Sloka 5

BOOKS ON HINDUISM

स्वयंभूः शम्भुरादित्यः पुष्कराक्षो महास्वनः ।

अनादिनिधनो धाता विधाता धातुरुत्तमः ॥ १८ ॥

Swayambhoo shambhur-aadityah pushka raaksho mahaa-svanah ।

Anaadhi nidhano dhaata vidhaata dhaatur-uttamah ॥ “5”

Who controls, rules all - who born from himself be,

He who gives all pleasures by his appearance only,

He who enlightens – is one but appears differently,

Who is lotus eyed; has the Veda sounds reveredly.

He who without any beginning or end does be,

He who but ever carries the world continuously,

The Creator who creates all actions, results truly, 

He who is greater than Creator Brahma clearly.

BOOKS ON HINDUISM

Sloka 4

सर्वः शर्वः शिवः स्थाणुर्भूतादिर्निधिरव्ययः ।

संभवो भावनो भर्ता प्रभवः प्रभुरीश्वरः ॥ १७ ॥

Sarvah sharvah shivah sthaanur bhootadi-r nidhir avyayah ।

Sambhavo bhaavano bhartaa pradhavah prabhureeshvarah ॥. “4”

     

He who all the cause of creation, destruction be,

He who is pure, stable, removes all sins fully,

He from whom all the beings evolved certainly,

Who is never destroyed even at deluge surely.

He who is all that happens - giver of everything be,

The inexhaustible treasure, basis supports all clearly,

In whom all are born and of a sublime nature he be,

Who is all powerful, clever with unconstrained ability. 

Sloka 2

पूतात्मा परमात्मा च मुक्तानां परमा गतिः ।

अव्ययः पुरुषः साक्षी क्षेत्रज्ञोऽक्षर एव च ॥ १५ ॥

Pootaatma paramaatma cha muktaanam paramaa-gatih ।

Avyayah purusha saakshee kshetragno-ksharaeva vachaa. ॥

Pure Self, untainted by karma - good or bad they be,

The pure Atma is Parmatma, The Supreme Soul be,

For whom there no other guiding or superior soul be,

He who the ultimate salvation of every freed being be.

He who has not different forms - always same be, 

He who is inside everybody – witnesses all fully,

He who knows the body – The All-Knower clearly,

He who does not face death – The Immortal be.

Background

When Bhishma, the embodiment of wisdom and knowledge, and great grandfather of Kauravas and Pandavas, was lying on his deathbed in the battlefield of Kurushetra – the death of  knowledge and wisdom was approaching. Then Lord Krishna asked Yudhishtar to take guidance from his great grandfather Bhishma on aspects of life.

This was witnessed by sage Vyas and Krishna, reflects in reality Bhishma's life and his imparting knowledge to his progeny.

Just as the Bhagavad Gita is Krishna Kathita; Vidur Neeti is Vidur Kathita - Vishnu Sahasranamam is Bhishma Kathita.

Vishnu Sahasranam eradicates evil in us and gives us a chance to reconnect with the divine within.