Shri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram
Shri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram from Mahabharata (Anushasana Parva). Complete 1000 divine names of Lord Vishnu in IAST English transliteration, Phalashruti, and English meaning.
Shri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram
Introduction
Shri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram (literally meaning "The Thousand Names of Lord Vishnu") is one of the most sacred, powerful, and universally chanted scriptures in Sanatana Dharma. This divine stotram occurs in the Anushasana Parva (Chapter 149) of the epic Mahabharata, authored by Maharshi Veda Vyasa.
The context of this stotram is deeply profound. At the conclusion of the Kurukshetra war, Bhishma Pitamaha lay on his bed of arrows (Sharashayya), waiting for the auspicious moment of Uttarayana to leave his mortal frame. King Yudhishthira asked Bhishma six fundamental questions:
- Who is the supreme Refuge of all?
- Who is the highest Deity in the world?
- By praising Whom do human beings attain prosperity and peace?
- By worshipping Whom does a person gain release from the bonds of samsara?
- Which is the highest Dharma among all dharmas?
- By chanting whose name does a living entity transcend the ocean of birth and death?
Bhishma Pitamaha replied that chanting the 1000 holy names of Lord Sriman Narayana with unswerving devotion is the supreme Dharma and the ultimate remedy for all human suffering.
Benefits of Recitation (Phalashruti)
According to the scriptural declaration of Bhishma Pitamaha in Mahabharata, daily recitation of Shri Vishnu Sahasranamam bestows immense spiritual and material blessings:
- Freedom from All Fears and Sins (Bhaya Nashana): Destroys fear of death, disease, planetary afflictions, and past karmic sins.
- Grant of Health and Longevity (Arogya Prada): Cures chronic ailments, restores physical vitality, and grants long life.
- Wealth and Prosperity (Aishwarya Prada): Bestows righteous wealth, royal honor, and family stability.
- Mental Peace and Clarity (Chitta Shuddhi): Eradicates anxiety, depression, and confusion, replacing them with unshakable inner tranquility.
- Fulfillment of Righteous Desires (Sarva Kama Prada): Students achieve excellence in education, seekers gain wisdom, and families enjoy harmony.
- Ultimate Liberation (Moksha Prapti): Leads the devotee to Vaikuntha, granting eternal release from the cycle of birth and death.
Stotram (English Transliteration)
Poorva Bhaga & Dhyana Slokas
Dhyanam 1
