Question answer session between Yudhishtra and Bhishma

As directed by the Lord, he meets Yudishtra. At their meeting, Yudhistira presented Bhishma with six questions.

1. kimEkam dhaivatam lokE?Who is the greatest Lord in the world?

2. kim vaapyEkam parAyaNam?Who is the one refuge of all?

3. stuvantam kam prApnuyuh mAnavah subham?By glorifying whom, can man attain peace and prosperity?

4. kam arcanat prApnuyuh mAnavaah subham?By worshipping whom can man reach auspiciousness?

5. kO dharmah sarva dharmANaam bhavatah paramO matah?What is, in thy opinion, the greatest Dharma?

6. kim japam mucyatE jantur janma samsAra bandhanAth?By doing Japa of what, can creature go beyond the bonds and cycle of birth and death?

Bhishma responded by reciting the one thousand names now hailed as the Vishnu Shasranama, and reminded him that either by meditating on these names or by invoking the names through archana (Offering), our minds can be lifted to higher consciousness.

VishNu SahasranAmam consists of 142 slokas. Excepting 13 slokas at the beginning and 22 at the end, the remaining 107 slokas contain the thousandnames of God.

MEDITATION ON VishNu AND INTRODUCTORY

Om SuklAmbara-dharam vishNum SaSivarnam catur-bhujam

prasanna-vadanam dhyAyet sarva-vighnopaSAntaye.

[ (For the eradication of all obstructions) One should meditate upon vishNu Who is clad in white robes, Who has a moonlike lustre, Who has four arms and Who has a beneficient face. ]

vyAsam vasishta-naptAram Sakteh pautram akalmasham

parAsarAtmajam vande Suka-tAtam tapo-nidhim.

[ vyAsa is the great-grandson of vasishta and the grand-son of Sakti. He is the son of parAsara and the father of Suka. I offer my obeisance to that vyAsa who is free from all defects and is a mine of austerities.]

vyAsAya vishNu-rUpAya vyAsa-rUpAya vishNave

namo vai Brahma-nidhaye vAsishtAya namo namaH.

[ My repeated salutations to vyAsa who is a form of vishNu and to vishNu who is a form of vyAsa- sage vyAsa, who is a descendent of vasishta and who is a treasure of brahman, (i.e. vedas).]

avikArAya SuddhAya nityAya paramAtmane

sadaika-rUpa-rUpAya vishNave sarva-jishnave.

[ My salutations to vishNu, Who is devoid of all mutations, Who is by nature pure and eternal, Who is endowed with a form which is uniform at all times, and Who is the victor all.]

yasya smaraNa-mAtreNa janma-samsAra-bandhanAt

vimuchyate namas-tasmai vishNave prabhavishNave.

Om namo vishNave prabhavishNave.

[ My salutations to that superior diety vishNu, by a mere thought of Whose name all persons are freed from the bonds of samsara (birth and death). Salutations to that All-powerful vishNu, Who is signified by pranava (i.e. Omkara). ]

sri vaiSampAyana uvAca-

SrutvA dharmAna-SesheNa pAvanAni ca sarvaSaH

yudhishThiraH SAntanavam punar-evAbhya-bhAshata.

[ sri vaiSampAyana said: "After hearing all froms of dharma capable of effecting complete purification, yudhishThira, still unsatisfied, questioned the son of Santanu as follows": ]

YudhishThira uvAca-

kimekam daivatam loke kim vApyekam parAyaNam

stuvantaH kam kam arcantaH prApnuyur mAnavAH Subham.

[ sri yudhishThira asked: "In this universe who is the one Divinity (at whose command all beings function)? What is that one supreme Status which one should seek to attain? Who is at Divinity by praising whom and by worshipping whom a man attains the good? ]

ko dharmaH sarva-dharmAnAm bhavataH paramo mataH

kim japan mucyate jantur janma-samsAra-bandhanAt.

