मनन Manana · ReflectStep 4 of /18
Viṣṇu Sahasranāma · Ślokas 1–10
Names 1–94
Listen to the chant, and read the meaning under each verse. A narrated version is on its way.
Śloka 1 · The universe and its pervader
Śloka 1
विश्वं विष्णुर्वषट्कारो भूतभव्यभवत्प्रभुः ।
भूतकृद्भूतभृद्भावो भूतात्मा भूतभावनः ॥
viśvaṃ viṣṇur vaṣaṭkāro bhūtabhavyabhavatprabhuḥ |
bhūtakṛd bhūtabhṛd bhāvo bhūtātmā bhūtabhāvanaḥ ||
Meaning
Viśvam: he is the whole universe, its cause, and the one who enters it; nothing is apart from him. Viṣṇu: the one who pervades everything, unlimited by space and time. Vaṣaṭkāra: he for whom the sacred call vaṣaṭ is offered in sacrifice. Bhūta-bhavya-bhavat-prabhu: Lord of past, future and present. Bhūtakṛt: he creates beings, and at the end draws them back. Bhūtabhṛt: he sustains and protects them. Bhāva: pure existence itself. Bhūtātmā: the inner ruler, the Self of every being. Bhūtabhāvana: he brings beings forth and nourishes them.
Word by word
Words joined in recitation are shown split. Where sounds change at the joins, the dictionary form is given under the word.
Śloka 2 · The pure Self, the witness
Śloka 2
पूतात्मा परमात्मा च मुक्तानां परमा गतिः ।
अव्ययः पुरुषः साक्षी क्षेत्रज्ञोऽक्षर एव च ॥
pūtātmā paramātmā ca muktānāṃ paramā gatiḥ |
avyayaḥ puruṣaḥ sākṣī kṣetrajño 'kṣara eva ca ||
Meaning
Pūtātmā: the pure Self, untouched by the qualities he takes on by his own will. Paramātmā: the Supreme Self, beyond cause and effect, ever free. Muktānāṃ paramā gatiḥ: the highest goal of the liberated; whoever reaches him is not born again. Avyaya: he never decays. Puruṣa: he who dwells in the city of the body, and who existed before all. Sākṣī: the witness who sees everything directly, with no veil between. Kṣetrajña: the knower of the field, the body. Akṣara: the imperishable; the word eva, Śaṅkara says, shows that the knower and the imperishable are one.
Word by word
Śloka 3 · Lord of yoga, the highest Person
Śloka 3
योगो योगविदां नेता प्रधानपुरुषेश्वरः ।
नारसिंहवपुः श्रीमान् केशवः पुरुषोत्तमः ॥
yogo yogavidāṃ netā pradhānapuruṣeśvaraḥ |
nārasiṃhavapuḥ śrīmān keśavaḥ puruṣottamaḥ ||
Meaning
Yoga: he is union itself, reached by stilling the senses and the mind. Yogavidāṃ netā: leader of those who know yoga; he looks after their needs, as the Gītā promises. Pradhāna-puruṣeśvara: Lord of nature and of the individual soul. Nārasiṃhavapu: whose form is part man, part lion. Śrīmān: on whose chest Lakṣmī always dwells. Keśava: the one with beautiful hair, Śaṅkara says; or the one who holds Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva under his sway; or the slayer of the demon Keśī. Puruṣottama: the highest Person, beyond the perishable and the imperishable.