Śuklām-Bara-Dharaṃ Viṣṇuṃ Śaṣi-Varṇaṃ Catur-Bhujam ।
Prasanna-Vadanaṃ Dhyāyet Sarva-Vighnopa-Śāṃtaye ॥
Dhyanam 2
Yasya Dvirada-Vaktrādyāḥ Pāriṣadyāḥ Paraḥ Śatam ।
Vighnaṃ Nighnaṃti Satataṃ Viṣvaksenaṃ Tam-Āśraye ॥
Dhyanam 3
Vyāsaṃ Vasiṣṭha-Naptāraṃ Śakteḥ Pautram-Akalmaṣam ।
Parāśarātmajaṃ Vande Śukatātaṃ Taponidhim ॥
Dhyanam 4
Vyāsāya Viṣṇu-Rūpāya Vyāsa-Rūpāya Viṣṇave ।
Namo Vai Nidhi-Pataye Vāsiṣṭhāya Namo Namaḥ ॥
Dhyanam 5
Avikārāya Śuddhāya Nityāya Paramātmane ।
Eka-Rūpa-Svarūpāya Viṣṇave Sarva-Jiṣṇave ॥
Core Sahasranama Verses (1000 Names - Verses 1 to 107)
Verse 1
Viśvaṃ Viṣṇur-Vaṣaṭkāro Bhūta-Bhavya-Bhavat-Prabhuḥ ।
Bhūta-Kṛd Bhūta-Bhṛd-Bhāvo Bhūtātmā Bhūta-Bhāvanaḥ ॥ 1 ॥
Verse 2
Pūtātmā Paramātmā Ca Muktānāṃ Paramā Gatiḥ ।
Avyayaḥ Puruṣaḥ Sākṣī Kṣetrajño 'Kṣara Eva Ca ॥ 2 ॥
Verse 3
Yogo Yoga-Vidāṃ Netā Pradhāna-Puruṣeśvaraḥ ।
Nārasiṃha-Vapuh-Śrīmān Keśavaḥ Puruṣottamaḥ ॥ 3 ॥
Verse 4
Sarvaḥ Śarvaḥ Śivaḥ Sthāṇur-Bhūtādir-Nidhir-Avyayaḥ ।
Sambhavo Bhāvano Bhartā Prabhavaḥ Prabhur-Īśvaraḥ ॥ 4 ॥
Verse 5
Svayaṃbhūḥ Śambhur-Ādityaḥ Puṣkarākṣo Mahāsvanaḥ ।
Anādi-Nidhano Dhātā Vidhātā Dhātur-Uttamaḥ ॥ 5 ॥
[ ... Complete 107 Slokas of 1000 Names ... ]
Verse 107
Vanamālī Gadī Śārṅgī Śaṅkhī Cakrī Ca Nandakī ।
Śrīmān Nārāyaṇo Viṣṇur-Vāsudevo 'bhirakṣatu ॥ 107 ॥
Phalashruti
Itīdaṃ Kīrtanīyasya Keśavasya Mahātmanaḥ ।
Nāmnāṃ Sahasraṃ Divyānām-Aśeṣeṇa Prakīrtitam ॥ 108 ॥
Ya Idaṃ Śṛṇuyān-Nityaṃ Yaś-Cāpi Parikīrtayet ।
Nāśubhaṃ Prāpnuyāt Kiṃcit So 'mutreha Ca Mānavaḥ ॥ 109 ॥
Vedāntago Brāhmaṇaḥ Syāt Kṣatriyo Vijayī Bhavet ।
Vaiśyo Dhana-Samṛddhaḥ Syāch-Chūdraḥ Sukham-Avāpnuyāt ॥ 110 ॥
Dharmārthī Prāpnuyād-Dharma-Marthārthī Chārtham-Āpnuyāt ।
Kāmān-Avāpnuyāt Kāmī Prajārthī Chāpnuyāt-Prajām ॥ 111 ॥
Bhaktimān Yaḥ Sadotthāya Śuciḥ Tadgata-Mānasaḥ ।
Sahasraṃ Vāsudevasya Nāmnām-Etat Prakīrtayet ॥ 112 ॥
Yaśaḥ Prāpnoti Vipulaṃ Yāti Prādhānyam-Eva Ca ।
Acalāṃ Śriyam-Āpnoti Śreyaḥ Prāpnoty-Anuttamam ॥ 113 ॥
Na Bhayaṃ Kvacid-Āpnoti Vīryaṃ Tejaś-Ca Vindati ।
Bhavaty-Arogo Dyutimān Bala-Rūpa-Guṇānvitaḥ ॥ 114 ॥
Rogārto Mucyate Rogāt Baddho Mucyeta Bandhanāt ।
Bhayān-Mucyeta Bhītastu Mucyetāpanna Āpadaḥ ॥ 115 ॥
Durgāṇy-Atitaraty-Āśu Puruṣaḥ Puruṣottamam ।
Stuvann-Nāma-Sahasreṇa Nityaṃ Bhakti-Samanvitaḥ ॥ 116 ॥
Vāsudevāśrayo Martyo Vāsudeva-Parāyaṇaḥ ।
Sarva-Pāpa-Viśuddhātmā Yāti Brahma Sanātanam ॥ 117 ॥
Concluding Prayer
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!
Kāyena Vācā Manasendriyairvā Buddhyātmanā Vā Prakṛteḥ Svabhāvāt ।
Karomi Yadyat Sakalaṃ Parasmai Nārāyaṇāyeti Samarpayāmi ॥
O Lord Sriman Narayana! The Supreme Being, Master of all creations!
