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Vishnu Sahasranamam

1000 names of Lord Vishnu — with Sanskrit roots and English meanings

By VedaLingo · Updated August 2026

The Vishnu Sahasranamam (विष्णु सहस्रनाम — Viṣṇu Sahasranāma, literally "a thousand names of Vishnu") is one of the most sacred texts in Hinduism. It appears in the Mahabharata's Anushasana Parva, where the dying Bhishma recites it to Yudhishthira as the highest path to liberation.

Across India, the Sahasranamam is recited daily in homes and temples — each name a meditation on a different facet of the infinite. Below, we explain the first 108 names with their Sanskrit roots and English meanings — so you understand not just what you are chanting, but why.

The story:On the Kurukshetra battlefield, Bhishma lay mortally wounded on his bed of arrows. Yudhishthira approached and asked: "What is the highest good for mankind?" Bhishma's answer was to recite the thousand names of Vishnu — because he who hears or chants these names is freed from all sins.

First 108 Names — Detailed Meanings

Names 1–108 with Sanskrit roots. This guide will be expanded with all 1000 names.

#	Name	Devanagari	Meaning	Sanskrit Root
1	Viśvam	विश्वम्	The universe — all that exists	viś (to enter, pervade) — He who pervades everything
2	Viṣṇu	विष्णु	All-pervading — He who pervades the universe	viś (to pervade) — "yasya triṣu vikrameṣu" — the three strides
3	Vaṣaṭkāra	वषट्कार	He invoked in Vedic sacrifice by "Vashat"	vaṣaṭ (a Vedic exclamation in offerings)
4	Bhūtabhavyabhavatprabhu	भूतभव्यभवत्प्रभु	Lord of past, future, and present	bhūta (past) + bhavya (future) + bhavat (present) + prabhu (lord)
5	Bhūtakṛt	भूतकृत्	Creator of all beings	bhūta (being) + kṛt (maker, creator)
6	Bhūtabhṛt	भूतभृत्	Sustainer of all beings	bhūta + bhṛt (bearer, nourisher)
7	Bhāva	भाव	Existence itself, the one who is	bhū (to be) — the ground of being
8	Bhūta	भूत	He who exists — the real	bhū (to be, to become)
9	Bhavana	भवन	The one who causes all to exist	bhū (to be) + ana (causing)
10	Patatī	पतती	He who purifies — the purifier	pū (to purify) — He who purifies those who remember Him
11	Pāvana	पावन	The purifier, the sanctifier	pū (to purify) — Pavana (wind god) and Vishnu both purify
12	Anala	अनल	He who is of unfailing energy — fire	an (not) + ala (enough) — inexhaustible energy
13	Āyuṣmān	आयुष्मान्	He who is endowed with eternal life	āyus (life, lifespan) + mān (possessor)
14	Vibhu	विभु	All-pervading, omnipresent	vi (widely) + bhu (to be) — being everywhere
15	Sati	सति	The real, the existing one	sat (being, reality, truth)
16	Surākṣa	सुराक्ष	Protector of the gods	sura (god) + rakṣa (protection)
17	Kṣitīśa	क्षितीश	Lord of the earth	kṣiti (earth) + īśa (lord)
18	Sarvaśaktimān	सर्वशक्तिमान्	All-powerful — possessing all energies	sarva (all) + śakti (power) + mān (possessor)
19	Sarvaśreṣṭha	सर्वश्रेष्ठ	The best and greatest among all	sarva (all) + śreṣṭha (best, supreme)
20	Siṃha	सिंह	The lion — courage and sovereignty	siṃha (lion) — Narasimha avatar
21	Suvarṇabindu	सुवर्णबिन्दु	He of golden drops	suvarṇa (gold) + bindu (drop, point)
22	Ākṣobhya	अक्षोभ्य	Unshakeable, unperturbed	a (not) + kṣubhya (to be agitated)
23	Sarvaprāṇin	सर्वप्राणिन्	The soul of all living beings	sarva + prāṇin (living being, breather)
24	Kaviḥ	कविः	The omniscient poet-sage	kavi (seer, poet) — sees what others cannot
25	Lokanātha	लोकनाथ	Lord of the worlds	loka (world) + nātha (lord, master)
26	Vedāntaga	वेदान्तग	He who knows the end of the Vedas (Vedanta)	Veda + anta (end) + ga (one who goes, knows)
27	Mahābhāga	महाभाग	The greatly fortunate and glorious	mahā + bhāga (fortune, share of glory)
