The Glorious Vishnu Sahasranaam

In this blog post, you will learn about the history of Vishnu Sahasranaam and the significance of this Stotram.

The short but intense study period was over. Adi Shankaracharya was raring to go out into the world to fulfill his life’s mission of reviving and strengthening Sanatan Dharma. He approached his Guru, Sri Govindapadacharya, for blessings. Govindapadacharya had one last practice task left for his disciple. He ordered Shankara to write a detailed commentary (Bhashya) upon the Vishnu Sahasranaam. At his Guru’s command, Shankaracharya began writing and produced the commentary within a week. Govindapadacharya beamed with pride, for he knew Shankara was ready to go out into the world and face any obstacles that would come his way.

For thousands of years, people in Bharatvarsh have begun their day with the melodious chant of Vishnu Sahasranaam—the sacred names of Sri Vishnu.

In the Padma Puran, Uttara-Khand, Lord Vishnu speaks to Narad Muni:

“Naham vasami vaikunthe yoginam hridaye na cha |

Mad-bhakta yatra gayanti tatra tishthami Narada | | ”

(O Narad, I dwell neither in Vaikunth nor the yogins' hearts. I dwell where my devotees sing my names.)

Beginnings and the First Recitation

The Vishnu Sahasranaam appears in the Anushasan Parv of the Mahabharat written by Muni Ved Vyas.

The legend goes that Bhishm, the grandsire of the Kuru clan, lay on a bed of arrows on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, awaiting his death. He was constantly meditating on Sri Krishna. At this time, Sri Krishna instructed Yudhishthir, the eldest Pandav, to seek spiritual initiation from Bhishma. Yudhishthir requested Bhishm to enlighten him about the Supreme Lord of the world. In response, Bhishm declared that the purest, most auspicious Being, the chief among the Gods and the eternal father, is the One who is Supreme—Sri Vishnu. Bhishm then sang the glories of Sri Vishnu as his divine names—the Vishnu Sahasranaam. Engrossed in Pitamah Bhishm’s words, the Pandavas forgot to record the Stotram. Later, when Yudhishthir asked his brothers, none could remember the shlokas. In a panic, the Pandavas looked at Sri Krishna for a solution. Sri Krishna replied that in the entire cosmos, only one being could grant the Pandavas the ability to remember and recite the Vishnu Sahasranaam. That was Mahadev. Wasting no time, Sahadev, the youngest Pandav brother, took his sphatik mala, a japa mala with crystal beads, and prayed to Lord Shiv. Sphatik can capture sound in a calm environment. Therefore, with the dhyan of Mahadev, Sahadev gradually recited the entire Sahasranaam just as Pitamaha Bhishm had spoken it.

The Kurma Purana considers Mahabharat superior to all scriptures (Dharma Shastras). 

Within the Mahabharat are two important texts, Srimad Bhagavad Gita and Vishnu Sahasranaam that people learn and recite regularly. In fact, it is said that Bhagavad Gita is the root of the Tree while Vishnu Sahasranaam is the fruit.

Structure of Vishnu Sahasranaam

Sri Vishnu Sahasranaam consists of three parts: Purva bhag (the first part), Stotra bhag and Uttar bhag, or the concluding part.

From the 107 couplets of the Stotra Bhag, the 1000 sacred namas (names) of  Sri Vishnu have been derived.

In addition to these three parts, Vishnu Sahasranaam also contains seven Dhyan verses, which help the devotees visualise and meditate upon Lord Vishnu’s form.

Better Visualisation and Self Purification

Vishnu Sahasranaam brims with beautiful descriptions of Sri Vishnu’s physical and other attributes. Chanting or listening to the stotram allows our mind’s eye to imagine, capture, hold, and adore the grandeur of the divine. 

Scriptures mention that in Kali Yug, the only means of attaining liberation is by chanting divine’s sacred names. Chanting purifies and calms the mind and helps us adopt the essential values of  truth, love, peace, good conduct, and non-violence in our lives. 

Depth of Meaning in Each Name

Sri Vishnu is the most auspicious form of Brahman. He is invoked during auspicious occasions (wedding and naming ceremonies) and while performing funeral rites. We pray to Lord Vishnu at the beginning of a yagna, and at the end of rituals the effects are surrendered to him.

There is such depth in the Vishnu Sahasranaam that each name can have a hundred different meanings.

The Power of a Sahasranaam

A sahasranaam, or the glories of the divine, is a powerful tool and strategy developed by ancient sages to describe the infinite and limitless Supreme Brahman.

In his commentary about Vishnu Sahasranaam, Swami Chinmayananada says,

“These ‘Thousand names of Vishnu’ provide us with a thousand clear arrow marks arising from the known, indicating the unknown. Contemplation upon these deepen our faith in, broaden our devotion to, and steel our understanding of the all-pervading  Reality (Vishnu).”

(Swami Chinmayananda: Vishnu Sahasranama, Chinmaya Prakashan 2024, p. i)

In the Phalashruti (benediction) of Sri Vishnu Sahasranaam Sri Krishna tells Arjun, “If someone wants to worship me by reciting the Sahasranaam but is able to utter only one Shloka (out of the hundred and seven) I, without a doubt, still consider that worship equivalent to the chanting of the full Sahasranaam”

The joy of any sadhana increases manifold when we are able to connect with the deity. Vishnu Sahasranaam helps a devotee visualise the form of Lord Vishnu and immerse in His devotion. 

Om Namo Narayanaya