Madhava — Consort of Lakshmi, Pride of the Madhu Line

"Madhava" means the husband of Lakshmi (Ma) and also the descendant of Madhu. The name joins the Lord's sweetness with his divine majesty.

Tradition offers two main explanations of "Madhava". In the first, "Ma" is Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, and "dhava" means husband, so Madhava is Lord Vishnu, the consort of Lakshmi. In the second, Krishna was born in the branch of the Yadu dynasty descended from King Madhu, and so he is Madhava, the scion of Madhu. Many devotees also hear in it "madhu", sweetness and springtime, and feel it describes his charm.

In the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna asks, "O Madhava, how could we be happy after killing our own kinsmen?" Sanjaya, too, describes Madhava and Arjuna blowing their conch shells as the battle begins. Madhava is also among the twelve names, beginning with Keshava and Narayana, that are recited during achamana, the ritual sipping of water before worship.

Many holy places carry this name. Bindu Madhava in Varanasi and Veni Madhava in Prayagraj are well known. At Madhavpur near Porbandar in Gujarat, according to tradition, Krishna married Rukmini, and a fair held each year in the month of Chaitra celebrates the wedding, where the Lord is worshipped as Madhavrai.

Name Sa

माधव

Name Roman

Madhava

Meaning

husband of Lakshmi; descendant of Madhu

Gita Refs

1.37