28	Abhigamya	अभिगम्य	He who is approachable — easy to reach	abhi (towards) + gam (to go) — reachable by devotion
29	Sadharmā	सधर्मा	He who upholds dharma — the righteous	sa (with) + dharma (order, righteousness)
30	Uttara	उत्तर	The superior, the one who lifts — saviour	ut (up) + tṛ (to cross, to carry) — He who carries across
31	Gopati	गोपति	Lord of cows, lord of the earth	go (cow, earth, speech) + pati (lord)
32	Govinda	गोविन्द	Finder of cows — joy of the cowherds	go (cows, earth) + vinda (finder, giver of joy)
33	Marīci	मरीचि	Ray of light — the effulgent one	marīci (ray of light, luminescence)
34	Damana	दमन	Controller, subduer of the wicked	dam (to tame, subdue)
35	Haṃsa	हंस	Swan — purity and discrimination	haṃsa (swan, goose) — He who separates good from evil
36	Suparṇa	सुपर्ण	He of beautiful wings — Garuda	su (beautiful) + parṇa (wing, leaf)
37	Bhujagottama	भुजगोत्तम	Supreme among serpents — Shesha Naga	bhujaga (serpent) + uttama (highest, best)
38	Hiraṇyanābha	हिरण्यनाभ	He of the golden navel — source of creation	hiraṇya (gold) + nābha (navel, hub)
39	Sutapā	सुतपा	He of perfect austerity	su (good, well) + tapas (austerity)
40	Padmanābha	पद्मनाभ	He from whose navel the lotus (Brahma) arose	padma (lotus) + nābha (navel)
41	Prajāpati	प्रजापति	Lord of all created beings	prajā (created beings, offspring) + pati (lord)
42	Amitya	अमित्य	The immeasurable, the boundless	a (not) + mitya (measured, bounded)
43	Ātmabhū	आत्मभू	Self-born — He who exists by his own will	ātman (self) + bhū (born, existing)
44	Agranī	अग्रणी	The foremost, the one who leads	agra (front, first) + nī (leader)
45	Grāmīṇa	ग्रामीण	He who leads all to liberation	grāma (village, group) + nī (leader, goer)
46	Śreṣṭha	श्रेष्ठ	The best, the most excellent	śreṣṭha (best, greatest)
47	Nyāya	न्याय	Justice — He who embodies perfect logic	nyāya (justice, logic, proper method)
48	Neta	नेत	The guide, the leader of the righteous	nī (to lead) — one who leads on the right path
49	Samarī	समरी	Equal to all — he who treats all equally	sama (equal) + arī — one equal to friend and foe alike
50	Siddha	सिद्ध	The accomplished, the perfect	siddhi (perfection, attainment) — already fulfilled
51	Śuci	शुचि	The pure, the spotless one	śuci (pure, clean, bright)
52	Siddhi	सिद्धि	Perfection, supernatural power	sidh (to succeed, to achieve) — giver of all siddhi
53	Sarvādi	सर्वादि	The beginning of all	sarva (all) + ādi (beginning, first)
54	Acyuta	अच्युत	The infallible — He who never falls	a (not) + cyuta (fallen) — never diminished
55	Vṛṣākapī	वृषाकपि	The boar who is vigorous — Varaha avatar	vṛṣa (rain, vigour) + kapī (boar)
56	Ameyātmā	अमेयात्मा	He whose nature is immeasurable	ameya (immeasurable) + ātman (self, soul)
57	Sarvayogavinissṛta	सर्वयोगविनिस्सृत	He who is free from all entanglements	sarva + yoga + vinissṛta (completely released)
58	Vasur	वसुर्	He who dwells in all — the wealth of all	vas (to dwell, to shine) — dwelling in all hearts
59	Vasumanā	वसुमना	Of pure mind, pure-hearted	vasu (good, pure) + manā (mind)
60	Satya	सत्य	The eternal truth — truth itself	sat (being, truth) + ya (suffix) — the ultimately real
61	Samātmā	समात्मा	He of equal soul — equanimous in all	sama (equal) + ātman (soul)
62	Asammitaḥ	असम्मितः	Incomparable, without equal	a (not) + sammita (comparable, measurable)
63	Sama	सम	Equal, balanced, the same in all	sama (equal, same, level)
64	Amogha	अमोघ	Unfailing — whose grace never fails	a (not) + mogha (fruitless, vain)
65	Puṇḍarīkākṣa	पुण्डरीकाक्ष	Lotus-eyed — with eyes like a white lotus	puṇḍarīka (white lotus) + akṣa (eye)
66	Vṛṣakarman	वृषकर्मन्	He whose actions are righteous	vṛṣa (dharma, righteousness) + karman (action)
67	Vṛṣākṛti	वृषाकृति	He whose form is dharma itself	vṛṣa (dharma) + ākṛti (form, shape)