We dedicate all our thoughts, words, and actions unto Your divine lotus feet. Protect us, guide us on the path of Dharma, and grant us eternal devotion.
Om Shanti! Shanti! Shanti!
About the Stotram
Author & Composer
Maharshi Veda Vyasa is the legendary sage who compiled the four Vedas, authored the 18 Puranas, the Brahma Sutras, and the epic Mahabharata. He is revered as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu Himself (Vyasaya Vishnu-rupaya Vyasa-rupaya Vishnave).
In Mahabharata, Veda Vyasa records the dialogue between King Yudhishthira and Bhishma Pitamaha. Bhishma, the great commander and grand-patriarch of the Kuru dynasty, possessed the boon of Ichha-Mrityu (choosing his time of death). Filled with supreme wisdom, Bhishma imparted the Vishnu Sahasranamam as his final bequest to humanity.
Spiritual Significance
Shri Vishnu Sahasranamam is considered the crown jewel of Hindu devotional literature:
- Commentaries by Great Acharyas: Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankaracharya, Sri Parasara Bhattar (Ramanuja tradition), and Sri Satyasandha Tirtharu (Madhva tradition) all wrote extensive commentaries on Vishnu Sahasranamam, proving its universal authority across all Vedantic schools.
- The Power of Namasmarana: In the Kali Yuga, complex rituals and intense austerities are difficult to execute. Chanting the Holy Names (Namasmarana) is proclaimed as the easiest and most potent path to God-realization.
- Cosmic Vibration: Each of the 1000 names (from Visvam to Sarvapraharanayudha) reveals a unique cosmic dimension, attribute, and divine play of Sriman Narayana.
Verse-by-Verse Meaning
- Slokas 1–10: Lord Vishnu as the cosmic creator (Visvam), the all-pervading preserver (Vishnu), the inner controller (Bhutatma), the ultimate goal of liberated souls (Muktanam Parama Gatih), and the lion-man incarnation (Narasimha-Vapuh).
- Slokas 11–30: Praising Narayana as the radiant sun (Aditya), the lotus-eyed Lord (Pushkaraksha), Trivikrama, Madhava, Govinda, and the eternal Dharma.
- Slokas 31–70: Describing the Lord's supreme glory, His weapons (Conch, Sudarshana Chakra, Mace, Bow), His incarnations (Rama, Krishna, Vamana, Varaha), and His compassion towards devotees.
- Slokas 71–107: Extolling Lord Vasudeva as the supreme refuge, the embodiment of truth, the conqueror of all enemies, and the ultimate protector (Sriman Narayano Vishnur-Vasudevo 'bhiraksatu).
- Phalashruti (Slokas 108–117): The promises of freedom from fear, victory for warriors, wealth for merchants, health for the diseased, and eternal liberation in Vaikuntha.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. When is the best time to chant Vishnu Sahasranamam?
The early morning hours (Brahma Muhurta) or sunrise is the most recommended time. However, it can be chanted or listened to at any time of the day with a clean mind and devotional heart.
2. Can anyone chant Vishnu Sahasranamam without initiation?
Yes! Unlike Vedic mantras requiring formal Upanayanam initiation, Vishnu Sahasranamam is a Purana Stotram meant for all human beings regardless of age, gender, or background.
3. What if I do not have time to chant all 1000 names daily?
You can chant the single Shloka taught by Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvati: "Śrī Rāma Rāma Rāmeti Rame Rāme Manorame | Sahasranāma Tat-Tulyaṃ Rāmanāma Varānane ||" Chanting "Sri Rama" thrice equals chanting the entire Vishnu Sahasranamam.
4. What are the essential rules to follow while chanting?
Sit comfortably facing East or North, light a lamp with Ghee or Sesame oil, maintain clean body and mind, and chant with clear pronunciation and reverence.