Power of chanting Vishnu Sahasranama Stotra

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Hare Krishna,

Power of Chanting Vishnu Sahasranama STOTRA

The chanting of the Divine Name or nama japa of Lord Vishnu has an important place in Bhakti tradition. Nama japa can be in the form of japa or stotra. Japa is silent repetition of a mantra while stotra is uttered out loud .

The Vishnu Sahasranama stotra is the most popular of all stotras. Vishnu Sahasranama is in praise of Lord Vishnu. Sri Madhvacharya (also known as Ananda Tirtha) has quoted the Skanda Purana that all the Vedas have three meanings, the whole of Mahabharata, ten, but each word of the Vishnu Sahasranama therein has hundred meanings.

Vishnu Sahasranama is a part of the Santhi Parva of the Mahabharata. Towards the end of the great war, Bhishma lies on a bed of arrows, waiting for uttarayana to dawn so that he can give up his mortal coils. He is questioned by Yudhistira as to who Supreme Lord of all is, by praising and worshipping whom one can gain good and attain salvation. Bhishma answers Yudhistira’s query by reciting the Vishnu Sahasranama in Sri Krishna’s presence. Reciting the thousand names of Vishnu, Bhishma tells Yudhistira that Vishnu is the Jagat Prabhu or Lord of the Universe,

Bhuta-Bhavya-Bhavan-Natha — Lord of past, present and future. Lord Vishnu is depicted in terms of space and time as being immanent. He is one in many things to many.

The body of Lord Vishnu consists of the three worlds. His feet being the earth,His naval the sky and His head the Heavens. The life breath is air, His eyes are the sun and the moon. His ears are the directions, His face the flames of fire, His abode the milky ocean, He is Himself the universe. He is the origin of all that originated. He is Adhoksajah, the one who doesn’t degenerate. There is no change in His original nature.

Lord Vishnu is also Pavanah Pavano Nala or one who is air among all purifying agents. He is Saptajihvah, the Lord in His manifestation as fire having seven tongues of flame, that which cannot be adulterated. He is Vasavanujah or the one who is born as the younger brother of Indra (Vasava) in His incarnation as Vamana, the dwarf. Even the Lord had to resort to the dwarf’s form while begging for a gift of land from King Bali. He is also Suparno vayu vahana. Here Suparna is Garuda

who carries the Lord. Vishnu in this nama is described as one who has Garuda as His vehicle, but who instead rides on Vayu the wind.

The many weapons of Lord Vishnu are described by the various names that occur towards the end of Sahasranama. Samkha - the panchajanya, Nandaki - the sword, Chakri - the sudharsana chakra, Sarnga dhanva - the divine bow, Gadadhara - the mace and Rathangapaani – the one who has the wheel of ratha in His hand. It is said that during the great Mahabharata war Sri Krishna gave his word to the Kauravas that He would not use any weapon in the battle. But on the ninth day He wanted to control the fierce onslaught of Bhishma. Krishna jumped down the chariot and

dropped the whip he was holding.He grabbed a wheel from one of the broken chariots and rushed towards Bhishma.That sight of Krishna running with the wheel of a ratha in His hand was fresh in Bhishma’ s memory even when Bhishma was lying on the bed of arrows. And the one-thousandth nama depicts Vishnu as Sarva Praharnayudha.

There is no rule that the Lord has got only the above-mentioned weapons to fight the unlawful and protect Dharma. In His manifestation as Varaha, He used His mighty tusks to kill Hiranyaksha and as Narasimha, He used His fingernails to rip open the belly of Hiranyakashipu to save Prahalada. He also used His foot to crush the ego of King Bali in His incarnation as Vamana the dwarf. The Vishnu Sahasranama is open to all ; anyone can chant it without any distinction of caste, creed or sex . It can be chanted at any time and no special rituals are obligatory to do so. There are no hurdles in chanting the praise of the Lord.

Om Namo Narayanaya!!!

Bhaktasevak

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