68	Rudrāṃśa	रुद्रांश	He who contains a part of Rudra	Rudra + aṃśa (portion, part)
69	Viśvarūpa	विश्वरूप	He of the universal form	viśva (universe) + rūpa (form) — shown to Arjuna in the Gita
70	Viśvabhṛt	विश्वभृत्	Sustainer of the universe	viśva + bhṛt (bearer, sustainer)
71	Vibhu	विभु	Omnipresent — present everywhere	vi + bhu (to be widely)
72	Satkartā	सत्कर्ता	He who honours the good and righteous	sat (good) + kartā (doer, one who does)
73	Satkṛta	सत्कृत	Honoured by the good	sat (good) + kṛta (done, honoured)
74	Sādhu	साधु	The holy one, the straightforward	sādh (to accomplish, to be straight) — the truly good
75	Jahnū	जह्नू	He who leaves behind the unrighteous	jah (to leave, abandon) — separates good from wicked
76	Nārāyaṇa	नारायण	He who is the refuge of all beings	nāra (water, beings) + ayana (refuge, abode) — He is the abode
77	Nara	नर	The eternal man — the cosmic person	nara (man, the eternal male principle)
78	Asaṃkhyeya	असंख्येय	He of innumerable names and forms	a (not) + saṃkhyeya (countable)
79	Aprameyātmā	अप्रमेयात्मा	He of the unknowable self	a + prameya (provable, knowable) + ātman
80	Viśiṣṭa	विशिष्ट	The supremely distinct — beyond all	vi + śiṣṭa (distinguished, chosen)
81	Śiṣṭakṛt	शिष्टकृत्	He who creates the disciplined	śiṣṭa (disciplined, learned) + kṛt (maker)
82	Śuci	शुचि	Purity itself	śuci (pure, white, bright)
83	Siddhartha	सिद्धार्थ	He who has achieved all purposes	siddha (achieved) + artha (purpose, meaning)
84	Siddhisaṃkalpa	सिद्धिसंकल्प	He whose intentions are always fulfilled	siddhi (fulfilment) + saṃkalpa (intention, resolve)
85	Siddhida	सिद्धिद	Giver of all accomplishments	siddhi + da (giver)
86	Siddhisādhana	सिद्धिसाधन	The means of all accomplishments	siddhi + sādhana (means, method, tool)
87	Vṛṣāhī	वृषाही	He who is mighty — lord of righteousness	vṛṣa (dharma, rain, mighty bull) + ahī (powerful)
88	Viṣayāśana	विषयाशन	He who consumes the objects of senses	viṣaya (sense-object) + aśana (consuming)
89	Anuttama	अनुत्तम	Beyond the best — unsurpassed	an (not) + uttama (best) — even better than the best
90	Durlabha	दुर्लभ	Difficult to attain — rare	dur (hard) + labha (attainment, gain)
91	Subhāṅga	सुभांग	He of beautiful limbs	su (beautiful, good) + aṅga (limb, part)
92	Lokasāraṅga	लोकसारंग	He who knows the essence of all worlds	loka (world) + sāraṅga (essence, core)
93	Sutantu	सुतन्तु	He of the beautiful thread — weaver of creation	su + tantu (thread, web)
94	Tantuvardhana	तन्तुवर्धन	He who expands the web of creation	tantu + vardhana (growth, expansion)
95	Indrakarman	इन्द्रकर्मन्	He of godly deeds	Indra (chief god) + karman (deeds, action)
96	Mahākarman	महाकर्मन्	He of great deeds	mahā + karman (deeds)
97	Kṛtakarman	कृतकर्मन्	He who accomplishes all deeds	kṛta (accomplished) + karman
98	Kṛtāgama	कृतागम	He who established the scriptures	kṛta (created) + āgama (scriptural tradition)
99	Udbhava	उद्भव	Origin of all — He from whom all arise	ud (up, out) + bhava (arising, becoming)
100	Sundaraḥ	सुन्दरः	The beautiful one	sundara (beautiful, handsome)
101	Sunda	सुन्द	The moist, the cool — refreshing like water	sund (to be pure, to moisten)
102	Ratnanābha	रत्ननाभ	He whose navel is a jewel	ratna (jewel) + nābha (navel)
103	Sulocana	सुलोचन	He of beautiful eyes	su (beautiful) + locana (eye, sight)
104	Arkā	अर्क	The sun — the radiant one	arc (to shine) — Vishnu as solar radiance
105	Vājasana	वाजसन	Giver of food — the nourisher	vāja (food, energy) + sana (giving)
106	Śṛṅgī	शृंगी	He of the single horn — Matsya avatar	śṛṅga (horn) — the fish-avatar who saved Manu
107	Jayanta	जयन्त	The victorious — He who conquers all	jaya (victory) + anta (end) — always victorious
108	Sarvavijjayin	सर्वविज्जयिन्	Conqueror of all	sarva (all) + vijjayin (conqueror)

