As a deity name
Name 286 of the Rama Sahasranāma — Padma Purana / Skanda Purana, as taught by Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvati
Name 73 of the Surya Sahasranāma — Bhavishya Purana, as taught by Lord Brahma / Sages
Name 243 of the Vishnu Sahasranāma — Mahabharata (Anushasana Parva), as taught by Bhishma to Yudhishthira on his deathbed
As a Hindi name
साधु · noun · masculine
वह जिसका जन्म उत्तम कुल में हुआ हो । कुलीन । आर्य · वह धार्मीक, परोपकारी और सदगुणी पुरुष जो सत्योपदेश द्वारा दूसरों का उपकार करे । धार्मिक पुरुष । परमार्थी । महात्मा । संत · वह जो शांत, सुशील, सदाचारी, वीतराग और परोपकारी हो । भला आदमी । सज्जन — Śabdasāgara
साधु · adj
अच्छा । उत्तम । भला · सच्चा · प्रशंसनीय — Śabdasāgara
साधु · masculine
a sadhu; monk
Platts (p. 623) also records: (f. -vī), Perfect, excellent, good, eminent; virtuous, honourable, righteous, pious, holy, pure, benevolent
a Hindi word, a tatsama: the Sanskrit word borrowed unchanged into Hindi साधु — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
“Borrowed from Sanskrit साधु (sādhú).” — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
sādhu mf(vī)n. straight, right, RV.; AV.; BhP.
leading straight to a goal, hitting the mark, unerring (as an arrow or thunderbolt), RV.; ŚBr.
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
powerful, excellent, good for (loc.) or towards (loc. gen., dat. acc., with prati, anu, abhi, pari, or comp.), &c. &c.
Scripturally attested Verified derivationMultiple readings (5)Why this matches what you typed
The spelling you confirmed, साधु, is itself a dictionary headword — no grammatical transformation stands between what you typed and the meaning above.
Gender counterpart
The kosha attests this stem in the feminine, the masculine, and the neuter — the same name serves without alteration.
Dictionary citations
sādhu mf(vī)n. straight, right, RV.; AV.; BhP.
leading straight to a goal, hitting the mark, unerring (as an arrow or thunderbolt), RV.; ŚBr.
straightened, not entangled (as threads), Kauś.
well-disposed, kind, willing, obedient, RV.; R.
successful, effective, efficient (as a hymn or prayer), RV.; Kām.
Alternative readings
More than one analysis survives full verification. That ambiguity is real, so we show every reading rather than pick one silently.
Caveats
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