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 3

योगो योगविदां नेता प्रधानपुरुषेश्वरः ।

नारसिंहवपुः श्रीमान् केशवः पुरुषोत्तमः ॥ १६ ॥

Yogo yoga-vidaam neta pradhaana puru-sheshvarah ।

Naarasimha vapu shreemaan keshavah puru-shottamah.॥ “3”

He who can be attained by yoga – meditation surely,

Who alone the unambiguous means to salvation be,

He who leader of all those who know yoga does be,

He who is lord of nature and beings unquestionably.

He who has a man and a lion’s combined body,

Where Lakshmi served by Vishnu, Shiv, Brahma be,

Who with a pretty form and with locks of hair lovely,

He who is the greatest among all beings certainly. 

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.

Sloka 1

विश्वं विष्णुर्वषट्कारो भूतभव्यभवत्प्रभुः ।

भूतकृद्भूतभृद्भावो भूतात्मा भूतभावनः ॥ १४ ॥

Om vishvam vishnur vashat kaaro bhoota-bhavya bhavat-prabhuh ।

Bhoota-krut bhoota-bhrud-bhaavo bhootaatma bhoota-bhaavanah.॥

He who is the Universe itself - spread everywhere fully,

He who personification of Vedic sacrifice (Yagna) be,

He who the master of all past, present and future be,

Who created beings in the universe unquestionably.

He who supports all - the supporter of all things surely,

Who exists with splendor, always, independent wholly,

He who is the Atma or soul of all beings universally,

He who nurtures all beings that He created definitely.

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.

Renouned Parvas Of Mahabharat

Renouned                Text About      Parva (From)
Vidur Neeti       Wisdom of               Vidur Udyog
                                From section 33 part of 05.
                               to section 41

Bhagavad-Gita  Discourse between Bhishma
                                Krishna & Arjun part of 06

Vishnu                     Hymn of Vishnu Anushashana
Sahastranama                             part of 13

Vishnu Sahasranama is another great work from Sage Vyas, the extraordinary author of Mahabharata, Puranas and various Stotras.
'Sahasra' means 'a thousand', 'nama' means 'name' and 'Sahasranam' means 'having thousand names'. Hence Vishnu Sahasranama means Lord Vishnu’s thousand names.