विष्णु

See also: विषाणु

Hindi

भगवान विष्णु

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit विष्णु (viṣṇu).

Pronunciation

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

• Audio:

  (file)

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 (sg-only masc u-stem)

	singular
direct	विष्णु viṣṇu
oblique	विष्णु viṣṇu
vocative	विष्णु viṣṇu

References

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

Marathi

श्री विष्णु

Alternative forms

• विष्णू (viṣṇū)

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit विष्णु (viṣṇu). First attested as Old Marathi 𑘪𑘲𑘬𑘿𑘜𑘳 (vīṣṇu).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʋiʂ.ɳu/, [ʋiʂ.ɳuː]

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

विष्णु • (viṣṇu) m

1. (Hinduism, Buddhism) Vishnu; the preserver in the Trimurti and the principal deity of Vaishnavism

   Synonyms: नारायण (nārāyaṇ), हरि (hari)

2. a male given name, Vishnu, from Sanskrit

References

• Molesworth, James Thomas (1857), “विष्णु”, in A dictionary, Marathi and English, Bombay: Printed for government at the Bombay Education Society's Press
• Berntsen, Maxine (1982–1983), “विष्णू”, in A Basic Marathi-English Dictionary, New Delhi: American Institute of Indian Studies
• Shankar Gopal Tulpule; Anne Feldhaus (1999), “विष्णु”, in A Dictionary of Old Marathi, Mumbai: Popular Prakashan

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ৱিষ্ণু (Assamese script)
• ᬯᬶᬱ᭄ᬡᬸ (Balinese script)
• বিষ্ণু (Bengali script)
• 𑰪𑰰𑰬𑰿𑰜𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀯𑀺𑀱𑁆𑀡𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• ဝိၑ္ဏု (Burmese script)
• વિષ્ણુ (Gujarati script)
• ਵਿਸ਼੍ਣੁ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌵𑌿𑌷𑍍𑌣𑍁 (Grantha script)
• ꦮꦶꦰ꧀ꦟꦸ (Javanese script)
• 𑂫𑂱𑂭𑂹𑂝𑂳 (Kaithi script)
• ವಿಷ್ಣು (Kannada script)
• វិឞ្ណុ (Khmer script)
• ວິຩ຺ຓຸ (Lao script)
• വിഷ്ണു (Malayalam script)
• ᠸᡳᢢᢏᡠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘪𑘱𑘬𑘿𑘜𑘳 (Modi script)
• ᠸᠢᢔᢏᠤ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧊𑧒𑧌𑧠𑦼𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐰𑐶𑐲𑑂𑐞𑐸 (Newa script)
• ଵିଷ୍ଣୁ (Odia script)
• ꢮꢶꢰ꣄ꢠꢸ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆮𑆴𑆰𑇀𑆟𑆶 (Sharada script)
• 𑖪𑖰𑖬𑖿𑖜𑖲 (Siddham script)
• විෂ‍්ණු (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩾𑩑𑪀 𑪙𑩪𑩒 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚦𑚮𑚶𑚘𑚰 (Takri script)
• விஷ்ணு (Tamil script)
• విష్ణు (Telugu script)
• วิษฺณุ (Thai script)
• ཝི་ཥྞུ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒫𑒱𑒭𑓂𑒝𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨭𑨁𑨯𑩇𑨘𑨃 (Zanabazar Square 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”). Alternatively, a substrate borrowing.

Pronunciation

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

Proper noun

विष्णु॑ • (víṣṇu) stem, m

1. Vishnu
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.22.20:

     तद् विष्णोः॑ पर॒मं प॒दं सदा॑ पश्यन्ति सू॒रयः॑ ।
     दि॒वी॑व॒ चक्षु॒र् आत॑तम् ॥

     tád víṣṇoḥ paramáṃ padáṃ sádā paśyanti sūráyaḥ.
     divī̀va cákṣur ā́tatam.

     The sages always behold the loftiest footprint of Viṣṇu
     Extending far and wide, like an eye in the sky.

   • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata 12.47.8:

     स्वरेण पुष्टनादेन तुष्टाव मधुसूदनम् ।
     योगेश्वरं पद्मनाभं विष्णुं जिष्णुं जगत्पतिम् ॥

     svareṇa puṣṭanādena tuṣṭāva madhusūdanam.
     yogeśvaraṃ padmanābhaṃ viṣṇuṃ jiṣṇuṃ jagatpatim.

