विष्णु

See also: विषाणु

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit विष्णु (viṣṇu).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) 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 (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

• 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): /ˈʋiʂ.ɳu/

Noun

विष्णु • (víṣṇu) stem, m

1. the name of the month चैत्र (caitra) (VarBṛS.)
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.)
4. the name of the writer of a law-book
5. the name of the father of the 11th अर्हत् (arhat) of the present अवसर्पिणी (avasarpiṇī) (L.)
6. (also with गणक (gaṇaka), कवि (kavi), दैवज्ञ (daivajña), पण्डित (paṇḍita), भट्ट (bhaṭṭa), मिश्र (miśra), यतीन्द्र (yatīndra), वाजपेयिन् (vājapeyin), शास्त्रिन् (śāstrin) etc.) the name of various authors and others (Inscr., Cat.)
7. = अग्नि (agni) (L.)
8. = वसुदेवता (vasudevatā) (L.)
9. = शुद्ध (śuddha) (L.)

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of विष्णु (víṣṇu)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	विष्णुः víṣṇuḥ	विष्णू víṣṇū	विष्णवः víṣṇavaḥ
Vocative	विष्णो víṣṇo	विष्णू víṣṇū	विष्णवः víṣṇavaḥ
Accusative	विष्णुम् víṣṇum	विष्णू víṣṇū	विष्णून् víṣṇūn
Instrumental	विष्णुना / विष्ण्वा¹ víṣṇunā / víṣṇvā¹	विष्णुभ्याम् víṣṇubhyām	विष्णुभिः víṣṇubhiḥ
Dative	विष्णवे víṣṇave	विष्णुभ्याम् víṣṇubhyām	विष्णुभ्यः víṣṇubhyaḥ
Ablative	विष्णोः víṣṇoḥ	विष्णुभ्याम् víṣṇubhyām	विष्णुभ्यः víṣṇubhyaḥ
Genitive	विष्णोः víṣṇoḥ	विष्ण्वोः víṣṇvoḥ	विष्णूनाम् víṣṇūnām
Locative	विष्णौ víṣṇau	विष्ण्वोः víṣṇvoḥ	विष्णुषु víṣṇuṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Noun

विष्णु • (viṣṇu) stem, f

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

Declension

Feminine u-stem declension of विष्णु (viṣṇu)
	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	विष्णवे / विष्ण्वै¹ viṣṇave / viṣṇvai¹	विष्णुभ्याम् viṣṇubhyām	विष्णुभ्यः viṣṇubhyaḥ
Ablative	विष्णोः / विष्ण्वाः¹ / विष्ण्वै² viṣṇoḥ / viṣṇvāḥ¹ / viṣṇvai²	विष्णुभ्याम् viṣṇubhyām	विष्णुभ्यः viṣṇubhyaḥ
Genitive	विष्णोः / विष्ण्वाः¹ / विष्ण्वै² viṣṇoḥ / viṣṇvāḥ¹ / viṣṇvai²	विष्ण्वोः viṣṇvoḥ	विष्णूनाम् viṣṇūnām
Locative	विष्णौ / विष्ण्वाम्¹ viṣṇau / viṣṇvām¹	विष्ण्वोः viṣṇvoḥ	विष्णुषु viṣṇuṣu
Notes	¹Later Sanskrit ²Brāhmaṇas

Proper noun

विष्णु • (viṣṇu) stem, m

1. Vishnu
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.154.2:

     प्र तद्विष्णुः॑ स्तवते वी॒र्ये॑ण मृ॒गो न भी॒मः कु॑च॒रो गि॑रि॒ष्ठाः ।
     यस्यो॒रुषु॑ त्रि॒षु वि॒क्रम॑णेष्वधिक्षि॒यन्ति॒ भुव॑नानि॒ विश्वा॑ ॥

     prá tádvíṣṇuḥ stavate vīryèṇa mṛgó ná bhīmáḥ kucaró giriṣṭhā́ḥ.
     yásyorúṣu triṣú vikrámaṇeṣvadhikṣiyánti bhúvanāni víśvā.

     Viṣṇu is therefore glorified, that by his prowess he is like a fearful, ravenous, and mountain-haunting wild beast, and because of that in his three paces all worlds abide.

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of विष्णु (viṣṇu)
	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 / विष्ण्वा¹ viṣṇunā / viṣṇvā¹	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
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• → Bengali: বিষ্ণু (biśnu) (learned)
• → Bengali: বিষ্টু (biśṭu) (semi-learned)
• → Chinese: 毗濕奴／毗湿奴 (Píshīnú)
• → Japanese: 毘紐天 (Bihiten)
• → Odia: ବିଷ୍ଣୁ (bishṇu)
• → Telugu: విష్ణువు (viṣṇuvu)
• → Malayalam: വിഷ്ണു (viṣṇu)
• → Tamil: விஷ்ணு (viṣṇu)

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.