a name of Vishnu/Krishna

MBh 13.135.16; MBh 13.135.82; Amarakośa 1.1.38

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Vāsudeva

patronymic of Krishna (son of Vasudeva); in the VS frame the god addressed

MBh 13.135.49; MBh 13.135.87; MBh 13.135.89

Janārdana

exciting or agitating men (Monier-Williams:); Vishnu or Krishna

MBh 13.135.27; Amarakośa 1.1.40

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Madhusūdana

destroyer of the demon Madhu; Vishnu-Krishna

MBh 13.135.21

Mādhava

descendant of Madhu; especially a name of Krishna-Vishnu

MBh 13.135.21; MBh 13.135.31; MBh 13.135.91

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Govinda

a name of Krishna or Vishnu; Monier-Williams: treats the derivation as uncertain

MBh 13.135.33; MBh 13.135.71; Amarakośa 1.1.39

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Mukunda

a name of Vishnu

MBh 13.135.68; Amarakośa 1.1.47

Aniruddha

unobstructed, ungovernable (adjective); also Aniruddha, a form/son in the Vaishnava vyuha and son of Pradyumna

MBh 13.135.33; MBh 13.135.81

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Jiṣṇu

victorious, triumphant (adjective); Monier-Williams: also lists it as a name of Vishnu

Vāmana

dwarfish, small (adjective); Vishnu's dwarf avatar

MBh 13.135.30

Viśvambhara

all-bearing, all-sustaining; applied to the Supreme Being; a name of Vishnu

Amarakośa 1.1.45

Sarveśvara

lord of all; Monier-Williams: cites Nṛsiṃhottaratāpanī Up., BhP.

MBh 13.135.24

Acyuta

not fallen, firm, imperishable (adjective); a name of Vishnu

MBh 13.135.24; MBh 13.135.48

Padmanābha

lotus-naveled; Vishnu, from whose navel the lotus of Brahma sprang

MBh 13.135.19; MBh 13.135.34; MBh 13.135.51

Pradyumna

the pre-eminently mighty one; the god of love reborn as Krishna's son

MBh 13.135.81

Other names in the sources

These words are named in the sources as names of the deity. Their listing here does not say that they are used as given names.

Vanamālin

wearing a garland of forest flowers (said of Vishnu-Krishna)

MBh 13.135.73; Amarakośa 1.1.44

Vaikuṇṭha

a name of Vishnu (Krishna) in Monier-Williams:; no gloss

MBh 13.135.57; Amarakośa 1.1.37

Trivikrama

who strode over the three worlds in three steps; Vishnu

MBh 13.135.69; Amarakośa 1.1.42

Puṇḍarīkākṣa

lotus-eyed; Vishnu or Krishna

MBh 13.135.25; Amarakośa 1.1.39

Pītāmbara

dressed in yellow clothes (adjective); a name of Vishnu-Krishna (Monier-Williams:)

Amarakośa 1.1.40

Cakrapāṇi

discus-handed; Vishnu

Amarakośa 1.1.41

Garuḍadhvaja

Monier-Williams: having Garuda in its banner (said of Krishna's chariot); Amarakośa 1.1.39 lists it as a Vishnu synonym

MBh 13.135.51; Amarakośa 1.1.39

Sources

  1. Amarasiṃha, Nāmaliṅgānuśāsana (Amarakośa), kāṇḍa 1; GRETIL e-text (Avinash Sathaye, Pramod S. V. Ganesan) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
  2. K. M. Ganguli, The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa translated into English prose (1883-96), Project Gutenberg #15474-15477 ↗ (opens in a new tab)
  3. Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899), Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries (local copy sources/cologne/mw.txt) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
  4. Viṣṇusahasranāma, Mahābhārata 13.135 (BORI critical edition), GRETIL e-text mbh_13_u ↗ (opens in a new tab)

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