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 — Os Mil Nomes Sagrados de Vishnu

Vishnu Sahasranamam — The Thousand Sacred Names of Vishnu

O Vishnu Sahasranamam encontra-se no Anushasana Parva do Mahabharata, onde Bhishma, em seu leito de morte, revela a Yudhishthira os mil nomes sagrados de Vishnu. Cada nome (Nama) é uma manifestação das infinitas qualidades de Vishnu — Preservador do Universo, Fonte do Dharma, Realidade Suprema (Para Brahman). A recitação diária é considerada uma das práticas espirituais mais poderosas do Vaishnavismo.

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

Om. Ele é o Universo (Vishvam), Vishnu o todo-penetrante, o som sagrado Vashatkara, o Senhor do passado, presente e futuro. Ele é o Criador, o Preservador, o Ser em si mesmo, a alma de todos os seres e o seu Sustentador. (Nomes 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 ||

Ele é tudo (Sarva), o Dissolvedor (Sharva), o Auspicioso (Shiva), imóvel, origem da criação, tesouro inesgotável. Ele é o Auto-nascido, o Preservador, o Protetor e o Soberano Supremo (Ishvara). (Nomes 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)

O Legado de Bhishma

Bhishma's Legacy

Bhishma revelou o Sahasranamam a Yudhishthira em seu leito de flechas (Sharashayya) durante o período de Uttarayana, após a guerra de Kurukshetra. O próprio Krishna estava presente e reconheceu a profundidade espiritual dos mil nomes. Este ensinamento é a essência do Vaishnava Bhakti no Mahabharata.

Compreender os Mil Nomes

Understanding the Thousand Names

Cada um dos 1000 nomes é um Sphota — uma manifestação sonora de uma qualidade divina. Adi Shankaracharya escreveu um comentário magistral (Bhashya) que demonstra como os nomes expressam a identidade de Vishnu como nirguna Brahman (sem atributos) e saguna Brahman (com atributos).

Benefícios da Recitação Diária

Benefits of Daily Recitation

A tradição ensina que a recitação diária alivia doenças, traz prosperidade financeira, promove clareza mental e conduz, em última análise, ao Moksha. As quintas-feiras, o Ekadashi e o Vaikuntha Ekadashi são considerados particularmente auspiciosos. Uma recitação completa demora aproximadamente 45 minutos.

Orientação para Praticantes de Língua Portuguesa

Guidance for Portuguese-Speaking Practitioners

Comece pelos versos do Phala Shruti, no final, que resumem os benefícios. Ouça a gravação clássica de M. S. Subbulakshmi como referência para a pronúncia correcta. Mesmo a recitação diária dos primeiros 108 nomes confere protecção espiritual.

Om Namah Shivaya →Bhakti Yoga — Caminho da Devoção →

Fonte: Mahabharata, Anushasana Parva, Capítulo 149 (Bhishma a Yudhishthira)

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