Mulavidyavinashaka (मूलविद्याविनाशक, IAST: Mūlavidyāvināśaka) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu boy-name meaning “Destroyer of the root ignorance binding all souls”. From mūla (root, foundation), vidyā (here in the sense of avidyā, primal ignorance), and vināśaka (destroyer, one who dissolves), this name honors Vishnu as the one who uproots the foundational spiritual ignorance that keeps souls in saṃsāra.

Meaning, etymology & significance

Mūlavidyā in Advaita-inflected Vaishnava thought refers to the primordial cosmic nescience—the root-illusion that causes the individual soul to mistake itself for separate from the divine. Vishnu as Mūlavidyāvināśaka wields the sword of jñāna to sever this deepest root, liberating the devotee from the entire chain of rebirth. His grace does not merely trim the branches of ignorance but destroys the very seed from which it grows.

This epithet appears in certain Vaishnava recensions of the Sahasranāma and resonates strongly with the Gītā's teaching that knowledge of the Lord dissolves all delusion. The full compound is rarely used as a personal name; Vinashaka or Vidyanash are not standard names, so one would use Mulavidya as a devotional reference only.

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Scriptural source

Mulavidyavinashaka 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, Mulavidyavinashaka aligns with the Magha nakshatra, under the Simha rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 7.