Vishnu Sahasranama

Vishnu Sahasranama is one of the most sacred and chanted stotras by both Vaishnavites and Saivites,
devotees of Lord Vishnu. Vishnu Sahasranama contains thousand holy names of Lord Vishnu. Just as
Bhagavad Gita, this is also a part and parcel of Mahabharat. It is found in the Anushasana parva,section
149, verses 14 to 120. The Sahasranama (apart from the initial and concluding prayers) has a total of
107 shlokas in Anushtup Chhanda (a quatrain of four lines, each line with eight syllables).

Vishnu Sahasranama is another masterpiece from sage Vedavyasa, the extraordinary Sanskrit scholar
and author of many timeless classics such as Mahabharat, Bhagavad Gita, Puranas and various stotras.
Recitation of God’s glories eradicates the evil in us and gives us a chance to reconnect with the Divine
within. Any person who, with devotion and perseverance recites these names wholeheartedly every
day, after having purified himself, succeeds in acquiring great fame, a position of eminence, enduring
prosperity and emancipation.

How Vishnu Sahasranama was revealed

Yudishtira, the eldest of the five Pandavas, was mentally depleted because of the war with the 100
Kauravas and the misery of death and suffering resulting from the war in which he had been a major
player. His dear grandfather, Bheeshma, who was acknowledged to be one of the twelve most know-
ledgeable people (the other eleven being, Brahma, Narada,Shiva, Subramanya, Kapila, Manu,
Prahlada,Janaka, Bali, Suka and Yama), was lying in his deathbed. Sage Vyasa and Shri Krishna advised
Yudishtira, who himself was an epitome of righteousness and virtue, to seek the advice of Bheeshma.

Yudishtra asks Bheeshma: “Given my despair and sorrowful state of mind, I want to expend the least
effort and get the most benefit out of it, viz., Relief from my despair. Please tell me the means for this.”
And Bheeshma’s response is “Chant the thousand holy names of Lord Krishna with devotion. This does
not require any effort other than the willingness to chant. This is the best way to get relief from all
miseries, sorrows and sins”. This was the setting in which Shree Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram was
imparted, with the welfare of future generations also in mind, by Bheeshma to Yudishtira as part of his
advice. Before leaving his mortal body, Bheeshma gives an elaborate discourse to Yudishtira on various
aspects of life and Dharma. After listening to everything, Yudishtira wants to know if there is any one
thing through which one can achieve all and Bheeshma prescribes the Vishnu Sahasranama stotra.

Introduction

God is one; but He is described in many ways. Just as the rain water eventually reaches the ocean, even
so salutations offered to any Deity reaches Lord Keshava, i.e. Vishnu. This is the essence of the following
shloka:

“Aakashaat patitam toyam, yatha gatchati saagaram

Sarva deva namaskaarah Keshavam pratigatchati”
The distinctive feature of Vishnu Sahasranama is the adoration of that supreme Deity, the light that
lights up all existence, the Inner Ruler Immortal, Who terminates the bondage of Karma by imparting
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knowledge. In the one thousand holy names, there are to be found many that are familiarly associated
with one or the other member of the Trinity, as well as with those of other aspects or incarnations of
the Godhead.

There are two forms of adoration of the Divine – Japa and Stotra. Japa is the silent repetition generally
of a single divine name or of a Mantra which may also be a long formula. The stotra, however, is
invariably uttered aloud, and it may consist of chanting verses conveying the glory and attributes of the
Divine.

According to the Vedic tradition, there is only one manifesting sound (shabda) indicative of the Supreme
Being (Para-Brahman), and that is called “Om”; as far as the human ears could capture it. Sahasranama
is perhaps is the most extensive elaboration of the Divine name. The Infinite is one and it can only be
one. Its manifestation is the world of plurality with its endless varieties of names and forms. Just as all
forms that have been created from gold are also gold, so too the world of forms can only be His own
manifestations. The finite alone can readily be comprehended by the sense-organs, the mind and the
intellect of man, at his present “state” of Consciousness.

The great Rishis who intimately experienced the great Reality behind the universe, explained it to their
disciples through some sort of indications, pointing out the Infinite. Each one of them is a Glory of the
Lord, which is considered in religion as a “sacred name” of the Lord. Briefly speaking, these “Thousand
names of Vishnu” provide us with thousand clear arrow-marks rising from the known, indicting the
unknown. Contemplation upon these can deepen our faith in, broaden our devotion to and strengthen
our understanding of the All-pervading Reality (Vishnu).

