The Thousand Names of Lord Vishnu is the strongest hymn to the Supreme Self. For this video, I connected the sacred voice of M. S. Subbulakshmi with a visual journey through the ten avatars of Vishnu, and created the English translation and subtitles with devotion to the meaning of the hymn. Ten avatars. A thousand names. One presence moving through all existence.

Vishnu Sahasranamam

I meditate on Vishnu: clothed in white, moon-bright,
four-armed, serene; may all obstacles fall into peace.

I bow to Vyasa, pure sage: born of Parashara, grandson
of Shakti, son of the lineage of Vasistha.

I bow to Vyasa, treasure of austerity; Vyasa is
Vishnu’s form, and Vishnu shines through Vyasa.

Again and again, reverence: to the changeless, pure,
eternal Supreme Self; to Vishnu, ever victorious.

By the mere remembrance of Him, the bondage of birth
and becoming is released. I bow to Vishnu, the source
of all becoming.

Om. Reverence to Vishnu, the all-pervading source.
Vaishampayana said: having heard all the sacred
dharmas…

Yudhishthira, still seeking the highest good, asked
again with a mind turned toward truth.

Who is the one deity in the world? What is the one
supreme refuge? By praising whom does the human being
reach the auspicious?

Which dharma is highest among all dharmas? By repeating
what does a being cross the bondage of birth and death?

Bhishma said: Praise the Lord of the universe, the God
of gods, the infinite Supreme Person.

With the thousand names, let one praise Him, always
awake in the heart; worship that imperishable Person
with devotion.

Adore Him, praise Him, bow to Him: Vishnu, without
beginning or end, the great Lord of all worlds.

Who praises the Lord of the worlds is carried beyond
sorrow. He protects dharma and increases the glory of
all beings.

He is Lord of the worlds, the great Being, the origin
of all beings. Among all dharmas, devotion to Him is
held supreme.

With devotion, one praises the lotus-eyed One, whose
radiance, power, and austerity are beyond measure.

He is the highest Brahman, the highest refuge, the
purity of all that is pure.

He is the auspiciousness within all auspicious things,
the God of gods, the eternal Father of beings.

From Him all beings arise at the dawn of the age; into
Him they return when the age dissolves.

O king, listen to the thousand names of Vishnu, Lord of
the universe; they remove sin and fear.

I shall speak the celebrated names of the great One,
praised by the seers, for the good of all beings.

For this hymn of Vishnu’s thousand names, the great
sage Vyasa is the seer; the meter is Anushtubh; the
deity is the Lord.

The seed is the immortal moon-born light; the power is
Devaki’s child; the heart is the triple chant, used for
peace.

I bow to Vishnu, Jishnu, Maha-Vishnu, Prabhavishnu,
Maheshvara: the many-formed One who ends the demonic
darkness.

I bow to the Supreme Person. Thus begins the sacred
great mantra of the divine thousand names of Vishnu.

The seer is blessed Veda Vyasa; the meter is Anushtubh;
the deity is Sri Maha Vishnu, the Supreme Self,
Narayana.

The seed is ‘born of the immortal ray’; the power is
‘Devaki’s son, creator of worlds.’

The supreme mantra is ‘the One who arises, stirs, and
illumines’; the lock is the conch, sword, mace, and
discus.

The weapon is the bow, the mace, the divine hand, and
the unshakable protection of the eternal eye.

The armor is the sacred triple chant; the source is
bliss, the Supreme Brahman; the directions are sealed
by the wheel of vision.

Meditation is on the universal form. For the love of
Sri Maha Vishnu, the recitation of the thousand names
is offered.

Meditation: In the pure jeweled region, on sands bright
like pearls, the Lord is seated in stillness.

Garlanded in pearls, radiant like crystal, He shines
with ornaments of luminous clarity.

From pure white clouds above, streams of nectar fall
like rain.

Mukunda, the giver of bliss, holds lotus, mace, conch,
and discus; the universe rests in His presence.

The earth is His feet, the sky His navel, the wind His
breath, sun and moon His eyes.

The directions are His ears, heaven His head, fire His
mouth, the ocean His garment.

