मनन Manana · ReflectStep 13 of /18
Viṣṇu Sahasranāma · Ślokas 91–100
Names 847–940
Listen to the chant, and read the meaning under each verse. A narrated version is on its way.
Śloka 91 · Bearer of the world, lord of yogīs
Śloka 91
भारभृत् कथितो योगी योगीशः सर्वकामदः ।
आश्रमः श्रमणः क्षामः सुपर्णो वायुवाहनः ॥
bhārabhṛt kathito yogī yogīśaḥ sarvakāmadaḥ |
āśramaḥ śramaṇaḥ kṣāmaḥ suparṇo vāyuvāhanaḥ ||
Meaning
Bhārabhṛt: he carries the weight of the earth, as the great serpent Ananta. Kathita: the one whom all the Vedas declare supreme. Yogī: he is reached through true knowledge, and rests always in his own Self. Yogīśa: other yogīs stumble on obstacles, but he never does. Sarvakāmada: the fruit of every action comes from him. Āśrama: a resting place for all who wander in the forest of worldly life. Śramaṇa: he wears out the undiscerning. Kṣāma again: he reduces all beings to nothing at dissolution. Suparṇa: of beautiful leaves, for the Vedas are the leaves of the world tree rooted in him. Vāyuvāhana: in fear of him the wind blows.
Word by word
Words joined in recitation are shown split. Where sounds change at the joins, the dictionary form is given under the word.
Śloka 92 · The archer who rules all
Śloka 92
धनुर्धरो धनुर्वेदो दण्डो दमयिता दमः ।
अपराजितः सर्वसहो नियन्ताऽनियमोऽयमः ॥
dhanurdharo dhanurvedo daṇḍo damayitā damaḥ |
aparājitaḥ sarvasaho niyantā 'niyamo 'yamaḥ ||
Meaning
Dhanurdhara: as Rāma he held the mighty bow. Dhanurveda: as the son of Daśaratha he knew the whole science of archery. Daṇḍa: the rod of justice; of those who punish, I am the rod, says the Lord in the Gītā. Damayitā: he restrains beings through Yama and through kings. Dama: he is the very punishment that reaches the wrongdoer. Aparājita: no enemy defeats him. Sarvasaha: he bears with his enemies, and is skilled in every act. Niyantā: he sets each being to its own task. Aniyama: no one sets rules for him. Ayama: death has no hold on him.
Word by word
Śloka 93 · Pure, true and dearly loved
Śloka 93
सत्त्ववान् सात्त्विकः सत्यः सत्यधर्मपरायणः ।
अभिप्रायः प्रियार्होऽर्हः प्रियकृत् प्रीतिवर्धनः ॥
sattvavān sāttvikaḥ satyaḥ satyadharmaparāyaṇaḥ |
abhiprāyaḥ priyārho 'rhaḥ priyakṛt prītivardhanaḥ ||
Meaning
Sattvavān: he is full of courage and strength. Sāttvika: he rests above all in sattva, the quality of purity and light. Satya: we met this name before; here, Śaṅkara says, it means he is true and good to the good. Satyadharmaparāyaṇa: wholly given to truth and dharma. Abhiprāya: the one every seeker longs for, to whom all beings go at the end. Priyārha: worthy of the dearest thing in the world and the best thing in the house. Arha: worthy of worship with welcome, seat, water, hymns and bowing. Priyakṛt: he fulfils the wishes of those who worship him. Prītivardhana: he makes their joy grow.
Word by word
Śloka 94 · The light of the sky
Śloka 94
विहायसगतिर्ज्योतिः सुरुचिर्हुतभुग्विभुः ।
रविर्विरोचनः सूर्यः सविता रविलोचनः ॥
vihāyasagatir jyotiḥ surucir hutabhug vibhuḥ |
ravir virocanaḥ sūryaḥ savitā ravilocanaḥ ||
Meaning
Vihāyasagati: his home is the sky; he is the abode of Viṣṇu, or the sun itself. Jyoti: the light that shines by itself; Nārāyaṇa is the supreme light, says the Upaniṣad. Suruci: of lovely radiance, or of noble will. Hutabhuk: to whichever god an offering is made, it is he who receives it. Vibhu again: he pervades all and rules the three worlds. Ravi: the sun who draws up the juices of the earth. Virocana: he shines in many ways. Sūrya: the one who brings forth. Savitā: he gives birth to all beings. Ravilocana: the sun is his eye.