Word by word
Śloka 4 · The all, source and support
Śloka 4
सर्वः शर्वः शिवः स्थाणुर्भूतादिर्निधिरव्ययः ।
सम्भवो भावनो भर्ता प्रभवः प्रभुरीश्वरः ॥
sarvaḥ śarvaḥ śivaḥ sthāṇur bhūtādir nidhir avyayaḥ |
sambhavo bhāvano bhartā prabhavaḥ prabhur īśvaraḥ ||
Meaning
Sarva: the All, origin and end of everything. Śarva: he who draws all beings back into himself. Śiva: the Pure, beyond the three qualities. Sthāṇu: the steady one. Bhūtādi: first cause of all beings. Nidhi: where all beings rest at the dissolution. Avyaya again: here, Śaṅkara says, it makes him the resting place that never perishes. Sambhava: he takes birth by his own will, age after age, to protect dharma. Bhāvana: he gives each being the fruit of its deeds. Bhartā: sustainer of the world. Prabhava: the source of all. Prabhu: the all-powerful. Īśvara: whose lordship has no limit.
Word by word
Śloka 5 · Self-born, beginningless sustainer
Śloka 5
स्वयम्भूः शम्भुरादित्यः पुष्कराक्षो महास्वनः ।
अनादिनिधनो धाता विधाता धातुरुत्तमः ॥
svayambhūḥ śambhur ādityaḥ puṣkarākṣo mahāsvanaḥ |
anādinidhano dhātā vidhātā dhātur uttamaḥ ||
Meaning
Svayambhū: the self-born, who depends on no one. Śambhu: he brings happiness to his devotees. Āditya: the golden Person shining in the sun; as one sun is reflected in many pots of water, the one Self shines in many bodies. Puṣkarākṣa: the lotus-eyed. Mahāsvana: of mighty sound, for the Vedas are his breath. Anādinidhana: without beginning or end. Dhātā: he holds up the worlds as Ananta, the great serpent. Vidhātā: he gives the fruit of every action. Dhātur uttamaḥ: pure consciousness, the highest essence, above every element.
Word by word
Śloka 6 · Immeasurable lord of the senses
Śloka 6
अप्रमेयो हृषीकेशः पद्मनाभोऽमरप्रभुः ।
विश्वकर्मा मनुस्त्वष्टा स्थविष्ठः स्थविरो ध्रुवः ॥
aprameyo hṛṣīkeśaḥ padmanābho 'maraprabhuḥ |
viśvakarmā manus tvaṣṭā sthaviṣṭhaḥ sthaviro dhruvaḥ ||
Meaning
Aprameya: no means of knowing can measure him; the scriptures only clear away what he is not. Hṛṣīkeśa: lord of the senses; or the one whose rays, as sun and moon, wake and delight the world. Padmanābha: from whose navel rises the lotus, the source of the universe. Amaraprabhu: lord of the immortal gods. Viśvakarmā: maker of the universe, of wondrous power. Manu: the great thinker; there is no thinker but him. Tvaṣṭā: he reduces all beings at the end. Sthaviṣṭha: the vastest of all. Sthaviro dhruvaḥ: the ancient one, ever firm.
Word by word
Śloka 7 · Beyond grasp, supremely auspicious
Śloka 7
अग्राह्यः शाश्वतः कृष्णो लोहिताक्षः प्रतर्दनः ।
प्रभूतस्त्रिककुब्धाम पवित्रं मङ्गलं परम् ॥
agrāhyaḥ śāśvataḥ kṛṣṇo lohitākṣaḥ pratardanaḥ |
prabhūtas trikakubdhāma pavitraṃ maṅgalaṃ param ||
Meaning
Agrāhya: he cannot be grasped; words and mind turn back from him. Śāśvata: he exists at all times. Kṛṣṇa: existence and bliss joined as one, Vyāsa says; or the dark-blue one. Lohitākṣa: the red-eyed. Pratardana: he destroys beings at the dissolution. Prabhūta: rich in wisdom, greatness and every quality. Trikakubdhāma: support of the three regions, above, below and between. Pavitram: the purifier himself. Maṅgalaṃ param: the supreme blessing, which wards off all evil when he is merely remembered.
