Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva

Vishnu Sahasranamam
1000 Names — Meaning, Benefits & Recitation

ॐ विश्वं विष्णुर्वषट्कारो भूतभव्यभवत्प्रभुः

Om Vishwam Vishnur-vashatkaaro Bhoota-bhavya-bhavat-prabhuh

"The universe is Vishnu — he is the lord of past, present, and future." — Names 1–2

1000

Names

108

Key names

13

Phala-shruti benefits

Bhishma

Speaker

Bhishma-Yudhishthira Dialogue — Origin

After the Kurukshetra war, the great Bhishma Pitamaha lies on a bed of arrows, waiting for the auspicious Uttarayana to depart. Yudhishthira approaches him with a question: 'What single name satisfies all gods simultaneously?' Bhishma answers that there is only one such name — Narayana — and then proceeds to recite the 1000 names of Vishnu. This dialogue is preserved in the Anushasana Parva (Chapter 149) of the Mahabharata, transmitted by Vyasa.

Source

Mahabharata, Anushasana Parva (Ch. 149)

Speaker

Bhishma Pitamaha (on the arrow-bed)

Listener

Yudhishthira (King)

Total names

1000 (+8 opening slokas)

1000 Names — Three Thematic Groups

Creation · Sustenance · Dissolution — mirroring the Triguna

Creational Names (1–100)

The first hundred names establish Vishnu as the supreme creator — Vishwam (the universe itself), Vishnu (all-pervading), the lord of past-present-future (Bhoota-bhavya-bhavat-prabhu). These names ground the text in the cosmological supremacy of Vishnu.

VishwamVishnuVashatkaaraBhoota-bhavya-bhavat-prabhuBhoota-kritBhoota-bhritBhaavaBhootaatmaaBhoota-bhaavana...

Sustaining Names (101–600)

The largest section — names that speak to Vishnu's sustaining, pervading, and governing role. Ananta (infinite, the cosmic serpent Shesha), Hrishikesha (lord of the senses), Padmanabha (lotus-naveled, from whose navel Brahma emerged to create the world). These are the names most commonly used in daily worship.

AnantaHrishikeshaPadmanabhaAmara-prabhuVishwa-karmaManuTvashthaSthaviraSthavishtha...

Dissolution Names (601–1000)

The concluding third deals with Vishnu as the force of dissolution, time, and cosmic cycles. Sahasraamshu (one with a thousand rays — the sun as Vishnu), Maheshvaasa (the great bowman — Vishnu as Rama with his bow), and names that assert Vishnu's identity with all divine beings.

MaheshvaasaAmitaashanaSahasraamshuVidhaatrMitraVarunaAmaraVarunaalayaVaruna...

4 Root Names — Detailed Meaning

Sanskrit etymology and philosophical significance

Vishnu

vis — to pervade

The very first name and the name of the entire scripture: Vishnu means 'the all-pervading one.' He is present in every atom, every thought, every breath. Not just a deity in a temple — but the substratum of all existence.

Hrishikesha

hrishika + isha — lord of senses

Hrishikesha is the name of Vishnu/Krishna used when Arjuna requests the Bhagavad Gita on the battlefield. It means 'lord of the senses' — he who controls both the physical senses and the cosmic forces that the senses represent. The name captures Vishnu's role as the inner guide and controller of all perception.

Padmanabha

padma + nabha — lotus + navel

From Vishnu's navel, while he rests on Shesha Naga in the cosmic ocean (Yoga-nidra), a lotus emerges from which Brahma is born. This image — Ananta Shayana (eternal recliner) — is the most iconic depiction of Vishnu and is the icon of Padmanabhaswamy Temple (Trivandrum). Padmanabha is Vishnu as the originator of creation itself.

Narayana

nara + ayana — goal/abode of souls

Narayana — the abode of all souls (nara = soul, ayana = refuge/abode). All living beings ultimately return to Narayana. This is also interpreted as 'one who moves on the waters' (nara = water, ayana = moving) — Vishnu as Ananta Shayana on the cosmic ocean. One of the most potent names, synonymous with Vishnu himself.

