Dushanghna (दूषणघ्न, IAST: Dūṣaṇaghna) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu boy-name meaning “Slayer of the demon Dushana”. From 'Dūṣaṇa' (the demon whose name means 'corruptor' or 'one who defiles') and 'ghna' (slayer), this epithet honours Rama for destroying the demon Dushana, one of Khara's chief commanders.

Meaning, etymology & significance

Dushana, whose very name means 'one who corrupts or pollutes', was a commander of the rakshasas under Khara at Janasthana, and his slaying by Rama is part of the celebrated episode where the Lord alone faced and destroyed the entire rakshasa host. By defeating Dushana, the Lord symbolically eradicates corruption and moral pollution from the world, making this a theologically resonant name. The suffix 'ghna' is a powerful Sanskrit agent noun denoting 'destroyer' or 'slayer'.

This epithet belongs to Vishnu as Rama and is found in devotional Sahasranama texts. 'Dushanghna' (doo-SHAN-ghna) is occasionally used as a traditional name, though it is uncommon in modern naming practice.

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Scriptural source

Dushanghna appears in the Vishnu Sahasranama, among the sacred names of Vishnu.

Astrology — nakshatra, rashi & numerology

By the standard Vedic correspondence between a name’s first syllable and the lunar mansion, Dushanghna aligns with the Ashlesha nakshatra, under the Karka rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 2.