Within Him the whole universe moves: gods, humans,
birds, serpents, gandharvas, and beings of every realm.
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.

I bow to Him of peaceful form, reclining upon the
serpent, lotus-naveled, Lord of the gods.

Foundation of the universe, vast as the sky, cloud-
dark, beautiful-limbed; beloved of Lakshmi, lotus-eyed,
known in meditation.

I bow to Vishnu, destroyer of the fear of becoming,
sole Lord of all worlds; dark as a raincloud, robed in
yellow silk.

Marked by Srivatsa, shining with Kaustubha jewel,
lotus-eyed, I bow to Vishnu, the one Lord of all
worlds.

Salutations to the origin of all beings, the support of
the earth, the many-formed Vishnu, source of all
becoming.

With conch, discus, crown, earrings, yellow garments,
and lotus eyes, He appears as the beautiful four-armed
Lord.

With the Kaustubha jewel shining upon His chest, I bow
my head to Vishnu of the four arms.

Under the shade of the celestial Parijata tree, upon a
golden throne, He sits resplendent.

Dark as a raincloud, wide-eyed, adorned; moon-faced,
four-armed, Srivatsa shining upon His breast.

With Rukmini and Satyabhama beside Him, I take refuge
in Krishna. Now the thousand names begin: Vishvam.

He is the universe; Vishnu, the sacred call; Lord of
past, present, and future; creator, sustainer, and
inner becoming.

Pure Self, Supreme Self, final refuge of the liberated;
imperishable Person, witness, knower of the field,
undying.

He is Yoga, Lord of those who know yoga, leader of the
wise, Lord of primordial nature and spirit.

Man-lion in form, glorious Keshava, Supreme Person;
all, beneficent, auspicious, steady, source and
treasure of beings.

Self-born, giver of existence, sustainer, Lord, source,
master, radiant sun, lotus-eyed.

Beginningless and endless, creator and ordainer,
supreme support; immeasurable, Lord of the senses,
lotus-naveled, immortal Lord.

Maker of the universe, primal mind, cosmic artisan; the
vast, the enduring, the firm.

Unseizable, eternal, dark and red-eyed, abundance
itself; threefold abode, purifier, supreme
auspiciousness.

Lord, giver of life, life itself; eldest and best; Lord
of creatures; golden womb, earth’s womb, Madhava,
slayer of Madhu.

Sovereign, mighty, archer, wise, wide-striding,
disciplined, invincible, grateful, firm in action.

Lord of the gods, refuge, shelter, seed of the
universe, origin of beings; time, year, witness, the
all-seeing.

Unborn, Lord of all, accomplished, source of
perfection, unfailing; immeasurable Self, released from
every bondage of yoga.

Abode, generous-minded, truth, equal Self, balanced and
complete; unfailing lotus-eyed One, righteous in deed
and form.

Rudra, many-headed Lord, source of the universe, pure
one; immortal, eternal, steady, beautiful, great in
austerity.

All-pervading, all-knowing, subtle; commander of the
cosmic hosts, remover of distress; the Veda, knower of
the Veda, poet.

Lord of the worlds, Lord of the gods, Lord of dharma,
maker of what is and what is yet to be.

Fourfold Self, fourfold manifestation, four-fanged,
four-armed: the divine form unfolding in all
directions.

Radiant, nourishment, enjoyer, patient, first-born of
the world; stainless, victorious, conqueror, womb of
the universe, renewing light.

Upendra, Vamana, the vast one; Rama of inexhaustible
power.

Beyond the senses, gatherer, creator, steadfast Self,
rule and restraint; knowable, healer, ever-yoked,
destroyer of hostile force.

Beyond sense, great illusion, great enthusiasm, great
strength; great intelligence, great courage, great
power, great radiance.

Of indescribable form, glorious, immeasurable Self,
vast in light; great archer, supporter of earth,
dwelling of Sri, path of the good.

Aniruddha, joy of the gods, Govinda, Lord of those who
know; ray, subduer, swan, celestial eagle, highest
serpent.

Golden-naveled, austere, lotus-naveled, Lord of beings.