     With a strong voice, [Bhīṣma] praised the slayer of Madhu, the lord of yoga, the one with a lotus in his navel, Viṣṇu, the victorious one, the Lord of the Universe.

2. (with प्राजापत्य (prājāpatya)) the name of the author of RV. X, 84
3. the name of a son of Manu Sāvarṇa and Manu Bhautya (MārkP.)

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of विष्णु॑

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	विष्णुः॑ (víṣṇuḥ)	विष्णू॑ (víṣṇū)	विष्ण॑वः (víṣṇavaḥ)
accusative	विष्णु॑म् (víṣṇum)	विष्णू॑ (víṣṇū)	विष्णू॑न् (víṣṇūn)
instrumental	विष्णु॑ना (víṣṇunā) विष्ण्वा॑¹ (víṣṇvā¹)	विष्णु॑भ्याम् (víṣṇubhyām)	विष्णु॑भिः (víṣṇubhiḥ)
dative	विष्ण॑वे (víṣṇave)	विष्णु॑भ्याम् (víṣṇubhyām)	विष्णु॑भ्यः (víṣṇubhyaḥ)
ablative	विष्णोः॑ (víṣṇoḥ)	विष्णु॑भ्याम् (víṣṇubhyām)	विष्णु॑भ्यः (víṣṇubhyaḥ)
genitive	विष्णोः॑ (víṣṇoḥ)	विष्ण्वोः॑ (víṣṇvoḥ)	विष्णू॑नाम् (víṣṇūnām)
locative	विष्णौ॑ (víṣṇau)	विष्ण्वोः॑ (víṣṇvoḥ)	विष्णु॑षु (víṣṇuṣu)
vocative	विष्णो॑ (víṣṇo)	विष्णू॑ (víṣṇū)	विष्ण॑वः (víṣṇavaḥ)

• ¹Vedic

Descendants

• → Bengali: বিষ্ণু (biśnu) (learned)
• → Bengali: বিষ্টু (biśṭu) (semi-learned)
• → Chinese: 毗濕奴 / 毗湿奴 (Píshīnú)
• → Japanese: 毘紐天 (Bihiten)
• → Kannada: ವಿಷ್ಣು (viṣṇu)
• → Malayalam: വിഷ്ണു (viṣṇu)
• → Odia: ବିଷ୍ଣୁ (biṣṇu)
• → Old Marathi: 𑘪𑘲𑘬𑘿𑘜𑘳 (vīṣṇu)
  • Marathi: विष्णु (viṣṇu), विष्णू (viṣṇū)
• → Telugu: విష్ణువు (viṣṇuvu)
• → Tamil: விஷ்ணு (viṣṇu)

Noun

विष्णु॑ • (víṣṇu) stem, m

1. the name of the month चैत्र (caitra) (VarBṛS.)

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of विष्णु॑

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	विष्णुः॑ (víṣṇuḥ)	विष्णू॑ (víṣṇū)	विष्ण॑वः (víṣṇavaḥ)
accusative	विष्णु॑म् (víṣṇum)	विष्णू॑ (víṣṇū)	विष्णू॑न् (víṣṇūn)
instrumental	विष्णु॑ना (víṣṇunā) विष्ण्वा॑¹ (víṣṇvā¹)	विष्णु॑भ्याम् (víṣṇubhyām)	विष्णु॑भिः (víṣṇubhiḥ)
dative	विष्ण॑वे (víṣṇave)	विष्णु॑भ्याम् (víṣṇubhyām)	विष्णु॑भ्यः (víṣṇubhyaḥ)
ablative	विष्णोः॑ (víṣṇoḥ)	विष्णु॑भ्याम् (víṣṇubhyām)	विष्णु॑भ्यः (víṣṇubhyaḥ)
genitive	विष्णोः॑ (víṣṇoḥ)	विष्ण्वोः॑ (víṣṇvoḥ)	विष्णू॑नाम् (víṣṇūnām)
locative	विष्णौ॑ (víṣṇau)	विष्ण्वोः॑ (víṣṇvoḥ)	विष्णु॑षु (víṣṇuṣu)
vocative	विष्णो॑ (víṣṇo)	विष्णू॑ (víṣṇū)	विष्ण॑वः (víṣṇavaḥ)

• ¹Vedic

References

• Monier Williams (1899), “विष्णु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 999, column 1.
• James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “विष्णु”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC.