VINU SAHASRA NMA 1000 NAMES OF LORD VINU

VIṢNU SAHASRA NĀMA 1000 NAMES OF LORD VIṢNU

The Vishnu Sahasranaama was composed by Sri Veda Vyaasa, the author of the Puraanas,

Sri Viṣnu Bhagavan • What does Bhagavan mean? • It is Īśvara’s six-fold virtues

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VIṢNU SAHASRA NĀMA 1000 NAMES OF LORD VIṢNU

The Vishnu Sahasranaama was composed by Sri Veda Vyaasa, the author of the Puraanas, and we meet this great chant in his classical work, the Mahaabaarata, Prince Yudhisthira, the eldest of the pandavas, at the end of the war appr VIṢṆU SAHASRA NĀMA • The Viṣnu Sahasranāma stotram is given in the Bhīṣma parva of the Mahābhārata • The Mahābhārata is presented as a dialog between Ugraśaravas and a group of Maharṣis headed by Śaunaka • Ugraśaravas was the son of Sage Romaharṣaṇa • Sage Romaharṣaṇa (otherwise known as Sūtapaurānika or Sūtaputra) was called Romaharṣaṇa because of his delightful and thrilling narrative style (story telling)

The Vishnu Sahasranaama was composed by Sri Veda Vyaasa, the author of the Puraanas, and we meet this great chant in his classical work, the Mahaabaarata, Prince Yudhisthira, the eldest of the pandavas, at the end of the war appr VIṢṆU SAHASRA NĀMA • The context of the Mahābhārata… • A group of rṣis led by Sage Śaunaka were performing a yaga lasting for years (dīrgha yāga) in the Naimiśāraṇya forest • When Ugraśaravas came to visit them the rṣis asked him (Ugraśaravas) to narrate to them anything new that he had come across in the course of his travels

The Vishnu Sahasranaama was composed by Sri Veda Vyaasa, the author of the Puraanas, and we meet this great chant in his classical work, the Mahaabaarata, Prince Yudhisthira, the eldest of the pandavas, at the end of the war appr VIṢṆU SAHASRA NĀMA • The context of the Mahābhārata………. . • Ugraśaravas related the Mahābhārata to the rṣis, which he (Ugraśaravas) had heard from Sage Vaiśampāyana • Sage Vaiśampāyana had heard the story directly from Sage Veda Vyāsa himself, when Sage Veda Vyāsa was telling the story to King Janamajeya when Janamajeya was doing a sarpa -yāga • King Janamajeya was the son of King Parīkṣit • King Parīkṣit was the son of Abhimanyu • Abhimanyu was the son of Arjuna

The Vishnu Sahasranaama was composed by Sri Veda Vyaasa, the author of the Puraanas, and we meet this great chant in his classical work, the Mahaabaarata, Prince Yudhisthira, the eldest of the pandavas, at the end of the war appr VIṢṆU SAHASRA NĀMA • The context of the Mahābhārata………. . • Essentially, the Mahābhārata is therefore a dialog between Ugraśaravas and Śaunaka, in which there is a dialog between Vaiśampāyana and Janamajeya • Vaiśampāyana now brings out the dialog between Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma from the Mahabharata, where the Viṣnu sahasranāma stotra is presented

The Vishnu Sahasranaama was composed by Sri Veda Vyaasa, the author of the Puraanas, and we meet this great chant in his classical work, the Mahaabaarata, Prince Yudhisthira, the eldest of the pandavas, at the end of the war appr VIṢṆU SAHASRA NĀMA • Sri Bhiṣma, the grandsire of the Kuru dynasty, laid down his arms on the 10 th day of the 18 -day Mahabharata War and was awaiting the beginning of the Uttarayaṇa (northward ascension of the Sun) to breathe his last • All the Pandavas had great love and respect for Sri Bhiṣma even though he had fought on behalf of Duryodhana and had led the Kaurava army for 10 days • Arjuna had created a bed of arrows on which Sri Bhiṣma rested

The Vishnu Sahasranaama was composed by Sri Veda Vyaasa, the author of the Puraanas, and we meet this great chant in his classical work, the Mahaabaarata, Prince Yudhisthira, the eldest of the pandavas, at the end of the war appr VIṢṆU SAHASRA NĀMA • Yudhiśṭira, the eldest of the Pandava princes, knew that Sri Bhiṣma was a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣna and approached him to ask him six questions about how to achieve unity with the Lord (Self-Knowledge) and what path one should follow in conducting oneself to prepare for this knowledge • Bhiṣma answered all of Yudhiśṭira’s questions • Bhiṣma gave Yudhiśṭira (and through Yudhiśṭira to all of us) the Viṣnu sahasranāma stotram

The Vishnu Sahasranaama was composed by Sri Veda Vyaasa, the author of the Puraanas, and we meet this great chant in his classical work, the Mahaabaarata, Prince Yudhisthira, the eldest of the pandavas, at the end of the war appr VIṢṆU SAHASRA NĀMA • Why chant the Lord’s (Īśvara) name? • Īśvara is one who protects, sustains and is the source of blessing; Īśvara is limitless • When one chant’s Īśvara name with devotion there is bound to be a benefit; there is a purpose in it • Chanting Īśvara’s name helps us know the unchanging truth (sat) and know the limitlessness, which is our true nature • Instead when one chants any other name (say of a time-bound limited individual or object) it becomes a mere obsession and only limited results (if any) are possible

The Vishnu Sahasranaama was composed by Sri Veda Vyaasa, the author of the Puraanas, and we meet this great chant in his classical work, the Mahaabaarata, Prince Yudhisthira, the eldest of the pandavas, at the end of the war appr VIṢṆU SAHASRA NĀMA • Why chant the Viṣṇu sahasranama? • Chanting the Viṣṇu sahasranama stotram will bring prosperity to the individual – (Dharma-Artha-Kāma) • It will bring peace & clarity to one’s mind so he/she can understand one’s place in the scheme of things (Īśvara’s order) • A life lived in harmony with the Īśvara’s order in the universe prepares one’s mind to ultimately discover and know the satchit-ananda svarupa, which is our essential nature and lead one to discover the limitless freedom, which is one’s intrinsic nature - (Mokśa)

Sri Viṣnu Bhagavan • What does Bhagavan mean? • It is Īśvara’s six-fold virtues (Bhagas) in absolute measure: • Jnāna (all knowledge) • Vairāgya (total dispassion) • Vīrya (capacity to create, sustain & resolve) • Yaśas (absolute fame) • Śri (all wealth) • Aiśvarya (overlordship)

The Vishnu Sahasranaama was composed by Sri Veda Vyaasa, the author of the Puraanas, and we meet this great chant in his classical work, the Mahaabaarata, Prince Yudhisthira, the eldest of the pandavas, at the end of the war appr VIṢṆU SAHASRA NĀMA क यन व च मनसनदर यरव । बदधय तमन व परकत सवभ व त कर म यदयतसकल परसम । न र यण र यत समरपय म ॥ kāyena vācā manasendriyairvā buddhyātmanā vā prakṛteh svabhāvāt | karomi yad-yat-sakalam parasmai nārāyaṇāyeti samarpayāmi || ।