VISHNU SAHASRANAAM 

THE MEDITATION STANZA

saantaakaaram bhujaga-sayanam
padmanaabham suresam
visvaadhaaram gagana-sadrisam
megha-varnam subha-angam
yogibhir-dhyaana-gamyam
vande vishnum bhava-bhaya-haram
sarva-lokaika-naatham.

“We meditate upon the master of the universe, lord Vishnu, who is ever peaceful, who lies on the great serpent-bed, from whose navel springs the lotus of the creative power, who is the controller of the gods, whose form is the entire universe, who is all pervading as the sky, of the hue of the cloud, of fascinating beauty, the lord of Laksmi, the lotus eyed, he who dwells in the hearts of the yogis and who can be approached and perceived through meditation, he who is the destroyer of the fear of samsara.”

This is the meditation upon the form of the lord, visualising Him thus in His, all-Comprehensive nature, and meditating upon Him, the seeker starts the vishnu-sahasranaama chanting.

Stanza 1

Om visvam vishnur- vashatkaaro
bhoota-bhavya-bhavat-prabhuh
bhoota-krit bhoota-bhir bhaavo
bhootaatmaa bhoota-bhaavanah

(1) Visvam - He whose manifestation is the whole universe of forms: the Viraat-Purusha. The cause is always present in the effects and as such That Form from which the whole universe has emerged out can only be its own manifestation. The whole cosmos of gross forms is His own expression, and therefore, He is called as Viraatpurusha. ‘Sa eva Sarva- Bhootaatmaa Visvaroopo Yato-Avyayah’. The Sanskrit term Visvam comes from the root Vis, to enter: Thus it means He who has created and entered into the entire universe, as the All-Pervading Reality. It can also mean, That into which the entire universe has entered to remain therein established. In the Upanishads also we have assertions of similar ideas. It is only when intellectually, we view the Lord that we come to recognise Him as the ‘cause’ for the universe. When viewed through contemplation, since the effect is nothing other than the cause, there can be no world other than Him. In fact, there is nothing other than the Supreme. In the Mandukya Upanishad we read ‘Omkaara Evedam Sarvam’. In Geeta ‘OM ltyekaaksharam Brahma’.

(2) Vishnuh -The term Vishnu is dissolved as Veveshti Vyaapnoti iti Vishnuh-That which pervades every- where is Vishnu.

That which has the nature of pervasiveness is Vishnu. He is the one who pervades all and nothing ever pervades Him. ‘Eesaavaasyam Idam Sarvam’-All this is indwelt, pervaded by the Lord. This very same idea is described in the typical style of the Puranas, in the incarnation of the Lord as Vaamana, the short-boy, who, with His three feet, measured the entire universe. Because of this act, the Lord got the name Vishnu, says Mahaabhaarata. Vishnu Purana (3-1) says:

The root Vis means ‘to enter’. The entire world of things and beings is pervaded by Him and the Upanishad emphatically insists in its mantra ‘whatever that is there is the world of change’. Hence it means that He is not limited by space (Desa), time (Kaala) or substance (Vastu).

(3) Vashatkaarah - ln the ritualistic portion of the Vedas we find many mantras ending with ‘vashat’ and they are used in pouring devoted and dedicated oblations. Thus the term Vashatkaara means: He who is invoked, and for propitiating whom, the oblations are poured in Vedic ritualism, using mantras ending with vashat.

Also Vashatkaara can mean yajna in its association and thus the term in its suggestion can signify ‘He who is of the form of the Yajna’. In the Upanishads also we find this meaning endorsed when the Upanishad mantra says: “Yajno vai Vishnuh” - Yajna itself is Vishnu.

(4) Bhoota-bhavya-bhavat-prabhuh  - He who is the Lord (Prabhu) of the Past (Bhooita), the Future (Bhavya) and the Present (Bhavat). Time is the concept of the intellect; it expresses itself in the interval between experiences. Experiences are registered as thoughts and thoughts are ever changing. This very change is known and experienced by us. The knower of the change must be something other than the change. Thus, He who is the Illuminator of all changes, meaning the Consciousness (Aatman) is the Lord Vishnu. He is the One who is not conditioned by time.

(5) Bhoota-krit -The Creator (Krit) of all creatures (Bhoota). This word can be dissolved in two ways:

(a) One who creates the creatures (Bhootaani Karoti iti Bhoota- Krit) or (b) One who annihilates all creatures (Bhootaani Krindati iti Bhoota-krit). In both these cases, Brahman, the Supreme is the One Reality that seems to function as the Creator, Sustainer or Destroyer, when He functions through different gunas in the Total-Mind. Functioning through a preponderance in Rajoguna, He becomes the ‘Creator’; through Sattvaguna the ‘Sustainer’, and through Tamoguna, He Himself expresses as the ‘Destroyer’.

Subjectively, the Atman functioning through my own mind and intellect is I, the individuality. My personality entirely depends upon the quality and texture of my own thoughts. I myself become according to the moods of my mind the creator, sustainer and annihilator of my world of experiences. He who manifests and functions, in these three aspects, is the Supreme Vishnu.

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