Word by word
Śloka 95 · Endless, forgiving and wonderful
Śloka 95
अनन्तो हुतभुग्भोक्ता सुखदो नैकजोऽग्रजः ।
अनिर्विण्णः सदामर्षी लोकाधिष्ठानमद्भुतः ॥
ananto hutabhug bhoktā sukhado naikajo 'grajaḥ |
anirviṇṇaḥ sadāmarṣī lokādhiṣṭhānam adbhutaḥ ||
Meaning
Ananta again: endless, unlimited by space or time; or the serpent Ādiśeṣa. Hutabhuk: once more, the receiver of every offering. Bhoktā again: the enjoyer of nature. Sukhada again: he gives his devotees the bliss of freedom. Naikaja: he is born again and again to protect dharma. Agraja: the first-born, Hiraṇyagarbha. Anirviṇṇa: never downcast, for he has nothing left to gain. Sadāmarṣī: ever forgiving towards good people. Lokādhiṣṭhāna: the three worlds rest on him, while he needs no support. Adbhuta: the wonder; the Kaṭha Upaniṣad says even the one who teaches of him is a marvel.
Word by word
Śloka 96 · The ancient one, all auspiciousness
Śloka 96
सनात्सनातनतमः कपिलः कपिरव्ययः ।
स्वस्तिदः स्वस्तिकृत्स्वस्ति स्वस्तिभुक्स्वस्तिदक्षिणः ॥
sanāt sanātanatamaḥ kapilaḥ kapir avyayaḥ |
svastidaḥ svastikṛt svasti svastibhuk svastidakṣiṇaḥ ||
Meaning
Sanāt: endless time, which is his own form. Sanātanatama: more ancient than even Brahmā, for he is the cause of all. Kapila: tawny, like the great fire hidden under the ocean. Kapi: the sun, who drinks up the waters with his rays; or the boar. Avyaya again: the unfailing place where the universe rests at the end. Svastida: he gives blessings to his devotees. Svastikṛt: he does what is good. Svasti: he is auspiciousness itself. Svastibhuk: he enjoys blessings and lets his devotees enjoy them. Svastidakṣiṇa: quick to bless; merely remembering him, a heap of sins breaks apart like a mountain struck by lightning.
Word by word
Śloka 97 · Beyond words, cool as dew
Śloka 97
अरौद्रः कुण्डली चक्री विक्रम्यूर्जितशासनः ।
शब्दातिगः शब्दसहः शिशिरः शर्वरीकरः ॥
araudraḥ kuṇḍalī cakrī vikramyūrjitaśāsanaḥ |
śabdātigaḥ śabdasahaḥ śiśiraḥ śarvarīkaraḥ ||
Meaning
Araudra: free of the three fierce things, harsh deeds, desire and anger. Kuṇḍalī: the coiled serpent Śeṣa; or the one whose earrings shine like a thousand suns. Cakrī: he holds the discus Sudarśana, which stands for the swift mind. Vikramī: of great valour and wondrous strides. Ūrjitaśāsana: his commands, the Vedas and the sacred law, are mighty. Śabdātiga: from him words turn back, says the Upaniṣad. Śabdasaha: all the Vedas with one voice proclaim him. Śiśira: cool dew for those scorched by sorrow. Śarvarīkara: maker of night; to the worldly the Self is night, and to the wise the world is night.
