Śrī Viṣṇusahasranāma, or the Beautiful Thousand Holy Names of Lord Viṣṇu, is a vital part of the theistic Vedic tradition. Its recitation is also one of the pillars of daily spiritual practice of the Vaiṣṇavas, especially in the Śrī sampradāya of South India. However, Śrī Viṣṇusahasranāma is revered by all bona fide Vaiṣṇava disciplic successions as a mahā-mantra, a great Vedic hymn capable of bestowing the highest benedictions upon the living entities. Audio recording of the Author reading his Introduction after the break.

śrī vaiśampāyana uvāca
śrūtvā dharmān aśeṣeṇa
pāvanāni ca sarvaśaḥ
yudhiṣṭhiraḥ śāntanavaṁ
punar evābhyabhāṣata

Śrī Vaiśampāyana Vyāsa said: “After hearing the description of all the purifying places of pilgrimage, King Yudhiṣṭhira again inquired from Bhīśma, the son of Mahārāja Śantanu.”

Audio recording and references after the break.

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca
kim ekaṁ daivataṁ loke
kiṁ vāpy ekaṁ parāyaṇam
stuvantaḥ kaṁ kam arcantaḥ
prāpnuyur mānavāḥ śubham

King Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Please tell me who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate controller of the universe? Who is the ultimate destination of all living beings? Whom should men glorify and worship to attain auspiciousness?

Audio and references after the break.

ko dharmaḥ sarva-dharmānāṁ
bhavataḥ paramo mataḥ
kiṁ japan mucyate jantur
janma-saṁsāra-bandhanāt

“What do you consider the supreme religious process? What mantra should one chant to become free from the bondage of death and rebirth?”

Audio and references after the break.

śrī-bhīśma uvāca
jagat-prabhuṁ deva-devam
anantaṁ puruṣottamam
stuvan nāma-sahasreṇa
puruṣaḥ satatotthitaḥ

Bhīśma said: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the controller of all moving and non-moving beings in the universe, and He is the worshipable master of all the demigods. His transcendental forms and qualities are unlimited, and He is the best of all persons. One should always glorify Him by enthusiastically chanting His Thousand Holy Names (viṣṇu-sahasranāma).

Audio and references after the break.

tam eva cārcayan nityaṁ
bhaktyā puruṣam avyayam
dhyāyan stuvan namasyaṁś ca
yajamānas tam eva ca

“The devotee should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose forms, qualities, opulence and pastimes are all eternal and transcendental, with great faith. The devotee should glorify Him, continually meditate on His transcendental form, and offer obeisances by bowing down before Him.

Audio and references after the break.

anādi-nidhanaṁ viṣṇuṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
lokādhyākṣam stuvan nityaṁ
sarva-duḥkhātigo bhavet

“Never was there a time when Lord Viṣṇu first came into existence, and there is no time in the future when He shall cease to exist. He is the supreme master of all planets, living entities and the demigods who control the universe. He is the all-knowing, all pervading witness who sees everything. One who regularly glorifies Him becomes free from all material miseries, and in that liberated condition becomes full of transcendental bliss.

Audio and references after the break.

brahmaṇyaṁ sarva-dharmajñaṁ
lokānāṁ kīrti-vardhanam
loka-nāthaṁ mahad-bhūtam
sarva-bhūta-bhavodbhavam

“Lord Viṣṇu is the protector and well-wisher of the brāhmaṇas, aware of all principles of religion, the Lord who expands the glory of His devotees, the supreme monarch of all planetary systems, the embodiment of all opulence and the original Father of Brahmā, Śiva and all living entities.

Audio and references after the break.

eṣa me sarva-dharmāṇāṁ
dharmo ’dhikatamo mataḥ
yad bhaktyā puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ
stavair arcen naraḥ sadā

“In my opinion, the best of all spiritual activities is to continuously and devotedly worship lotus-eyed Lord Kṛṣṇa by reciting prayers glorifying Him and describing His Holy Names.

Audio and references after the break.

paramaṁ yo mahat-tejaḥ
paramaṁ yo mahat-tapaḥ
paramaṁ yo mahad brahma
paramaṁ yaḥ parāyaṇam

“Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is supremely powerful and splendid, and the sun and other luminaries derive their splendor and heat from Him. He is partially manifest as the Brahman effulgence. He is the ultimate shelter of all living entities.

Audio and references after the break.

pavitrāṇāṁ pavitraṁ yo
maṅgalānāṁ ca maṅgalam
daivatam devatānāṁ ca
bhūtānāṁ yo ’vyayaḥ pitā

“Lord Kṛṣṇa is the most purifying of purifiers, and the power of the Ganges and other places of pilgrimage to remove sinful reactions is derived from Him. He is the most auspicious of all auspicious personalities, and He gives to Gaṇeśa and others the power to remove obstacles. He is the most worshipable person, superior to Brahmā and all the demigods. He is the eternal, original Father of all living entities.

Audio and references after the break.

yataḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni
bhavanty ādi-yugāgame
yasmiṁś ca pralayaṁ yānti
punar eva yuga-kṣaye

“All living beings in the material world come from Lord Kṛṣṇa at the beginning of the creation. Lord Kṛṣṇa maintains them while the creation is manifest, and they enter into Him again when the creation is destroyed.

tasya loka-pradhānasya
jagan-nāthasya bhū-pate
viṣṇor nāma-sahasraṁ me
śṛṇu pāpa-bhayāpaham

“Please hear from me the Thousand Holy Names of Lord Viṣṇu, the supreme master and controller of the universe. These Holy Names of the Lord destroy the fearsome reactions of past sinful deeds.

yāni nāmāni gauṇāni
vikhyātāni mahātmanaḥ
ṛśibhiḥ parigītāni
tāni vakṣyāmi bhūtaye
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

“In order to attain the supreme goal of life, I shall now chant the celebrated Thousand Holy Names of Lord Viṣṇu. Great sages glorify these Holy Names, because they describe the Lord’s transcendental qualities and pastimes. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya – let me invoke auspiciousness by offering my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full with all divine opulence, the son of King Vasudeva, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”

oṁ viśvaṁ viṣṇur vaṣatkāro
bhūta-bhavya-bhavat-prabhuḥ
bhūta-kṛd bhūta-bhṛd bhāvo
bhūtātmā bhūta-bhāvanaḥ

Translation, audio and references after the break.

pūtātmā paramātmā ca
muktānāṁ paramā gatiḥ
avyayaḥ puruṣaḥ sākṣī
kṣetrajño ’kṣara eva ca

Translation, audio and references after the break.

yogo yoga-vidāṁ netā
pradhāna-puruṣeśvaraḥ
narasiṁha-vapuḥ śrīmān
keśavaḥ puruṣottamaḥ

Translation, audio and references after the break.

sarvaḥ śarvaḥ śivaḥ sthānur
bhūtādir nidhir avyayaḥ
saṁbhavo bhāvano bhartā
prabhavaḥ prabhur īśvaraḥ

Translation, audio and references after the break.

svayambhūḥ śambhur ādityaḥ
puṣkarākṣo mahāsvanaḥ
anādi-nidhano dhātā
vidhātā dhatur uttamaḥ

Translation, audio and references after the break.