Madhusudana (madhusūdana)

Madhusudana means slayer of Madhu, a demon born with his brother Kaitabha from the sleep of Vishnu at the beginning of a cosmic cycle. It is one of the oldest and most theological of Krishna's names, reaching past his human life to the god who orders creation before creation begins. Arjuna uses it in the Gita when he wants to remind his cousin that killing enemies is what he does, and the irony is not lost on either of them.