Śrī-Viṣṇu-Sahasranāma

Meaning
Based on Śrī-Śaṅkarācārya -
Bhāṣyam

Dr. Jayaraman Mahadevan

Invocation
सच्चिदानन्दरूपाय कृ ष्णायाच्चिष्टकाच्चिणे।
ु बच्चु िसाच्चिणे॥१॥
नमो वेदान्तवेद्याय गिवे

कृ ष्णद्वैपायनं व्यासं सववभतू च्चिते ितम।्

्
वेदाब्जभास्किं वन्दे शमाच्चदच्चनलयं मच्चु नम॥२॥

ु
सिस्रमूतेःत परुषोत्तमस्य सिस्रन ेत्राननपादबािोेः।
सिस्रनाम्ां स्तवनं प्रशस्तं च्चनरुच्यते जन्मजिाच्चदशान्त्य ै॥३॥

Meaning of Viṣṇu Sahasranāma as per Śaṅkara Bhāṣya – Dr. Jayaraman Mahadevan

Introduction
Mahābhārata, Anushāsanaparva, verses 14 to 120
Edition followed:
Śrī-śaṅkarācārya -Bhāṣyam, Vani Vilas Press, 1920, Volume 13.

Four parts in Visnusahasranama (verse 1 - Vaiśampāyana)

1. The Six questions of King Yudhishtira to Bhishmacharya (2,3)
2. The Answer of Bhishmacharya (4-13))
3. Thousand names of Lord Vishnu (14- 120) –
Apporach:Etym./comp.split/Ess. Quotes
4. Benefits of Listening to Sahasranāma (121-140)

Meaning of Viṣṇu Sahasranāma as per Śaṅkara Bhāṣya – Dr. Jayaraman Mahadevan

Verse – 1
च्चवश्वं च्चवष्णवु षव ट्कािो भतू भव्यभवत्प्रभेःु ।
भतू कृ द्भूतभृद्भावो भतू ात्मा भतू भावनेः ॥ १॥

1.च्चवश्वम, ् 2.च्चवष्णेःु 3.वषट्कािेः, 4.भतू -भव्य-भवत-प्रभ

् ेः,ु 5.भतू कृ त, ्
6.भतू भृत, ् 7.भावेः, 8.भतू ात्मा, 9.भतू भावनेः

1.viśvam, 2.viṣṇuḥ 3.vaṣaṭkāraḥ, 4.bhūta-bhavya-

bhavat-prabhuḥ, 5.bhūtakṛt, 6.bhūtabhṛt, 7.bhāvaḥ,
8.bhūtātmā, 9.bhūtabhāvanaḥ
Meaning of Viṣṇu Sahasranāma as per Śaṅkara Bhāṣya – Dr. Jayaraman Mahadevan
1. च्चवश्वम ् - Viśvam -1
् च्यते
1. च्चवश्वस्य जगतेः कािणत्वेन च्चवश्वम इत्य ु ब्रह्म। viśvasya jagataḥ
kāraṇatvena viśvam ityucyate brahma। - being the cause of
the universe Brahman itself is called as viśva

2. पिस्मात प् रुषात
ु न् च्चभन्नम इदं
् च्चवश्वम पिमार्
् वतेः, तेन च्चवश्वच्चमच्चत भच्चभीययते ब्रह्म
• parasmāt puruṣāt na bhinnam idaṃ viśvam paramārthataḥ tena
viśvamiti abhidhīyate brahma - universe is Brahman as it is not
different from Brahman – non-dual

Meaning of Viṣṇu Sahasranāma as per Śaṅkara Bhāṣya – Dr. Jayaraman Mahadevan

1. च्चवश्वम ् - Viśvam -2
3. च्चवशतयच्चत च्चवश्वं ब्रह्म
viśatīti viśvaṃ brahma
That which creates and enters its creation

4. संहृतौ भूताच्चन च्चवशच्चन्त यच्चस्मन ्

• saṃhṛtau bhūtāni viśanti yasmin
that into which everything that is created enters in dissolution.

Meaning of Viṣṇu Sahasranāma as per Śaṅkara Bhāṣya – Dr. Jayaraman Mahadevan

2. च्चवष्णेःु - Viṣṇuḥ
1. वेवच्चे ष्ट व्याप्नोच्चत इच्चत च्चवष्णेःु – veveṣṭi vyāpnoti iti viṣṇuḥ
- the one who pervades (omni-present)
• देश-काल-वस्त-ु पच्चिच्छेद-शून्येः इत्यर्ेःव Deśa-kāla-vastu-pariccheda-
śūnyaḥ ityarthaḥ - it means he is not limited by time, space and
object. भन्तबवच्चिश्च तत्सवं…

2. च्चवशच्चत इच्चत च्चवष्णेःु - viśati iti viṣṇuḥ - the one who enters his creation
(after creating it) - यस्माद ् च्चवष्टच्चमदं सवं ...तस्माच्चद्वष्णच्चु िच्चत ख्यातेः... च्चवष्णपु िाणम
ु ्