[ Which according to you is the highest form of dharma (capable of bestowing salvation and prosperity on man)? What is that by uttering or reciting which any living being can attain freedom from the cycle of births and deaths?" ]

BhIshma uvAca-

jagat-prabhum deva-devam anantam puruhottamam

sthuvan nAma-sahasreNa purushaH satatotthitaH

[ sri bhIshma replied:"He will be free from all sorrows who always praises by 'the sahasranAma' (thousand names) that All-pervading Being who is the master of the worlds, Who is supreme over all devas and who is the supreme spirit.]

tameva cArcayan nityam bhaktyA purusham avyayam

dhyAyan stuvan namasyamS-ca yajamAnas-tam-eva-ca.

[That worshipper will be free from all sorrows who devoutly worships and meditates on that Undecaying Being, as also praises Him and makes prostrations to Him. ]

anAdi-nidhanam vishNum sarva-loka-maheSvaram

lokAdhyaksham stuvan-nityam sarva-dukhAtigo bhavet.

[ He will be free from all sorrows who always sings the praise vishNu (the All-pervading Being), who is free from the six changes beginning with origin and ending with death, and who is the master and over-seer of all the worlds. ]

braHmaNyam sarva-dharmaj~nam lokAnAm kIrti-vardhanam

loka-nAtham mahad-bhUtam sarva-bhUta-bhavodbhavam.

[ He is the protector of the brahmA and the veda. He is the knower of all Dharmas. He is the enhancer of the reputation of all beings. He is the supreme Brahman. Out of Him all beings and the whole of samsAra have come out.]

Esha me sarva-dharmAnAm dharmo'dhikatamo mataH

yad bhaktyA puNDarIkAsham stavair arcen naraH sadA.

[ To adore the Lotus-eyed One always with hymns of praise recited with devotion- I consider this to be superior to all other forms of dharma.]

paramam yo mahat tejaH paramam yo mahat tapaH

paramam yo mahad brahma paramam yaH parAyanam.

[He is the supreme light of consciousness. He is the supreme controller of everything. He is the supreme All-pervading Being. He is the support of everything. ]

pavitrAnAm pavitam yo mangalAnAm ca mangalam

daivatam daivatAnAm ca bhUtAnAm yo'vyayaH pitA.

[He is the sanctifier of even what is most sacred. He is the most auspicious among auspicious beings. He is the Lord of all divinities. He, the undecaying, is the father of all beings]

yataH sarvANi bhUtAni bhavanty'Adi yugAgame

yasmimS-ca pralayam yAnti punareva yuga-kshye.

[He is the One from whom all beings come into existence at the beginning of a cycle of time, and He is also the One into whom they all dissolve at the end of the cycle.]

tasya loka-pradhAnasya jagan nAthasya bhUpate

vishNor nAma-sahasram me SRNu pApa-bhay'Apaham.

[Hear from me the hymn that is constituted of a 'thousand names' of that vishNu who is the master of the universe, who is the subject of discourse of all scriptures, and who is the eraser of all sins and fear of samsAra.]

yAni nAmAni gauNAni vikhyAtAni maHAtmanaH

RishibhiH pari-gItAni tAni vashyAmi bhUtaye.

[I am giving for the benefit of all those names of His which are far-famed, which are indicative of His attributes, and which find a place in the exalted hymns of the Rshis."]

vishNoHr nAma-sahasrasya veda-vyAso mahA-muniH

chandaH-anushtup tathA devo bhagavAn devakI-sutaH.

[The great vedavyAsa is the Rshi of these Thousand Names of vishNu; anushtup is its metre. The presiding diety is Lord Krishna, devakI's son. ]

amrutAm-sUdbhavo bIjam Saktih devaki-nandanaH

trisAmA hridayam tasya SAntyarthe viniyujyate.

[ The seed is He who is born in the lunar race; Its power is the Name, "The son of devakI". The heart is the name "One who is sung by three important sAmA hymns". the purpose is the attainment of peace.]

vishNum jishnum mahA vishNum prabhavishNum maheSvaram

aneka-rUpa-daity-Antam namAmi purushottamam.

[I bow to vishNu, the victorious, the All-pervading, the Mighty, the Lord of All, the Enemy of daityas (demons) of many forms and the Best of persons. ]