विष्णु

See also: विषाणु

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit विष्णु (viṣṇu).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /ʋɪʂ.ɳuː/, [ʋɪʃ.ɳuː]

Proper noun

विष्णु • (viṣṇu) m (Urdu spelling وشنو‎)

1. (Hinduism, Buddhism) Vishnu (the preserver in the Trimurti and the principal deity of Vaishnavism)
2. a male given name, Vishnu, from Sanskrit

Declension

Declension of विष्णु (masc u-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	विष्णु viṣṇu	विष्णु viṣṇu
oblique	विष्णु viṣṇu	विष्णुओं viṣṇuõ
vocative	विष्णु viṣṇu	विष्णुओ viṣṇuo

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993), “विष्णु”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ᬯᬶᬱ᭄ᬡᬸ (Balinese script)
• ৱিষ্ণু (Assamese script)
• বিষ্ণু (Bengali script)
• 𑰪𑰰𑰬𑰿𑰜𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀯𑀺𑀱𑁆𑀡𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• 𑌵𑌿𑌷𑍍𑌣𑍁 (Grantha script)
• વિષ્ણુ (Gujarati script)
• ਵਿਸ਼ੑਣੁ (Gurmukhi script)
• ꦮꦶꦰ꧀ꦟꦸ (Javanese script)
• វិឞ្ណុ (Khmer script)
• ವಿಷ್ಣು (Kannada script)
• ວິຩ຺ຓຸ (Lao script)
• വിഷ്ണു (Malayalam script)
• 𑘪𑘱𑘬𑘿𑘜𑘳 (Modi script)
• ᠸᠢᢔᢏᠤ (Mongolian script)
• ᠸᡳᢢᢏᡠ (Manchu script)
• ဝိၑ္ဏု (Burmese script)
• 𑧊𑧒𑧌𑧠𑦼𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐰𑐶𑐲𑑂𑐞𑐸 (Newa script)
• ଵିଷ୍ଣୁ (Oriya script)
• ꢮꢶꢰ꣄ꢠꢸ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆮𑆴𑆰𑇀𑆟𑆶 (Sharada script)
• 𑖪𑖰𑖬𑖿𑖜𑖲 (Siddham script)
• විෂ්ණු (Sinhalese script)
• విష్ణు (Telugu script)
• วิษฺณุ (Thai script)
• ཝི་ཥྞུ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒫𑒱𑒭𑓂𑒝𑒳 (Tirhuta script)

Etymology

According to the traditional explanation a derivation from the root विष् (√viṣ, “to pervade”), thus originally meaning "All-pervader" or "Worker".

Related to विवेष्टि (viveṣṭi, “to work”), both from Proto-Indo-European *weys- (“to produce”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋiʂ.ɳu/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈʋiʂ.ɳu/

Noun

विष्णु • (víṣṇu) m

1. Vishnu (RV. etc.)
   • RV 1.154.2a

     प्र तद्विष्णु स्तवते वीर्येण मृगो न भीमः कुचरो गिरिष्ठाः । |

     यस्योरुषु त्रिषु विक्रमणेष्वधिक्षियन्ति भुवनानि विश्वा ॥ ||

     pra tad viṣṇu stavate vīryeṇa mṛgho na bhīmaḥ kucaro ghiriṣṭhāḥ |

     yasyoruṣu triṣu vikramaṇeṣvadhikṣiyanti bhuvanāni viśvā ||

     For this his mighty deed is Viṣṇu lauded, like some wild beast, dread, prowling, mountain-roaming;

     He within whose three wide-extended paces all living creatures have their habitation.

2. name of the month चैत्र (caitra) (VarBṛS.)
3. (with प्राजापत्य (prājāpatya)) name of the author of RV. X, 84
4. name of a son of Manu Sāvarṇa and Manu Bhautya (MārkP.)
5. name of the writer of a law-book
6. name of the father of the 11th अर्हत् (arhat) of the present अवसर्पिणी (avasarpiṇī) (L.)
7. (also with गणक (gaṇaka), कवि (kavi), दैवज्ञ (daivajña), पण्डित (paṇḍita), भट्ट (bhaṭṭa), मिश्र (miśra), यतीन्द्र (yatī*ndra), वाजपेयिन् (vājapeyin), शास्त्रिन् (śāstrin) etc.) name of various authors and others (Inscr., Cat.)
8. = अग्नि (agni) (L.)
9. = वसुदेवता (vasu-devatā) (L.)
10. = शुद्ध (śuddha) (L.)

