Vishnu Sahasranama

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शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुं शशिवर्णं चतुर्भुजम्। प्रसन्नवदनं ध्यायेत् सर्वविघ्नोपशान्तये॥

śuklāmbaradharaṃ viṣṇuṃ śaśivarṇaṃ caturbhujam| prasannavadanaṃ dhyāyet sarvavighnopaśāntaye||

यस्य स्मरणमात्रेण जन्मसंसारबन्धनात्। विमुच्यते नमस्तस्मै विष्णवे प्रभविष्णवे॥

yasya smaraṇamātreṇa janmasaṃsārabandhanāt| vimucyate namastasmai viṣṇave prabhaviṣṇave||

ॐ विश्वं विष्णुर्वषट्कारो भूतभव्यभवत्प्रभुः। भूतकृद्भूतभृद्भावो भूतात्मा भूतभावनः॥१॥

oṃ viśvaṃ viṣṇurvaṣaṭkāro bhūtabhavyabhavatprabhuḥ| bhūtakṛdbhūtabhṛdbhāvo bhūtātmā bhūtabhāvanaḥ||1||

Meaning

Om — (1) Vishvam — He who is the universe itself, (2) Vishnuh — He who pervades everything, (3) Vashatkaarah — He for whom the sacrificial exclamation Vashat is made, (4) Bhuta-Bhavya-Bhavat-Prabhuh — The Lord of past, future, and present, (5) Bhutakrit — The creator of all beings, (6) Bhutabhrit — The sustainer of all beings, (7) Bhavah — He who is pure existence, (8) Bhutatma — The soul of all beings, (9) Bhutabhavanah — He who nourishes all beings.

पूतात्मा परमात्मा च मुक्तानां परमा गतिः। अव्ययः पुरुषः साक्षी क्षेत्रज्ञो‌உक्षर एव च॥२॥

pūtātmā paramātmā ca muktānāṃ paramā gatiḥ| avyayaḥ puruṣaḥ sākṣī kṣetrajñoஉkṣara eva ca||2||

योगो योगविदां नेता प्रधानपुरुषेश्वरः। नारसिंहवपुः श्रीमान् केशवः पुरुषोत्तमः॥३॥

yogo yogavidāṃ netā pradhānapuruṣeśvaraḥ| nārasiṃhavapuḥ śrīmān keśavaḥ puruṣottamaḥ||3||

Meaning

(18) Yogah — He who is yoga itself, (19) Yogavidam Neta — The guide of the knowers of yoga, (20) Pradhana-Purusheshvarah — The Lord of Pradhana (primordial matter) and Purusha (soul), (21) Narasimha-Vapuh — He who has the form of Narasimha (man-lion), (22) Shriman — The possessor of Shri (Lakshmi/beauty), (23) Keśavah — Lord of Brahma and Shiva, or He with beautiful hair, (24) Purushottamah — The Supreme Person, the best among all beings.

सर्वः शर्वः शिवः स्थाणुर्भूतादिर्निधिरव्ययः। सम्भवो भावनो भर्ता प्रभवः प्रभुरीश्वरः॥४॥

sarvaḥ śarvaḥ śivaḥ sthāṇurbhūtādirnidhiravyayaḥ| sambhavo bhāvano bhartā prabhavaḥ prabhurīśvaraḥ||4||

Meaning

(25) Sarvah — He who is everything, (26) Sharvah — The destroyer, (27) Shivah — The auspicious one, (28) Sthanuh — The firm and immovable, (29) Bhutadih — The origin of all beings, (30) Nidhih — The treasure in whom all things rest, (31) Avyayah — The imperishable, (32) Sambhavah — He who manifests by his own will, (33) Bhavanah — He who gives existence to all, (34) Bharta — The sustainer of all, (35) Prabhavah — The source of all creation, (36) Prabhuh — The almighty Lord, (37) Ishvarah — The supreme controller.

स्वयम्भूः शम्भुरादित्यः पुष्कराक्षो महास्वनः। अनादिनिधनो धाता विधाता धातुरुत्तमः॥५॥

svayambhūḥ śambhurādityaḥ puṣkarākṣo mahāsvanaḥ| anādinidhano dhātā vidhātā dhāturuttamaḥ||5||

Meaning

(38) Svayambhuh — The self-born, (39) Shambhuh — The bestower of happiness, (40) Adityah — Son of Aditi (as Vamana), (41) Pushkarakshah — The lotus-eyed one, (42) Mahasvanah — He of the great voice (Pranava/Om), (43) Anadi-Nidhanah — He who has no beginning or end, (44) Dhata — The supporter of all, (45) Vidhata — The ordainer of destiny, (46) Dhatur-Uttamah — The subtlest and greatest element.

