Sacred name recitation
Vishnu Sahasranamam
The thousand names of Lord Vishnu
The Vishnu Sahasranamam — "the thousand names of Vishnu" — is one of the most revered hymns in the Vaishnava tradition. It appears in the Anushasanika Parva of the Mahabharata, where Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira that meditation on these names brings peace to the mind, freedom from sorrow, and the highest spiritual fruit.
Duration: ~30 min
When to chant
Saturdays are particularly auspicious for chanting the Sahasranama, as is Vaikuntha Ekadashi. Many devotees include it in their daily morning practice. It can be chanted, listened to silently, or read with focused attention.
Spiritual benefits
- Each name reveals a quality, action, or aspect of the Supreme
- Recitation cultivates devotion, concentration, and inner stillness
- Bhishma's phalashruti promises freedom from fear and sorrow
- Suitable for chanting in any setting — alone, with family, or in a study group
Opening verses (Pūrva-bhāga)
These are the dhyana shlokas (meditative verses) that precede the recitation of the thousand names. The complete text contains 108 stanzas; further sections will be added over time.
- Verse 1Sanskrit
शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुं शशिवर्णं चतुर्भुजम्। प्रसन्नवदनं ध्यायेत् सर्वविघ्नोपशान्तये॥
Transliterationśuklāmbara-dharaṁ viṣṇuṁ śaśi-varṇaṁ catur-bhujam | prasanna-vadanaṁ dhyāyet sarva-vighnopaśāntaye ||
MeaningI meditate on Lord Vishnu — clad in white, moon-hued, four-armed, with a serene countenance — for the cessation of all obstacles.
- Verse 2Sanskrit
यस्य द्विरदवक्त्राद्याः पारिषद्याः परः शतम्। विघ्नं निघ्नन्ति सततं विष्वक्सेनं तमाश्रये॥
Transliterationyasya dvirada-vaktrādyāḥ pāriṣadyāḥ paraḥ śatam | vighnaṁ nighnanti satataṁ viṣvaksenaṁ tam āśraye ||
MeaningI take refuge in Vishvaksena — the Lord whose attendants, Ganesha and the rest, more than a hundred in number, ever remove all obstacles.
- Verse 3Sanskrit
व्यासं वसिष्ठनप्तारं शक्तेः पौत्रमकल्मषम्। पराशरात्मजं वन्दे शुकतातं तपोनिधिम्॥
Transliterationvyāsaṁ vasiṣṭha-naptāraṁ śakteḥ pautram akalmaṣam | parāśarātmajaṁ vande śuka-tātaṁ tapo-nidhim ||
MeaningI salute Sri Vyasa — great-grandson of Vasishtha, grandson of Shakti, son of Parashara, father of Shuka, treasury of austerity, untouched by impurity — through whom this hymn was given to the world.