Deathless, all-seeing, lion, unifier, firm in union,
stable; unborn, hard to conquer, sovereign.

Renowned Self, destroyer of enemies; teacher, greatest
teacher, abode, truth, true in valor.

Unblinking and blinking, garlanded, lord of speech,
generous-minded; leader, guide, glorious one, justice,
mover as the wind.

Thousand-headed universal Self, thousand-eyed,
thousand-footed; turning the wheel, withdrawn Self,
enveloping, powerful.

He who dissolves and renews, support of the earth;
gracious, serene Self, holder of the universe, all-
pervading.

Honorer of the good, honored by the good, holy one;
Narayana, the human and the path beyond the human.

Innumerable, immeasurable Self, distinguished, maker of
the noble, pure.

Whose aim is fulfilled, whose will is fulfilled; source
of perfection, means of perfection; bull of dharma,
upholder of the path.

He increases and grows; clear hearing and pure
foundation; strong-armed, difficult to bear, eloquent,
great Indra, giver of wealth.

Of many forms and vast forms, light entering all;
strength, brilliance, splendor, illumination, Self of
light.

Ancient, clear syllable, mantra; moon-ray, sun-
radiance.

Born of the immortal ray, sun, moon-point, Lord of the
gods; medicine, bridge of the world, power of true
dharma.

Lord of past, present, and becoming; purifier,
purifying fire; destroyer of selfish craving, beloved
of love, source and Lord of desire.

Lord of the ages, turner of the yugas; master of many
mysteries, great nourisher; unseen, unmanifest,
conqueror of thousands, endless victor.

Beloved, excellent, cherished by the noble; crested
one, strong-bowed, Lord of the earth; destroyer of
anger, maker and bearer of the world.

Unfailing, renowned, life-breath, giver of life,
younger brother of the Vasus; foundation of waters,
steady, established.

Skanda, bearer of Skanda, leader, giver of boons,
vehicle of the wind; Vasudeva, great radiance, primal
god, destroyer of cities.

Free from sorrow, ferry, savior, heroic, Lord of
peoples; friendly, hundred-turning, lotus-bearing,
lotus-eyed.

Lotus-naveled, lotus-eyed, lotus-wombed, bearer of the
body; great prosperity, ancient Self, great-eyed,
bannered by Garuda.

Incomparable, fierce, awe-inspiring, sacrifice itself,
bearer of offerings; marked by every sign, possessor of
Lakshmi, victor in battle.

Unfading, red, the path, the cause, Damodara; bearer of
earth, greatly blessed, swift, immeasurably powerful.

Origin, stirrer of the depths, divine, womb of Sri,
supreme Lord; cause, causal ground, maker, transformer,
hidden mystery.

Resolution, foundation, abiding place, giver of place,
unshakable; supreme radiance, clear, contented,
nourished, auspicious-eyed.

Rama, rest and delight; the path, the guide, and the
law of inner order; heroic, most powerful, knower of
dharma.

Vaikuntha, life of the Person, giver of life, sacred
sound; golden womb, enemy-destroyer, all-pervading,
beyond sense perception.

Season, beautiful wheel, maker, supreme seat, receiver;
fierce, subtle, skillful, repose, giver of all.

Vast, immovable, steady; measure, imperishable seed;
meaning and beyond meaning; great treasure, great
enjoyment, great wealth.

Never weary, vast, earth itself; pillar of dharma,
great sacrifice; wheel of the stars, star-bearer,
patient, forgiving.

Sacrifice, the worshiped, the great worship, rite,
offering, refuge of the good.

All-seeing, liberated Self; all knowledge, supreme
meditation.

Good vow, beautiful face, subtle one, pleasing voice,
giver of happiness; mind-enchanter, conqueror of anger,
mighty-armed, tearer of darkness.

Dreamer, self-ruled, all-pervading, many-souled, doer
of many works; tender, loving, treasure-lord of jewels.

Maker and knower of dharma; the real and unreal, the
perishable and imperishable; unknown, thousand-rayed,
ordainer of the rite.

Rim of radiance, essence, lion, great Lord of beings;
primal deity, great god, Lord of gods, teacher of the
gods.