Word by word
Śloka 8 · Lord of breath and beings
Śloka 8
ईशानः प्राणदः प्राणो ज्येष्ठः श्रेष्ठः प्रजापतिः ।
हिरण्यगर्भो भूगर्भो माधवो मधुसूदनः ॥
īśānaḥ prāṇadaḥ prāṇo jyeṣṭhaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ prajāpatiḥ |
hiraṇyagarbho bhūgarbho mādhavo madhusūdanaḥ ||
Meaning
Īśāna: ruler of all beings. Prāṇada: he gives breath to all; or, as death, he takes it back. Prāṇa: the life of life. Jyeṣṭhaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ: the eldest, being the cause of all, and the most excellent. Prajāpati: lord and father of all creatures. Hiraṇyagarbha: the very Self of Brahmā, who dwells in the golden egg. Bhūgarbha: he holds the earth within him. Mādhava: husband of Mā, that is Lakṣmī; or the one known through silence, meditation and yoga. Madhusūdana: the slayer of the demon Madhu.
Word by word
Śloka 9 · The valiant, unsurpassed one
Śloka 9
ईश्वरो विक्रमी धन्वी मेधावी विक्रमः क्रमः ।
अनुत्तमो दुराधर्षः कृतज्ञः कृतिरात्मवान् ॥
īśvaro vikramī dhanvī medhāvī vikramaḥ kramaḥ |
anuttamo durādharṣaḥ kṛtajñaḥ kṛtir ātmavān ||
Meaning
Īśvara again: the all-powerful one. Vikramī: the valiant. Dhanvī: the bowman; among archers, he says in the Gītā, I am Rāma. Medhāvī: whose mind holds many things at once. Vikrama: of great strides, who crossed the universe; or who rides the bird Garuḍa. Krama: whose very nature is movement. Anuttama: none is higher than him. Durādharṣa: no demon can overpower him. Kṛtajña: he knows every deed, and is grateful even for a leaf or a flower. Kṛti: the effort behind every act. Ātmavān: he rests in his own glory.
Word by word
Śloka 10 · Refuge, time and consciousness
Śloka 10
सुरेशः शरणं शर्म विश्वरेताः प्रजाभवः ।
अहः संवत्सरो व्यालः प्रत्ययः सर्वदर्शनः ॥
sureśaḥ śaraṇaṃ śarma viśvaretāḥ prajābhavaḥ |
ahaḥ saṃvatsaro vyālaḥ pratyayaḥ sarvadarśanaḥ ||
Meaning
Sureśa: lord of the gods, the givers of good. Śaraṇam: the refuge, who ends the sorrow of all who suffer. Śarma: supreme bliss. Viśvaretāḥ: the seed of the universe. Prajābhava: from whom all creatures arise. Ahaḥ: the day, for he is light. Saṃvatsara: the year; he is Viṣṇu as time. Vyāla: hard to catch hold of, like a serpent. Pratyaya: pure consciousness, for consciousness is Brahman. Sarvadarśana: whose eyes are everywhere.
Word by word
Reflection
When Yudhiṣṭhira asks Bhīṣma which one God all should praise, the very first answer is a single word: Viśvam, the universe. Śaṅkara pauses on it. The whole world, he says, is not apart from the Lord. He is its cause, he entered it after making it, and into him all things return. The first ten ślokas unfold that one idea. He is Viṣṇu, the pervader, unlimited by space and time; the Self within every being; the witness who sees with no veil between; the pure one, untouched by all he upholds. He is breath and life, the day and the year, the treasure-house where all things rest when the world sleeps. Śaṅkara also reminds us that reciting these names is not work for the lips alone. What the mind thinks, the tongue speaks, so every name, said with attention, becomes a small meditation. Vyāsa himself, after weighing all the scriptures, concluded that one should ever meditate on Nārāyaṇa. If you carry one name away from these ten, let it be Śaraṇam, the refuge, the one who, Śaṅkara says, takes away the sorrow of the sorrowful.
Your reflection
How well do you know these verses?
The audio plays each verse chanted; its meaning is written under it, and a narrated version is on its way. Tap a word for its meaning. Space plays and pauses.