Kalanebhighna (कालनेभिघ्न, IAST: Kālanebhighna) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu boy-name meaning “Slayer of the demon Kālanemi”. From Kālanemi (the demon whose name means 'rim of the wheel of Time') and ghna (slayer, destroyer), this epithet celebrates Viṣṇu's mythological victory over the asura Kālanemi, embodying his role as destroyer of those who wield the power of death against the righteous.

Meaning, etymology & significance

Kālanemi is a fearsome demon mentioned in the Purāṇas—one who is described as an embodiment of time's destructive edge (kāla = time/death; nemi = rim of a wheel, suggesting the relentless turning of fate). Ghna derives from the root han (to strike, to kill) and identifies Viṣṇu as the direct slayer of this force. By bearing this epithet, Viṣṇu is acknowledged as the one power that stands beyond even the wheel of time and can shatter its oppressive grip.

Devotees invoke this name when seeking Viṣṇu's protection from untimely death, malevolent forces, and the sufferings wrought by time. As a given name its compound structure is somewhat unwieldy, but it may be used in full or shortened to Kalanemi as an indicator of Viṣṇu's victorious power. Pronounced kā-la-ne-bhi-ghna, with the 'gh' as an aspirated velar.

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Scriptural source

Kalanebhighna 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, Kalanebhighna aligns with the Mrigashira nakshatra, under the Mithuna rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 3.