How Lord Vishnu Got The Name Madhusudana

by Astro Ved Online Astrology Consultation

Lord Vishnu has many names. One among them is Madhusudana, which means ‘slayer of Madhu’. Madhu is the name of an Asura or demon. He, along with his twin, Kaitabha, was formed from the wax that came out of Vishnu’s ears, as he lay sleeping. This is believed to have taken place at the beginning of a cycle of creation. It is mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavata Purana and other Puranas.

Lord Vishnu or Narayana reclined in deep slumber on Anantsesh, his snake bed, which lies on the Milky Ocean. From his navel, a lotus emerged, and Brahma appeared from it. Meanwhile, Madhu and Kaitabha were born from the ear wax that came out of the sleeping Vishnu’s ears. Madhu represented “Tamas“ or darkness, while Kaitabha represented “Rajas” or activity. These two gunas are the basest attributes of human nature, the fundamental energies that inhabit all creation. The two demons performed penance for many years. Pleased with their penance, Goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu’s consort, appeared before them. The demons wanted a boon from her - the power to decide when and how they would die. She agreed and granted the boon.

The two demons tried to kill Brahma and succeeded in stealing the Vedas from him. Brahma was helpless against them. He prayed to Goddess Mahamaya to wake up the sleeping Vishnu. Brahma appealed to the Goddess who was in the form of sleep to come out of Vishnu so that he would wake up and slay the two demons..

Vishnu then took the avatar of Hayagriva, his horse-like form, and waged battle against the two powerful demons for a long time -5000 years! But he could not defeat them because of the boon the Asuras had been given by Goddess Lakshmi.

Finally, Vishnu had no choice but to seek the help of the Goddess. She told Vishnu to kill them using deceit. So Vishnu lay a trap for them. He told the demons that he wanted to give them a boon. The asuras were astonished as Vishnu had not been able to defeat them but still wanted to give them a boon. This irked their pride as they had been more than a match for Vishnu. They felt that it was up to them to give boons, as they were more powerful than Vishnu. So they replied that they would grant Vishnu a boon instead. The two demons were actually under the influence of Mahamaya, because of which they became delusional and assumed that they were invincible and hence indestructible.

Vishnu was delighted to see that his ruse had worked perfectly. Seizing his opportunity, he told the demons that he wanted them both to die by his hands. Too late, the demons realized that they had fallen into a trap. Still, they tried to save themselves by demanding that Vishnu kill them in a place devoid of water, despite knowing that the entire earth was filled with water because of the great flood. But Vishnu killed them by placing the demons’ heads on his thighs, which had no water. He also used his divine discus, the Sudarshana Chakra, to kill them. Thus, the demons fell prey to their own arrogance and pride. After they died, the story goes, fat or“medhas” flowed out of their bodies and coagulated. This led to the creation of the earth. This is why the earth is also called “Medini”.

Vishnu also assured the two demons that their battle would continue again during the time of Lord Rama (Rama is also an avatar of Vishnu). While Adisesha was reborn as Lakshmana and fought Kaitabha (who was reborn as Athikaya), Vishnu as Rama fought Madhu, who was reborn as Khara.

According to Shakti Tradition, Vishnu could annihilate the demons because he obtained boons and blessings from the Mother Goddess. She created confusion and illusion in the minds of the demons, which made the demons less powerful.In the Devi Bhagavatam, Mother Shakti is described as offering all her strength and help to slay the demons.

Madhusudana Homam is prescribed by Vedic scriptures as a potent remedy for resolving various problems in life, overcoming fear, and the destruction of enemies. It can also provide relief from the sins of our past life and help us attain salvation.