विष्णुसहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
Vishnu Sahasranamam
The thousand names of Vishnu — one of the most widely recited Sanskrit hymns in India. Where it comes from, how it is structured, its opening prayers, the meaning of its first names, and how to recite it.
What is the Vishnu Sahasranamam?
विष्णुसहस्रनाम (Viṣṇu Sahasranāma) means "the thousand names of Vishnu". It is a hymn from the Anushasana Parva of the Mahabharata: after the Kurukshetra war, Yudhishthira goes to Bhishma — lying on his bed of arrows, waiting for the auspicious time to leave his body — and asks him a series of questions about dharma. Bhishma answers by reciting a thousand names of Vishnu, with Krishna present.
The core of the hymn is about 107 shlokas of names, framed by an opening section (पूर्वभाग, the setting and Yudhishthira's questions) and a closing section (उत्तरभाग / फलश्रुति, the benefits of recitation). Adi Shankaracharya wrote the earliest known commentary on it, explaining the meaning of each name; Parashara Bhattar's commentary is central to the Sri Vaishnava tradition.
The opening prayers
Recited before the stotra in most traditions.
शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुं शशिवर्णं चतुर्भुजम्। प्रसन्नवदनं ध्यायेत् सर्वविघ्नोपशान्तये॥
śuklāmbaradharaṃ viṣṇuṃ śaśivarṇaṃ caturbhujam, prasanna-vadanaṃ dhyāyet sarva-vighnopaśāntaye
Meditate on the all-pervading one, clothed in white, bright as the moon, four-armed, with a gracious face — so that every obstacle is removed.
शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं पद्मनाभं सुरेशं विश्वाधारं गगनसदृशं मेघवर्णं शुभाङ्गम्। लक्ष्मीकान्तं कमलनयनं योगिभिर्ध्यानगम्यं वन्दे विष्णुं भवभयहरं सर्वलोकैकनाथम्॥
śāntākāraṃ bhujaga-śayanaṃ padmanābhaṃ sureśaṃ viśvādhāraṃ gagana-sadṛśaṃ megha-varṇaṃ śubhāṅgam, lakṣmīkāntaṃ kamala-nayanaṃ yogibhir dhyāna-gamyaṃ vande viṣṇuṃ bhava-bhaya-haraṃ sarva-lokaika-nātham
I bow to Vishnu — of peaceful form, resting on the serpent, lotus-navelled, lord of the gods, support of the universe, vast as the sky, cloud-coloured, beautiful; beloved of Lakshmi, lotus-eyed, reached by yogis in meditation; who removes the fear of worldly existence, the one lord of all worlds.
Yudhishthira's questions
The questions that lead Bhishma to recite the thousand names.
किमेकं दैवतं लोके किं वाप्येकं परायणम्। स्तुवन्तः कं कमर्चन्तः प्राप्नुयुर्मानवाः शुभम्॥
kim ekaṃ daivataṃ loke kiṃ vāpy ekaṃ parāyaṇam, stuvantaḥ kaṃ kam arcantaḥ prāpnuyur mānavāḥ śubham
Who is the one God in the world? What is the one supreme refuge? By praising whom, by worshipping whom, do human beings attain the good?
को धर्मः सर्वधर्माणां भवतः परमो मतः। किं जपन्मुच्यते जन्तुर्जन्मसंसारबन्धनात्॥
ko dharmaḥ sarva-dharmāṇāṃ bhavataḥ paramo mataḥ, kiṃ japan mucyate jantur janma-saṃsāra-bandhanāt
Of all dharmas, which do you consider the highest? By reciting what is a living being freed from the bondage of birth and worldly existence?
The first names, with meaning
The stotra proper opens with these two verses.
ॐ विश्वं विष्णुर्वषट्कारो भूतभव्यभवत्प्रभुः। भूतकृद्भूतभृद्भावो भूतात्मा भूतभावनः॥
oṃ viśvaṃ viṣṇur vaṣaṭkāro bhūta-bhavya-bhavat-prabhuḥ, bhūtakṛd bhūtabhṛd bhāvo bhūtātmā bhūtabhāvanaḥ
The first nine names — see the table below.
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
The next eight names — see the table below.
| Name | Transliteration | Meaning |
| विश्वम् | viśvam | The universe itself — the whole of existence |
| विष्णुः | viṣṇuḥ | The all-pervading one |
| वषट्कारः | vaṣaṭkāraḥ | The one invoked in sacrifice with the call 'vaṣaṭ' |
| भूतभव्यभवत्प्रभुः | bhūta-bhavya-bhavat-prabhuḥ | Lord of past, future and present |
| भूतकृत् | bhūtakṛt | Creator of all beings |
| भूतभृत् | bhūtabhṛt | Sustainer of all beings |
| भावः | bhāvaḥ | Pure existence |
| भूतात्मा | bhūtātmā | The inner self of all beings |
| भूतभावनः | bhūtabhāvanaḥ | The one who nurtures beings |
| पूतात्मा | pūtātmā | The pure self |
| परमात्मा | paramātmā | The supreme self |
| मुक्तानां परमा गतिः | muktānāṃ paramā gatiḥ | The highest goal of the liberated |
| अव्ययः | avyayaḥ | The imperishable |
| पुरुषः | puruṣaḥ | The indwelling person |
| साक्षी | sākṣī | The witness |
| क्षेत्रज्ञः | kṣetrajñaḥ | Knower of the 'field' (body and mind) |
| अक्षरः | akṣaraḥ | The indestructible |
Meanings follow the traditional explanations in Adi Shankaracharya's commentary, simplified for readers.
The famous Rama verse
श्रीराम राम रामेति रमे रामे मनोरमे। सहस्रनाम तत्तुल्यं रामनाम वरानने॥
śrī-rāma rāma rāmeti rame rāme manorame, sahasranāma tat-tulyaṃ rāma-nāma varānane
Spoken by Shiva to Parvati: "I delight in Rama, the delightful one, by saying 'Shri Rama, Rama, Rama'. O fair-faced one, the name of Rama equals the thousand names." Many people recite it three times when they cannot complete the full stotra.
How and when it is recited
- Daily or weekly. Many households recite it every morning; others on Thursdays, Ekadashi or during the month of Kartika or Margashirsha.
- Full recitation takes about 25–35 minutes at a steady pace, including the opening and closing sections.
- Listening counts too. The tradition holds that hearing the stotra with attention brings the same merit as reciting it.
- Learn it in parts. Beginners often learn ten shlokas a week, reading along with the Devanagari and a meaning, until the whole is familiar.
Want the full text with Hindi meaning for daily reading? Our Shree Vishnu Sahasranama e-book has every shloka in Devanagari with its Hindi meaning, laid out for easy reading.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Vishnu Sahasranamam come from?
From the Anushasana Parva of the Mahabharata, where Bhishma, lying on a bed of arrows, recites the thousand names of Vishnu in answer to Yudhishthira's questions.
How many shlokas are in the Vishnu Sahasranamam?
The section containing the names has about 107 shlokas; with the opening and closing sections the full recitation is longer. Counts vary slightly between editions.
How long does it take to recite?
Roughly 25–35 minutes for a full recitation at a steady pace.
What is the first name in the Vishnu Sahasranamam?
विश्वम् (viśvam) — 'the universe', meaning Vishnu is the whole of existence. It is followed by विष्णुः, 'the all-pervading one'.