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Vishnu Sahasranam is one
of the most sacred and chanted stotra by Hindus. Recited daily by many
Vaishnavites, devotees of Lord Vishnu, Vishnu Sahasranama
contains a list of thousand name of Lord
Vishnu, a premier Hindu deity (the other two in trilogy are Shiva
and Brahma). Just as Bhagavad
Gita, Vishnu Sahasranam is also
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 108 shlokas in Anushtup
chhanda (a meter of poetry).
Vishnu Sahasranama is another masterpiece
from Sage Vyasa, an extraordinary Sanskrit scholar and
author of many timeless classics such as
Mahabharata,
Bhagavad Gita,
Puranas and various Stotras.
Vishnu Sahasranam has been the subject of numerous commentaries, the
most popular being one written by Adi Shankaracharya.
In Sanskrit, 'sahasra' means 'a
thousand' and 'nāma' means 'name'. The compound 'Sahasranam' (or
'Sahasranama') may be translated as 'having thousand names'. Thus,
Vishnu Sahasranama literally means Lord Vishnu with thousand names or
thousand names of Lord Vishnu. In modern Hindi, it is pronounced as
Sahasranām while in South Indian languages, it is pronounced as
Sahasranāmam. There are Sahasranāma for major forms of God
(Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, and others), but Vishnu Sahasranāma is most
popular among common people. The other Sahasranamas are recited mostly
in temples or by learned and scholars.
It is
interesting to know the history behind Vishnu Sahasranama. On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Bhisma
- the great grandfather of Kauravas and Pandavas was lying on his
deathbed. With Bhishma's death, an era of great wisdom and knowledge was
about to come to an end. There for, Lord Krishna advised Yudhisthir to
seek Bhishma's counsel on any and all aspects of life. The dialogue,
which was witnessed by Sage Vyasa and Lord Krishna as well, reflects
essence of Bhishma's life. During the dialogue, in response to Yudhisthir's
questions such as Who is the ultimate Supreme reality of the creation; by worshipping whom a man attains salvation; and what is the easiest
way by which mankind can
get everlasting happiness, eternal peace and become free from misery and
sorrow, Bhishma mentioned thousand names of Lord Vishnu.
Recitation of God's glories eradicates
evil in us and gives us a chance to reconnect with the divine within.
Sahasranam Mahatmyam
aptly illustrate the
Benefits of
Sahasranama's recital:
"That man who hears or recites the
names every day, never meets with any evil either here or hereafter. If
a Brahman does this he succeeds in mastering the Vedanta; if a Kshatriya
does it, he becomes always successful in battle. A Vaisya, by doing it,
becomes possessed of affluence, while a Sudra earns great happiness."
"That man who with devotion and
perseverance recites these names wholeheartedly every day, after having
purified himself, succeeds in acquiring great fame, a position of
eminence among his kinsmen, enduring prosperity, and emancipation. Such
a man never meets with fear at any time, and acquires great prowess and
energy. Disease never afflicts him; splendor of complexion, strength,
beauty, and accomplishments become his. The sick become hale, the
afflicted become freed from their afflictions; the affrighted become
freed from fear, and he that is plunged in calamity becomes freed from
calamity."
"That man who with devotion and faith
recites this hymn succeeds in acquiring felicity of soul, forgiveness of
disposition, Prosperity, intelligence, memory, and fame. Neither wrath,
nor jealousy, nor cupidity, nor evil understanding ever appears in those
men of righteousness."
It is true that the charm and magnetism of this Stotra
can only be felt completely in Sanskrit, but
not many people
study it these days. For Gujarati people,
Shri Yogeshwarji
translated this stotra in poem form in 1953. It was
later published in a book form during sixties. Thereafter due to popular
demand, it has been reprinted more than six times.
Here, we have presented Vishnu
Sahasranama verses in Sanskrit text along with its Gujarati
translation for easy reference. For those interested in daily recital,
mp3 audio as well as e-book (PDF) format will prove useful.
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Explore verses of Vishnu Sahasranam
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