Madhu (
Sanskrit: ) is a word used in several
Indo-Aryan languages meaning ''
honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
'' or ''
sweet''. It is ultimately derived from
Proto-Indo-European ''*médʰu'', whence
English ''
mead
Mead () is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alcoholic content ranges from about 3.5% ABV to more than 20%. The defining character ...
''.
Metaphorical use
''Madhu'' has been used for millennia since the
Rigveda (1400–1000 BCE)
[ Jamison and Brereton (2014) The Rigveda, Oxford University Press, p 5 ] in a similar metaphorical sense as ''wine'' is in English, e.g. "the wine of truth", and employed in that manner in Hindu religious literature. For example, the ''
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'', believed to have been composed in the first millennium BCE, contains a chapter called the ''Madhu Brahmana'', and "the secret essence of the
Vedas themselves, was called the ''Madhu-vidya'' or 'honey doctrine'".
Various opinions
There are different opinions surrounding the word ''Madhu''. Some scholars date metaphorical usage of ''madhu'' to a time very close to the initial composition of the Vedas.
Soma
Soma may refer to:
Businesses and brands
* SOMA (architects), a New York–based firm of architects
* Soma (company), a company that designs eco-friendly water filtration systems
* SOMA Fabrications, a builder of bicycle frames and other bicycle ...
, the shared sacred drink of the Indo-Iranians (known as ''haoma'' in Avestan), is often metaphorically referred to as ''madhu'' in the Vedas. However, "the Avesta, which is quite close to the Veda with regard to the terminology of Soma, does not know the equation 'Soma' = 'madhu'."
In Rigveda 8.48.1 and Rigveda 8.48.3, in the book of soma, soma is clearly addressed and explained as madhu.
Usage in names
The derivative form ''Madhur'' is used as a
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
first-name for males and ''Madhu'' is a first-name common among males, although both names can occur for either gender. ''Madhuri'' is a common feminine variant of ''Madhur''.
The word ''madhur'' is a combination of ''madhu'' (honey/sweet) and ''-r/-ra'' (like or similar). Several other names are based on the root ''madhu'', such as ''Madhukar'', ''Madhusudhan'', ''Madhulika'' and ''Madhubala''.
See also
*
Kvasir, a wise being in Norse mythology born from the spit of the gods and from whose blood the Mead of Poetry is crafted
References
{{reflist, 2
Honey
Given names
Historical alcoholic drinks
Sanskrit words and phrases