About

What is the Viṣṇu Sahasranāma?

On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, after the war, the grandsire Bhīṣma lay on a bed of arrows awaiting his chosen hour of death. Yudhiṣṭhira asked him six questions, among them: “Who is the one deity in all the world? Whom should we praise and worship to find what is good? By what japa may a being go beyond birth and its bonds?”

Bhīṣma's answer was this hymn: a garland of one thousand names of Viṣṇu, composed in 108 verses by the sage Vyāsa, preserved in the Mahābhārata (Anuśāsana Parva, chapter 149). For many centuries it has been one of the most beloved and most recited texts in all of Hindu practice — chanted daily in homes and temples, commented upon by Ādi Śaṅkara, Parāśara Bhaṭṭa, and many others.

How Sahasra works

• One bead at a time. The 108 shlokas are a mala. Learn a shloka — recite it, meet its names, pass a short quiz — and its bead turns gold.
• Ten chapters, ten avatars. The journey is walked in ten stretches named for the dashāvatāra, from Matsya to Kalki.
• Spaced review. Each learned name returns for review after 1, 3, 7, 16, then 35 days — the rhythm that moves them into long-term memory.
• A streak of lamps. Practice any amount each day to keep your streak alive. Steady and small beats rare and heroic.
• The Library. The complete text — opening, dhyānam, all 108 shlokas, and phalaśruti — is always there for straight-through reading.

About the meanings

Each of the 1000 names carries centuries of commentary; great teachers have often read the same name in several beautiful ways. The one-line meanings here are deliberately concise glosses, largely following Ādi Śaṅkara's commentary tradition, meant as a doorway rather than the room itself. Where traditions differ (even on how the names are divided), we follow the common enumeration of exactly 1000 names used in that tradition. For deep study, sit with a teacher or a full commentary.

Sources & gratitude

The Sanskrit text follows the proofread edition maintained by the volunteers of sanskritdocuments.org (Vishnusahasranama Stotram from the Mahābhārata), converted to Devanagari and IAST with the open-source sanscript transliteration library. English glosses and app design are original to this project. This app is a free educational offering — not a substitute for learning from a guru or the living tradition.

It is traditionally said that even one name, held with love, is enough: “śrī rāma rāma rāmeti, rame rāme manorame…” — may this little app help a few more names find a home in you.