The highest, protector of cows and earth, guardian,
reached by knowledge, ancient one; embodied in the
body, enjoyer of offerings.

Great giver, drinker of Soma, nectar-drinker, purifier;
conqueror of worlds, supreme Person; humble,
victorious, true to the vow.

Lord of the Satvatas; life, guide, witness, Mukunda,
measured in mighty steps; ocean-depth, endless Self.

Resting in the great ocean, ender of darkness; unborn,
venerable, naturally divine, conqueror of enemies,
bringer of joy.

Bliss, giver of joy, truth of dharma, Trivikrama; great
sage Kapila, teacher, grateful knower, Lord of earth.

Three-footed, Lord of the thirty gods, great-horned,
maker of the rite; great Boar, Govinda, well-armed,
golden-limbed.

Deep, profound, hidden; bearer of discus and mace;
creator, self-formed, unconquered, Krishna, firm,
Sankarshana, unfailing.

Varuna, tree of life, lotus-eyed, great-minded; blessed
Lord, joyous, garlanded with forest flowers, wielder of
the plough.

Sun, inner light, radiant Aditya, patient, highest
course; good archer, sharp sword, purifier, giver of
wealth.

Touching heaven, all-seeing, Vyasa, lord of speech,
self-born; triple chant, singer of Sama, Sama itself.

Nirvana, medicine, physician; renunciate, restraint,
peace, foundation, supreme goal of peace.

Beautiful-limbed, giver of peace, creator; lotus-
loving, protector of beings, guardian of the earth,
bull-eyed, lover of dharma.

Unreturning, withdrawn Self, concise essence, welfare-
giver, auspicious; Srivatsa on His chest, dwelling of
Sri, Lord of Sri.

Best among the glorious, giver of Sri, Lord of Sri,
abode and treasure of Sri, revealer of abundance.

Bearer of Sri, maker of fortune, refuge of the three
worlds; beautiful-eyed, beautiful-limbed, joy, light,
lord of hosts.

Conquered self, disciplined self, good fame, free from
doubt; life-giver, enemy of darkness, eternal and
steady.

Ornament and adorned one, abundance itself; sorrowless,
destroyer of sorrow; radiant, pure vessel, purified
Self, purifier.

Unobstructed, undefeatable, Pradyumna, measured in
courage; destroyer of time’s snare, heroic Lord, Lord
of the universe and peoples.

Self of the three worlds, Lord of the three worlds;
Keshava, slayer of Kesi, remover of ignorance.

God of love, protector and beloved of love, fulfiller
of longing; of indescribable form, Vishnu, hero,
endless, victory itself.

Friend of Brahman, Brahman itself, knower and increaser
of Brahman.

Knower of sacred wisdom, beloved of the wise and the
gentle.

Great action, great doer, great radiance, great
serpent; great rite, great sacrificer, great sacrifice,
great offering.

Worthy of praise, lover of praise, hymn, praise itself,
beloved of the one who praises; fullness, fulfiller,
holy one.

Famed in holiness, free from sickness; swift as mind,
crossing beyond; giver of treasure and abundance.

Giver of wealth, Vasudeva, treasure, generous-minded,
offering itself; good path, good action, truth, good
being, supreme refuge of the good.

Hero of the Yadus, noble dwelling, blessed by Yamuna;
abode of beings, Vasudeva, resting place of all life,
fire within.

Pride and giver of pride, hard to conquer, hard to
hold, never defeated; universal form, great form,
shining form, formless.

Many-formed, unmanifest, hundred-formed, hundred-faced;
one and many; the supreme word beyond all words.

Friend of the world, Lord of the world, Madhava, tender
to devotees; golden-hued, golden-limbed, beautiful-
limbed, sandal-adorned.

Destroyer of heroes, fullness of the universe,
inexhaustible, eater of offerings; moving and unmoving;
humble, giver of honor, honored.

Lord of the worlds, support of the three worlds; wise
guide, blessed intelligence, truth-minded, bearer of
earth.