Word by word
Śloka 98 · Gentle, patient and wise
Śloka 98
अक्रूरः पेशलो दक्षो दक्षिणः क्षमिणांवरः ।
विद्वत्तमो वीतभयः पुण्यश्रवणकीर्तनः ॥
akrūraḥ peśalo dakṣo dakṣiṇaḥ kṣamiṇāṃ varaḥ |
vidvattamo vītabhayaḥ puṇyaśravaṇakīrtanaḥ ||
Meaning
Akrūra: never cruel, for he has no unfulfilled desire and so no anger. Peśala: beautiful in his deeds, his mind, his words and his form. Dakṣa again: great, strong and swift in action. Dakṣiṇa: skilful; the meaning is the same, and the repetition is no fault. Kṣamiṇāṃvara: the best of the patient; he carries the whole universe yet, unlike the earth, is never weighed down. Vidvattama: the wisest, who knows everything at every moment. Vītabhaya: he has no fear of worldly life. Puṇyaśravaṇakīrtana: to hear his names and to sing them is itself holy.
Word by word
Śloka 99 · The rescuer and protector
Śloka 99
उत्तारणो दुष्कृतिहा पुण्यो दुःस्वप्ननाशनः ।
वीरहा रक्षणः सन्तो जीवनः पर्यवस्थितः ॥
uttāraṇo duṣkṛtihā puṇyo duḥsvapnanāśanaḥ |
vīrahā rakṣaṇaḥ santo jīvanaḥ paryavasthitaḥ ||
Meaning
Uttāraṇa: he carries us across the ocean of worldly life. Duṣkṛtihā: he destroys our wrong deeds. Puṇya again: he makes holy all who remember him. Duḥsvapnanāśana: he drives away bad dreams that warn of coming trouble. Vīrahā: by granting freedom, he ends the many paths of endless wandering. Rakṣaṇa: he protects the worlds, taking up the quality of goodness. Santa: he himself takes the form of good people, to spread wisdom and humility. Jīvana: as the breath of life, he keeps every being alive. Paryavasthita: he stands spread out through the whole universe.
Word by word
Śloka 100 · Endless forms, fathomless depth
Śloka 100
अनन्तरूपोऽनन्तश्रीर्जितमन्युर्भयापहः ।
चतुरश्रो गभीरात्मा विदिशो व्यादिशो दिशः ॥
anantarūpo 'nantaśrīr jitamanyur bhayāpahaḥ |
caturaśro gabhīrātmā vidiśo vyādiśo diśaḥ ||
Meaning
Anantarūpa: endless are his forms, for he shines as the whole universe. Anantaśrī: endless is his power; his supreme power is spoken of as manifold, says the Upaniṣad. Jitamanyu: he has conquered anger. Bhayāpaha: he takes away the fear of worldly life. Caturaśra: just and fair, he gives each one the fruit his actions deserve. Gabhīrātmā: his mind is too deep to be measured. Vidiśa: he grants many different fruits for many different deeds. Vyādiśa: he gives commands to Indra and the other gods. Diśa: as the Veda, he shows every being the fruit of its actions.
Word by word
Reflection
Think of a traveller lost in a dark forest at night. In these ten ślokas Viṣṇu meets that traveller again and again. He is Āśrama, the resting place for those who wander in the forest of worldly life. He is Śiśira, cool dew on skin burnt by sorrow. He is the sun that rises, Ravi and Sūrya, and the light that needs no other light. He is Uttāraṇa, the one who lifts us across the ocean, and Rakṣaṇa, the guard who never sleeps. Woven through it all is a quiet sense of order: the archer Rāma, the rod of justice, the Lord who gives each being exactly what its deeds deserve, as fair as a square has equal sides. And then come five names in a row, all made of one word, svasti, auspiciousness. Śaṅkara stops at the last of them, Svastidakṣiṇa, to say how quick this Lord is to bless: simply remember him, and a mountain of past wrongs cracks apart as if struck by lightning. Carry that name with you. You do not have to earn his kindness with great effort; you only have to turn your mind towards him.
Your reflection
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The audio plays each verse chanted; its meaning is written under it, and a narrated version is on its way. Tap a word for its meaning. Space plays and pauses.