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of विष्णु
Nom. sg.	विष्णुः (viṣṇuḥ)
Gen. sg.	विष्णोः (viṣṇoḥ)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	विष्णुः (viṣṇuḥ)	विष्णू (viṣṇū)	विष्णवः (viṣṇavaḥ)
Vocative	विष्णो (viṣṇo)	विष्णू (viṣṇū)	विष्णवः (viṣṇavaḥ)
Accusative	विष्णुम् (viṣṇum)	विष्णू (viṣṇū)	विष्णून् (viṣṇūn)
Instrumental	विष्णुना (viṣṇunā)	विष्णुभ्याम् (viṣṇubhyām)	विष्णुभिः (viṣṇubhiḥ)
Dative	विष्णवे (viṣṇave)	विष्णुभ्याम् (viṣṇubhyām)	विष्णुभ्यः (viṣṇubhyaḥ)
Ablative	विष्णोः (viṣṇoḥ)	विष्णुभ्याम् (viṣṇubhyām)	विष्णुभ्यः (viṣṇubhyaḥ)
Genitive	विष्णोः (viṣṇoḥ)	विष्ण्वोः (viṣṇvoḥ)	विष्णूनाम् (viṣṇūnām)
Locative	विष्णौ (viṣṇau)	विष्ण्वोः (viṣṇvoḥ)	विष्णुषु (viṣṇuṣu)

Noun

विष्णु • (víṣṇu) f

1. name of the mother of the 11th अर्हत् (arhat) of the present अवसर्पिणी (avasarpiṇī) (L.)

Declension

Feminine u-stem declension of विष्णु
Nom. sg.	विष्णुः (viṣṇuḥ)
Gen. sg.	विष्णुवाः/ विष्णोः (viṣṇuvāḥ/ viṣṇoḥ)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	विष्णुः (viṣṇuḥ)	विष्णू (viṣṇū)	विष्णवः (viṣṇavaḥ)
Vocative	विष्णो (viṣṇo)	विष्णू (viṣṇū)	विष्णवः (viṣṇavaḥ)
Accusative	विष्णुम् (viṣṇum)	विष्णू (viṣṇū)	विष्णूः (viṣṇūḥ)
Instrumental	विष्ण्वा (viṣṇvā)	विष्णुभ्याम् (viṣṇubhyām)	विष्णुभिः (viṣṇubhiḥ)
Dative	विष्ण्वै / विष्णवे (viṣṇvai / viṣṇave)	विष्णुभ्याम् (viṣṇubhyām)	विष्णुभ्यः (viṣṇubhyaḥ)
Ablative	विष्णुवाः/ विष्णोः (viṣṇuvāḥ/ viṣṇoḥ)	विष्णुभ्याम् (viṣṇubhyām)	विष्णुभ्यः (viṣṇubhyaḥ)
Genitive	विष्णुवाः/ विष्णोः (viṣṇuvāḥ/ viṣṇoḥ)	विष्ण्वोः (viṣṇvoḥ)	विष्णूनाम् (viṣṇūnām)
Locative	विष्ण्वाम् / विष्णौ (viṣṇvām / viṣṇau)	विष्ण्वोः (viṣṇvoḥ)	विष्णुषु (viṣṇuṣu)

Descendants

• → Bengali: বিষ্ণু (biśnu)
  • ⇒ Bengali: বিষ্টু (biśṭu)
• → Chinese: 毗濕奴／毗湿奴 (Píshīnú)
• → Japanese: 毘紐天 (Bihiten)
• → Oriya: ବିଷ୍ଣୁ (biṣṇu)
• → Telugu: విష్ణువు (viṣṇuvu)

References

• Monier Williams (1899), “विष्णु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0999.
• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.