इतीदं कीर्तनीयस्य केशवस्य महात्मनः। नाम्नां सहस्रं दिव्यानामशेषेण प्रकीर्तितम्॥

itīdaṃ kīrtanīyasya keśavasya mahātmanaḥ| nāmnāṃ sahasraṃ divyānāmaśeṣeṇa prakīrtitam||

य इदं शृणुयान्नित्यं यश्चापि परिकीर्तयेत्। नाशुभं प्राप्नुयात् किञ्चित् सो‌உमुत्रेह च मानवः॥

ya idaṃ śṛṇuyānnityaṃ yaścāpi parikīrtayet| nāśubhaṃ prāpnuyāt kiñcit soஉmutreha ca mānavaḥ||

śuklāmbaradharaṃ viṣṇuṃ śaśivarṇaṃ caturbhujam| prasannavadanaṃ dhyāyet sarvavighnopaśāntaye||

Word by Word

शुक्लाम्बरधर (śuklāmbaradhara) The wearer of white garments

चतुर्भुज (caturbhuja) The four-armed one

yasya smaraṇamātreṇa janmasaṃsārabandhanāt| vimucyate namastasmai viṣṇave prabhaviṣṇave||

Word by Word

स्मरणमात्र (smaraṇamātra) By mere remembrance alone

प्रभविष्णु (prabhaviṣṇu) The supremely powerful Vishnu

oṃ viśvaṃ viṣṇurvaṣaṭkāro bhūtabhavyabhavatprabhuḥ| bhūtakṛdbhūtabhṛdbhāvo bhūtātmā bhūtabhāvanaḥ||1||

Meaning

Word by Word

विश्वम् (viśvam) The universe — He who is the cosmos itself

विष्णु (viṣṇu) The all-pervading — from root 'vish', He who permeates everything

वषट्कार (vaṣaṭkāra) The one for whom the sacred exclamation 'Vashat' is uttered in rituals

pūtātmā paramātmā ca muktānāṃ paramā gatiḥ| avyayaḥ puruṣaḥ sākṣī kṣetrajñoஉkṣara eva ca||2||

Word by Word

परमात्मा (paramātmā) The Supreme Soul — who dwells within all

साक्षी (sākṣī) The witness — He who observes all without being affected

क्षेत्रज्ञ (kṣetrajña) Knower of the field — He who knows the body (as described in the Gita)

yogo yogavidāṃ netā pradhānapuruṣeśvaraḥ| nārasiṃhavapuḥ śrīmān keśavaḥ puruṣottamaḥ||3||

Meaning

Word by Word

नारसिंहवपु (nārasiṃhavapuḥ) The form of Narasimha — the divine half-man, half-lion incarnation

पुरुषोत्तम (puruṣottama) The Supreme Person — the best among all beings, as described in Gita 15.18

sarvaḥ śarvaḥ śivaḥ sthāṇurbhūtādirnidhiravyayaḥ| sambhavo bhāvano bhartā prabhavaḥ prabhurīśvaraḥ||4||

Meaning

Word by Word

शिव (śiva) The auspicious one — Vishnu is also called Shiva (the beneficent)

ईश्वर (īśvara) The supreme controller — the Lord of all creation

svayambhūḥ śambhurādityaḥ puṣkarākṣo mahāsvanaḥ| anādinidhano dhātā vidhātā dhāturuttamaḥ||5||

Meaning

Word by Word

स्वयम्भू (svayambhū) Self-born — He who is not created by any other cause

पुष्कराक्ष (puṣkarākṣa) Lotus-eyed — He whose eyes are as beautiful as lotus flowers

itīdaṃ kīrtanīyasya keśavasya mahātmanaḥ| nāmnāṃ sahasraṃ divyānāmaśeṣeṇa prakīrtitam||

Word by Word

कीर्तनीय (kīrtanīya) Worthy of being praised — He whose glories deserve to be sung

सहस्र (sahasra) A thousand — here referring to the thousand names of the Lord

ya idaṃ śṛṇuyānnityaṃ yaścāpi parikīrtayet| nāśubhaṃ prāpnuyāt kiñcit soஉmutreha ca mānavaḥ||

Word by Word

अशुभ (aśubha) Inauspiciousness — misfortune, evil

अमुत्र (amutra) In the other world — in the afterlife

Introduction

The Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram is a sacred hymn containing one thousand divine names of Lord Vishnu. It appears in the Anushasana Parva (Book of Instructions) of the Mahabharata. After the great war of Kurukshetra, when Bhishma Pitamah lay on his bed of arrows awaiting death, Yudhishthira approached him and asked what the supreme dharma is and by praising whom a person can attain liberation. In response, Bhishma recited these thousand names of Lord Vishnu.

This is one of the most revered and widely recited hymns in Hinduism. Great acharyas including Adi Shankaracharya, Parashara Bhatta, and others have written extensive commentaries on it.

Significance

The recitation of Vishnu Sahasranama is believed to destroy all sins, fulfill desires, and ultimately grant liberation (moksha). The Phala Shruti (section on benefits) states that one who recites these thousand names daily with devotion attains happiness in this world and liberation in the next. Each name describes a divine quality, deed, or aspect of Lord Vishnu’s supreme nature.

How to Recite

This stotram should ideally be recited every morning after a bath.
Always begin with the Dhyana Shlokas (meditation verses) before the main recitation.
Recitation on Ekadashi (the 11th day of the lunar fortnight) is considered especially meritorious.
Begin by chanting “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya” on a Tulsi mala.
Always conclude by reading the Phala Shruti (section on benefits).

Meanings are compiled and edited by the Ved Path team, and are being progressively reviewed for accuracy.

Vishnu Sahasranama

Introduction

Significance

How to Recite

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Mantras

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Mantra

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