13 Phala-Shruti — Benefits of Recitation

As described by Bhishma in the Anushasana Parva — 13 blessings

1

Liberation from fear

2

Protection from enemies

3

Fulfillment of desires

4

Long life

5

Good progeny

6

Wealth and prosperity

7

Success in endeavors

8

Freedom from illness

9

Attainment of dharma, artha, kama, moksha

10

Victory in litigation

11

End of sorrows and difficulties

12

Safe childbirth and protection of children

13

Liberation (moksha) at death

🕉️ How to Recite

Best day

Thursday (Guruvaar)

Time

Dawn or dusk preferred

Repetitions

1 full reading or 108x any one name

Special occasions

Ekadashi, Janmashtami, Vishnu vrat days

Mahabharata, Lalitha Sahasranamam, and Srimad Bhagavatam — explore more

Srimad Bhagavatam →Lalitha Sahasranamam →Mahabharata Summary →

Vishnu Sahasranamam — Die tausend heiligen Namen Vishnus

Vishnu Sahasranamam — The Thousand Sacred Names of Vishnu

Das Vishnu Sahasranamam findet sich im Anushasana Parva des Mahabharata, wo Bhishma im Sterben Yudhishthira die tausend heiligen Namen Vishnus offenbart. Jeder Name (Nama) ist eine Manifestation von Vishnus unendlichen Eigenschaften — Bewahrer des Universums, Quelle des Dharma, höchste Realität (Para Brahman). Die tägliche Rezitation gilt als eine der mächtigsten spirituellen Praktiken im Vaishnavismus.

Oṁ Viśvaṁ Viṣṇur-vaṣaṭkāro Bhūta-bhavya-bhavat-prabhuḥ | Bhūta-kṛd Bhūta-bhṛd Bhāvo Bhūtātmā Bhūta-bhāvanaḥ ||

Om. Er ist das Universum (Vishvam), Vishnu der Allesdurchdringende, der heilige Klang Vashatkara, der Herr von Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft. Er ist Schöpfer, Erhalter, das Wesen selbst, die Seele aller Wesen und ihr Erhalter. (Namen 1–8)

EN: Om. He is the Universe (Vishvam), Vishnu the all-pervading, the sacred sound Vashatkara, Lord of past, present, and future. He is Creator, Sustainer, Being itself, soul of all beings, and their nourisher. (Names 1–8)

Sarvaḥ Śarvaḥ Śivaḥ Sthāṇur-Bhūtādir-Nidhir-avyayaḥ | Sambhavo Bhāvano Bhartā Prabhavaḥ Prabhur-īśvaraḥ ||

Er ist alles (Sarva), der Auflöser (Sharva), das Glück (Shiva), unbeweglich, der Ursprung der Schöpfung, der unerschöpfliche Schatz. Er ist der Selbstgeborene, der Erhalter, Beschützer und höchste Herrscher (Ishvara). (Namen 27–34)

EN: He is all (Sarva), the dissolver (Sharva), auspicious (Shiva), immovable, source of creation, inexhaustible treasure. He is the self-born, sustainer, protector, and supreme ruler (Ishvara). (Names 27–34)

Bhishmas Vermächtnis

Bhishma's Legacy

Bhishma offenbarte das Sahasranamam Yudhishthira auf seinem Pfeilbett (Sharashayya) während der Uttarayana-Periode nach dem Krieg von Kurukshetra. Krishna selbst war anwesend und erkannte die spirituelle Tiefe der tausend Namen an. Diese Lehre ist die Essenz des Vaishnava-Bhakti im Mahabharata.

Die tausend Namen verstehen

Understanding the Thousand Names

Jeder der 1000 Namen ist ein Sphota — eine Klangmanifestation einer göttlichen Eigenschaft. Adi Shankaracharya schrieb einen meisterhaften Kommentar (Bhashya), der zeigt, wie die Namen Vishnus Identität als nirguna Brahman (eigenschaftslos) und saguna Brahman (mit Eigenschaften) ausdrücken.

Vorteile der täglichen Rezitation

Benefits of Daily Recitation

Die Tradition lehrt, dass die tägliche Rezitation Krankheit lindert, finanziellen Wohlstand bringt, geistige Klarheit fördert und letztlich zu Moksha führt. Donnerstage, Ekadashi und Vaikuntha Ekadashi gelten als besonders auspiziös. Eine vollständige Rezitation dauert etwa 45 Minuten.

Anleitung für deutschsprachige Praktizierende

Guidance for German-Speaking Practitioners

Beginnen Sie mit den 'Phala Shruti'-Versen am Ende, die die Vorteile zusammenfassen. Hören Sie M. S. Subbulakshmis klassische Aufnahme als Maßstab für die korrekte Aussprache. Selbst die tägliche Rezitation der ersten 108 Namen verleiht spirituellen Schutz.

Om Namah Shivaya →Bhakti Yoga — Pfad der Hingabe →

Quelle: Mahabharata, Anushasana Parva, Kapitel 149 (Bhishma an Yudhishthira)

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