Shower of light, bearer of brilliance, sustainer of all
weapons and strength; controller, restrainer, intensely
active, single-horned, elder of Garuda.

Four-formed, four-armed, fourfold manifestation,
fourfold destiny.

Fourfold Self, source of four states, knower of the
four Vedas, one-footed support; turner of cycles,
withdrawn Self, unconquerable.

Hard to attain, hard to cross, fortress and refuge;
beautiful-limbed, essence of the world, fine thread,
grower of the thread of life.

Worker of Indra, great worker, doer of what must be
done; source, beautiful in beauty, jewel-naveled,
lovely-eyed.

Afflicted ones’ refuge, food and giver of food, horned
victor, all-knowing conqueror; golden-point,
imperishable, Lord of all speech.

Great lake, great pit, great being, great treasure;
lotus, jasmine, rain-cloud, purifier, wind.

Nectar-eater, immortal-bodied, all-knower, facing all
directions; easy to reach, kind vow, conqueror of
enemies, burner of hostility.

Banyan, fig, sacred tree, steady refuge, destroyer of
the enemy within.

Thousand-rayed, seven-tongued fire, seven-flamed,
seven-carried; formless, sinless, unthinkable,
fearless, destroyer of fear.

Subtle as the atom, vast, fine, and immense; beyond
qualities yet great; self-sustained, ancient lineage,
increaser of lineage.

Bearer of the burden, praised one, yogi, Lord of yogis,
giver of every true desire; shelter, ascetic, patient,
eagle-winged, wind-borne.

Bearer of the bow, knower of the bow, discipline, the
tamer and restraint; undefeated, all-enduring,
controller, rule and self-control.

Possessor of truth, truth itself, devoted to true
dharma; intention, beloved meaning, worthy one.

Beloved action, ever-growing; path through the sky,
light, beauty, purity, all-pervading.

Sun, shining one, source of light, all-seeing eye;
endless one, enjoyer of offerings, giver of happiness,
unborn first principle.

Never despondent, always forgiving; foundation of
worlds, wondrous; ancient, more ancient than the
ancient, Kapila, imperishable.

Giver of well-being, maker of well-being, well-being
itself, enjoyer of well-being, giver of auspicious
offering.

Gentle yet powerful, crowned, discus-bearing, mighty,
ruler of strength; beyond sound, essence of sound, cool
as moonlight.

Not cruel, tender, skillful, generous, patient, best of
the wise; free from fear, famed through sacred hearing.

Deliverer, destroyer of wrongdoing, holy one, destroyer
of bad dreams; heroic protector, sustainer of life.

Endless in form, endless glory, conqueror of anger,
remover of fear; four-cornered, deep Self, direction
and beyond direction.

Beginningless, earth, world, Lakshmi; great hero with
beautiful limbs, generator and source of beings, awe-
inspiring in power.

Support and dwelling, ordainer, flower-like radiance,
ever-awake; upward-moving, established in truth, giver
of life, sacred sound.

Measure, abode of life, bearer and protector of life;
truth, knower of truth, one Self beyond birth, death,
and age.

Earth, atmosphere, heaven; the crossing tree, the
savior, the sun, the great progenitor; sacrifice, Lord
of sacrifice, worshiper and offering.

Limb of sacrifice, vehicle of sacrifice; bearer, maker,
enjoyer, and fulfiller of sacrifice.

Ender and lord of sacrifice; food and eater of food;
Self-born, self-grounded, singer of the Sama.

Son of Devaki, creator, Lord of the earth, destroyer of
sin; bearer of conch, sword, discus, bow, and mace.

Wheel-handed, unshakable, armed with every weapon. Om:
He is armed with all means of protection.

Garlanded with forest flowers, bearing conch, discus,
bow, and mace: may glorious Narayana, Vishnu, Vasudeva
protect us.

Garlanded with forest flowers, bearing conch, discus,
bow, and mace: may glorious Narayana, Vishnu, Vasudeva
protect us.

Garlanded with forest flowers, bearing conch, discus,
bow, and mace: may glorious Narayana, Vishnu, Vasudeva
protect us.

Thus has been sung the divine thousand names of the
great Keshava, complete and inexhaustible.