The Supreme is described as that from which the whole world of names and forms had risen in the
beginning of creation, that in which the world continues to exist, that into which alone the world can
merge back during the “Dissolution” (Pralaya); this Supreme is VISHNU.

The Supreme cannot be defined; He is beyond both the “known” and the “Unknown”. He is the very
illumining principle of Consciousness that illuminates all experiences. Thus the Vishnu Sahasranama is
employed not only by the devotees in the soulful attitude of “sporting with the Lord”, but also by the
contemplative students of philosophy, as gliders to road in the realms of inspired Higher Consciousness.

The Prolog

In the introductory part of the Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram, Yudishtira asks Bheeshma six questions,
related to how mankind can attain happiness. These are contained in two stanzas given below:
1. Who is the One (Supreme) Deity? (kim ekam daivatam loke)
2. What is the highest goal of life ? (kim vapyekam paraayanam)
3 & 4. By worshipping whom and by meditating on which deity, will human beings attain prosperity
and bliss ? (Stuvantah kamarchantah propnuyur Maanavaah shubham)
5. By meditating on which Deity will human beings attain prosperity and bliss? (ko dharmah sarva
Dharmaanaam bhavatah paramo matah)
6. By reciting which mantra will man be released from the bondage of the cycle of birth and
death?
(kim japan muchyate jantur janma samsara bandhanaat)
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The questions are:

Of the three means referred to above (i.e, recitation, praise or archana and meditation, which is the
best means for attaining the grace of the Supreme Deity based on your vast experience and knowledge?

Bheeshma’s response to the above questions follows in the next ten stanzas. In his considered opinion, a
person tides over all the sorrows in this world by reciting with undiluted devotion the, thousand names
of the Eternal Person, worshiping Him always with devotion meditating upon Him, glorifying Him,
saluting Him by prostrating before Him and adoring Him (dhyayan,stuvan,namasyamscha, yajamanas
tamave cha).

The Benefits and Importance of Chanting

Traditionally our prayers end with a phala shruthi – a section on the benefits of reciting the prayer. The
Vishnu Sahasranama is no exception. The necessity of cleaning our body regularly to maintain our
physical hygiene and good health is recognized by everyone. But perhaps because we do not ‘see’ our
mind the same way as we see our body (i.e., as an external visible entity), the necessity of keeping our
minds clean is not as clearly recognized. However, those who do not ‘cleanse’ their mind on a regular
basis become ‘mentally’ sick over a period of time, just as they become physically sick if they do not
cleanse their body on a regular basis. Prayers are a means to mental cleansing when they are chanted
with sincerity and devotion. This aspect of the usefulness of prayers in every one’s life is common to all
prayers.

The importance of Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram is that the deity being worshiped is none other than
Vasudeva (shree maha vishnuh paramaatma shreeman narayano devata; shaktih devakee nandanah;
itidam kirtaniyasya keshavasya mahatmanah namnam sahasram divyanam asheshena prakirtitam;
sahasram vaasudevasya namnam etat prakirtayet,etc.) Shri Vyasa points out that it is by the power and
command of Vaudeva that the sun, the moon, the stars, the world, and the oceans are controlled (sa
chandrarka nakshatra kham diso bhur mahodadhih vaasudevasya viryena vidhrtani mahatmanah). The
whole universe of the Gods, Asuras, Gandharvas, etc., is under the sway of Lord Krishna (sasurasura
gandharvam…..). In Bheeshma’s expert judgment, chanting Vasudeva’s name with devotion and
sincerity will ensure relief from sorrows and bondage. This in a nutshell is the phala shruti or the
benefit of chanting Shree Vishnu Sahasranama.

Perhaps the most important of the benefits attained by one who chants the Stotram with devotion
and sincerity is the cleansing of one’s mind from all evil thoughts, and this is a very important and
desirable benefit since this is the first step towards achieving pure happiness and absolute bliss.
Firmness of mind, good memory, happiness of the self (inner happiness), and freedom from anger
jealousy and greed are some of the benefits that accrue to one who recites the Stotram with devotion
and eagerness. The key is the sincerity of purpose and devotion.

OM Namo Narayana