Sri Vishnu Sahasra Naama Stotram: Learning Resources

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!

There are various sources available for learning more about Sri Vishnu Sahasra Naama Stotram. I have been reading a book entitled, "Sri Vishnu Sahasra Naama Stotram." This is written in Telugu by Shriman Raghunathacharyaswamiji of Stasampradaya Parirakshana Sabha of Warangal. This huge volume of about 1170 pages is based on the Sanskrit version of Shri Parashar Bhattarji (of 11th Century AD) and also his 60 years of research efforts and continuous learning on the subject. He drew the essence from all the detailed discussions and explanations of the Stotram in Sanskrit and presented it in Telugu.

I shall be sharing through this Blog the meanings of the slokas of VSNS and the names of the Lord Vishnu one by one in a simplified manner. I would like to request you to kindly make your comments and corrections so that we all could learn more about it in a collective manner. 

To begin with, here are a few Q & A on VSNS:

1. What does 'Vishnu Sahasra Naama' mean?

Thousand (sahasra = 1000) Names of Vishnu. 

2. Who composed it?

Sri Veda Vyaasa, the author of the Mahabharata.

3. What was the context when it was presented?

Yudhisthira, the eldest of the pandavas, at the end of the Mahabharata war approached Bheeshma and asked him asked 6 questions. Bheeshma, calmly answered them all. These 6 questions were presented in the 2 slokas below:

kimekam daivatham loke, kim vapyegam parayanam,

sthuvanthah kam kamarchantah prapnyur manava shubham, 

Ko dharma sarva dharmanam bhavatah paramo matah

kim japanmuchyathe jantur janma samsara bandhanat   

1. Who ("kim") is the greatest ("ekam") Lord ("daivatam") in the world ("loke")?

2. Who is the one ("ekam") refuge ("paraayanam") for all?

3. By glorifying ("sthuvantah") whom ("kam") can a man ("manavah") reach the auspiciousness ("shubam") (peace and prosperity)?

4. By worshipping ("archantah") whom can a man reach auspiciousness (peace and prosperity)?

5. What ("ko") is, in your opinion, the Greatest Dharma?

6. By ("kim") doing japa of what can “creatures” (jantu) go beyond ("mutchyate") the bonds ("bandhanaath") of samsara?

In response to the above questions of Yudhisthira, Bheeshma suggested that the answer was the 'Vishnu Sahasra Nama Stotram' and taught it to Yudishthira. 

This is where and how we find the “Thousand Names of Lord Vishnu” introduced in The Mahabharata. 

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!