Whoever hears or recites this daily receives no
inauspiciousness here or beyond.

The seeker of wisdom becomes established in sacred
knowledge; the warrior becomes victorious.

The merchant gains abundance; the worker gains
happiness. One seeking dharma receives dharma.

One seeking wealth receives wealth; one seeking love
receives love; one seeking children receives children.

Rising with devotion, purified, mind resting in Him,
one recites the thousand names of Vasudeva.

Such a person gains great honor and rises into true
excellence.

They obtain steady prosperity and the highest good.

No fear touches them; strength, radiance, health,
beauty, and noble qualities arise.

The sick are released from illness; the bound are
released from bondage.

The fearful are freed from fear; the troubled cross
their difficulties by turning to the Supreme Person.

Who daily sings these thousand names with devotion
becomes sheltered in Vasudeva and devoted to Vasudeva.

Purified of all sin, the soul reaches the eternal
Brahman.

For devotees of Vasudeva, nothing truly inauspicious
remains; the fear of birth, death, age, and disease
falls away.

Who studies this hymn with faith and devotion is joined
to inner happiness, patience, wealth, steadiness,
memory, and good name.

No anger, envy, greed, or corrupted mind remains in
those whose merit is rooted in devotion to the Supreme
Person.

Heaven, moon, sun, stars, directions, earth, and great
ocean are upheld by the power of Vasudeva.

Gods, demons, gandharvas, yakshas, serpents, and beings
of shadow — the moving and unmoving world rests in
Krishna.

The senses, mind, intellect, life-force, brilliance,
strength, and courage are said to be forms of Vasudeva.

All sacred traditions begin with conduct; dharma arises
from conduct, and Achyuta is the source of dharma.

Seers, ancestors, gods, elements, and all moving and
unmoving beings arise from Narayana.

Yoga, knowledge, Sankhya, sciences, arts, works, Vedas,
scriptures, and wisdom — all arise from Janardana.

Vishnu alone is the great Being; many are the beings,
yet He pervades them all as their inner Self.

This hymn of blessed Vishnu, composed by Vyasa, is for
the one who seeks welfare and happiness.

Those who worship the unborn, imperishable, lotus-eyed
Lord of the universe do not meet defeat. Om. Arjuna
said:

O lotus-eyed, lotus-naveled Janardana, protector of
devoted hearts, be the guardian of those who love You.

The Lord said: Whoever wishes to praise Me with the
thousand names, O Pandava, praises Me even in one
verse.

There is no doubt: I am praised by that too. Om. Vyasa
said: the three worlds are pervaded by Vasudeva.

O Vasudeva, dwelling place of all beings, reverence to
You. Om. Parvati asked:

By what easy means can the thousand names of Vishnu be
recited daily by the wise? Tell me, Lord.

Ishvara said: By chanting ‘Sri Rama, Rama, Rama,’ the
mind delights in Rama.

O beautiful one, the name of Rama is equal to the
thousand names.

Rama, Rama, Rama — the heart rests in Rama; the name
itself becomes the thousand names.

Om. Brahma said: Salutations to the endless One of a
thousand forms.

A thousand feet, eyes, heads, thighs, and arms; eternal
Person of a thousand names, bearer of countless ages.

Bearer of countless ages, reverence. Sanjaya said:
Where Krishna, Lord of yoga, is present…

…and where Arjuna, the archer, stands, there are
prosperity, victory, glory, and firm wisdom. This is my
conviction.

The blessed Lord said: Those who meditate on Me alone
and worship Me with undivided attention…

…to those ever-united ones, I carry what they lack
and preserve what they have; I manifest age after age.

For the protection of the good, the destruction of
corruption, and the restoration of dharma, I arise age
after age.

Those afflicted, sorrowful, afraid, or surrounded by
danger and disease — by the name Narayana, may they be
freed.

Whatever I do by body, speech, mind, senses, intellect,
or by nature itself, I offer it all to Supreme
Narayana.

The Ten Avatars

Matsya

Kurma

Varaha

Narasimha

Vamana

Parashurama

Rama

Balarama

Buddha

Kalki