Why is Krishna called Madhusudana?

In the Mahabharata, Arjuna is seen referring to Krishna, who is his charioteer, as Madhusudana on the Kurukshetra battlefield, as he faces the Kaurava army. Madhusudana means ‘slayer of Madhu’. Madhu was a demon who was killed by Lord Vishnu, along with his brother, the demon Kaitabha. So why was Krishna called Madhusudana? One reason is that Krishna himself is an avatar of Vishnu. So by referring to Krishna as Madhusudana, Arjuna hints at the connection between Krishna and Vishnu and the fact that Krishna is no ordinary charioteer or even friend or relative, but a divinity. The name Madhusudana occurs in the Bhagwad Gita several times and also in the Mahabharata. It is used by Draupadi, the Pandavas’ wife, and the demon, Shishupala.

The demon Madhu’s story finds mention in texts like the Kalika Purana, Devi Bhagavata, and the Mahabharata. The story began when time itself began. Lord Vishnu was in a state of deep slumber or Yoga Nidra, on Ananatasesha, his snake bed, which floated on the Milky Ocean. Goddess Mahamaya had settled on Vishnu’s eyes. 

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While Vishnu slept, a lotus stem came out of his navel. A lotus flower bloomed on top of the stem, and on it, Brahma, the first created being, appeared. Vishnu gave him charge of all creation, and he meditated on the question of how to accomplish his task.

Birth of Madhu and Kaitabha

Madhu and Kaitabha, twin demonic forces, were born from the wax secretion that flowed out from Vishnu’s ears. Madhu represented the guna (attribute) of “Tamas “ or darkness, while Kaitabha represented the guna of “Rajas” or activity. These gunas are the basest aspects of human nature, the fundamental energies that pervade all creation. The two began to question their existence. They undertook penance for many years until Goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu’s consort, gave them darshan. They wanted a boon from her, which was the right to decide their time and mode of death. She granted them the boon.

Armed with the power of invincibility, they began to create havoc. Brahma was their first target. When the two Asura brothers attacked him, Brahma found himself unable to withstand their assault. The demons also stole the Vedas from Brahma. 

He approached Vishnu, who was in Yoga Nidra and under the influence of Nidra Devi, the Goddess of sleep. Brahma was unable to arouse Vishnu, and he decided to turn to Nidra Devi for help. He began praying to Goddess Mahamaya by singing hymns in her praise. He knew that Vishnu had fallen under the veil of Maya (illusion), and only the Devi could wake him up from his sleep of contemplation.

Once he awoke, Brahma asked Vishnu to destroy his own creation, the demons, Madhu and Kaitabha. Vishnu assumed the form of Hayagriva, his horse-like form, and waged battle against the two demons for a long time -5000 years. This went on indefinitely, but victory proved elusive due to the boon received by the two asuras.

So Vishnu decided to invoke the Devi and seek her help. She advised Vishnu to destroy them through deceit. Vishnu agreed and came up with a ruse. He told the demons that he would grant them a boon. The asuras were surprised. After all, they had resisted the might of Vishnu. How could Vishnu grant them a boon when he had not even won victory against them, they wondered.
The arrogant asuras, drunk on their power of invincibility, declared that they were more powerful than Vishnu himself and offered to grant him a boon instead, under the influence of Mahamaya. This power of delusion effectively sealed their doom.

Vishnu was delighted to see his plan bearing fruit. As he had planned earlier, he told them that he wished that they would die by his hands. The demons now realized that they were trapped. Still, they tried to extricate themselves from the situation by asking Vishnu to kill them in a place on earth where there was no water, knowing well that the deluge had flooded the entire earth with water. Vishnu, in turn, killed them by keeping their heads on his thighs, which were devoid of water, using the Sudarshana Chakra (discus) as his weapon. Thus, the asuras fell victim to their own arrogance. Fat(“medhas”) flowed out from their bodies and coagulated. This formed the earth, and for this reason, the earth is called “Medini”.

Role in the Ramayana

Vishnu also promised the two demons that he would resume the battle again during the time of Lord Rama (another avatar of Vishnu). Adisesha as Lakshmana battled Kaitabha, who was reborn as Athikaya, and Vishnu as Rama battled Madhu, who was reborn as Khara.

To sum up, Krishna is called Madhusudana because he was none other than Vishnu himself who had killed the demon Madhu as Hayagriva. It reminds us that God never fails humanity when evil forces threaten it. He comes down to earth in all ages and in various forms to slay the evil forces and restore order in the Universe.

According to Vedic scriptures, Madhusudana Vishnu Homam should be performed by people who face various problems in life and those who seek freedom from fear and destruction of opponents. It can also help one to get relief from the sins committed during one’s past life and attain salvation.