Meaning of Viṣṇu Sahasranāma as per Śaṅkara Bhāṣya – Dr. Jayaraman Mahadevan

3. वषट्कािेः - vaṣaṭkāraḥ
1. यदुद्देशने ाध्विे वषट ्-च्चियते सेः वषट्कािेः - yaduddeśenādhvare vaṣaṭ-
kriyate saḥ vaṣaṭkāraḥ - the one for whom in Yajna/Vedic Rituals
oblations/offerings are made by uttering the words

2. यज्ञे वा वषच्चिया - yajñe vā vaṣaṭkriyā - vaṣaṭkāra is a synonym for

yajña and yajña is viṣṇu (yajño vai viṣṇuḥ)

Meaning of Viṣṇu Sahasranāma as per Śaṅkara Bhāṣya – Dr. Jayaraman Mahadevan

 ् ेःु - bhūta-bhavya-bhavat-
4. भतू -भव्य-भवत-प्रभ
prabhuḥ

् नादृत्य सन्मात्र-
ु कालभेदम भ
• भूत ं भव्यं भविेच्चत भूत-भव्य-भवच्चन्त। तेषां प्रभेः।
्
प्रच्चतयोच्चगकम ऐश्वयव ्
म तस्य ु ।्
इच्चत प्रभत्वम
• bhūtaṃ bhavyaṃ bhavacceti bhūta-bhavya-bhavanti। teṣāṃ
prabhuḥ। kālabhedam anādṛtya sanmātra-pratiyogikam
aiśvaryam tasya iti prabhutvam।
• Past, future and present. The lord of all of these. Irrespective of
divisions of time, for all that is existing he is the lord.

Meaning of Viṣṇu Sahasranāma as per Śaṅkara Bhāṣya – Dr. Jayaraman Mahadevan

5. भतू कृ त -् bhūtakṛt
ु समाच्चित्य च्चवच्चिच्चिरूपेण भतू ाच्चन किोतयच्चत।
1. िजोगणं
• rajoguṇaṃ samāśritya viriñcirūpeṇa bhūtāni karotīti।
• The one who takes support of Rajas in the form of Brahman, the
creator, and creates the world

ु
2. तमोगणमास्थाय स रुद्रात्मना भतू ाच्चन कृ न्तच्चत, कृ णोच्चत च्चिन्तस्तयच्चत इच्चत भतू कृ त ्
• tamoguṇamāsthāya sa rudrātmanā bhūtāni kṛntati kṛṇoti hintastīti
iti bhūtakṛt
• The one who takes support of tamas and in the form of Rudra cuts or
injures the living beings is bhūtakṛt

Meaning of Viṣṇu Sahasranāma as per Śaṅkara Bhāṣya – Dr. Jayaraman Mahadevan

6. भतू भृत -् Bhūtabhṛt
् ीष्ठाय भूताच्चन च्चबभर्तत पालयच्चत ीाियच्चत पोषयच्चत इच्चत वा भूतभृत।्
ु भच्च
• सत्त्वगणम
• sattvaguṇam adhiṣṭhāya bhūtāni bibharti pālayati dhārayati
poṣayati iti vā bhūtabhṛt।
• Being established in Sattva, the one who sustains, takes care,
supports, nurtures is bhūtabhṛt

Meaning of Viṣṇu Sahasranāma as per Śaṅkara Bhāṣya – Dr. Jayaraman Mahadevan

7. भावेः - Bhāvaḥ
1.प्रपिरूपेण भवच्चत, prapañcarūpeṇa bhavati
The one who exists in the form of the Universe.

2.के वलं भवच्चत इच्चत वा। kevalaṃ bhavati iti vā।

The one who alone exists

• 3. भवनं भावेः सत्तात्मकेः वा।bhavanaṃ bhāvaḥ sattātmakaḥ vā। The

one who is in the form of existence.

Meaning of Viṣṇu Sahasranāma as per Śaṅkara Bhāṣya – Dr. Jayaraman Mahadevan

8. भतू ात्मा - Bhūtātmā
्
• भूतानाम आत्मा भन्तयावमय ।bhūtānām ātmā antaryāmī ।
• The one who is the indweller of all the beings.
“एष त आत्मा भन्तयावम्यमृतेः।” (बृ.३.७.७)
eṣa ta ātmā antaryāmyamṛtaḥ। (bṛ.3.7.7)

Meaning of Viṣṇu Sahasranāma as per Śaṅkara Bhāṣya – Dr. Jayaraman Mahadevan

9. भतू भावनेः – Bhūta-bhāvanaḥ
• भूताच्चन भावयच्चत जनयच्चत वीवयच्चत इच्चत वा।
• bhūtāni bhāvayati janayati vardhayati iti vā।
• The one who creates, makes them grow and develop is Bhūta-
bhāvanaḥ

Meaning of Viṣṇu Sahasranāma as per Śaṅkara Bhāṣya – Dr. Jayaraman Mahadevan

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