Most Important Names Explained

Viṣṇu (विष्णु) — "He who pervades" — from the root viś (to enter, to pervade). The very first theological name in the Sahasranamam. Vishnu's three strides (Trivikrama/Vamana avatar) traversed the entire universe, establishing his all-pervasiveness.
Nārāyaṇa (नारायण) — "Refuge of all beings" — the 76th name and one of the most philosophically rich. The Narayana Sukta says all beings rest in Narayana as waves rest in the ocean. The Vedanta recognises Narayana as identical with Brahman.
Govinda (गोविन्द) — "Finder of cows, joy of cowherds" — the beloved name of Krishna in his Vrindavan pastimes. The Brahma Samhita opens: govindam ādi-puruṣaṃ tam ahaṃ bhajāmi — "I worship Govinda, the primeval lord."
Acyuta (अच्युत) — "The infallible" — Arjuna addresses Krishna as Acyuta in the Bhagavad Gita. This name carries the assurance that Vishnu never diminishes, never abandons his devotees, never falls from his own nature.
Puṇḍarīkākṣa (पुण्डरीकाक्ष) — "Lotus-eyed" — one of the most beloved names, describing Vishnu's eyes like opened white lotus blossoms. Lotus eyes in Sanskrit literature symbolise infinite compassion and gentle power.

The Phala Shruti — Benefits of Recitation

The Phala Shruti (fruits of listening/reciting) at the end of the Sahasranamam lists what Bhishma promised Yudhishthira: freedom from all sins, long life, victory over enemies, wealth, knowledge, and ultimately moksha. Adi Shankaracharya wrote a famous commentary on the Sahasranamam. Even today, reciting it at dawn or dusk is considered one of the most complete Vishnu pujas possible.

How to Recite the Vishnu Sahasranamam

The traditional format is: Oṃ [name] namaḥ. For example: Oṃ Viśvāya namaḥ · Oṃ Viṣṇave namaḥ · Oṃ Vaṣaṭkārāya namaḥ… A full recitation takes approximately 20–30 minutes. Many devotees recite it with a tulsi mala, offering one bead per name. Friday is considered especially auspicious for Vishnu recitation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Vishnu Sahasranamam?

A Sanskrit hymn listing 1000 names of Vishnu, found in the Anushasana Parva of the Mahabharata. Bhishma recited it to Yudhishthira as the highest path to liberation. It is one of the most widely recited texts in Hinduism.

What does Narayana mean?

Narayana (नारायण) — "He who is the refuge of all beings." From nāra (beings, water) + ayana (abode, refuge). Just as water is the home of fish, Narayana is the home and refuge of all beings.

What does Govinda mean?

Govinda (गोविन्द) — "Finder of cows, joy of cowherds." From go (cows, earth) + vinda (finder). In Krishna's Vrindavan life, he herded cows and brought joy to the community — hence Govinda.

What is the benefit of reciting Vishnu Sahasranamam?

According to Bhishma in the Mahabharata: freedom from sin, long life, victory, prosperity, and ultimately moksha (liberation). The Sahasranamam is considered a complete prayer — each name invoking a different divine quality.

What does Acyuta mean?

Acyuta (अच्युत) — "The infallible, the unfallen." From a (not) + cyuta (fallen). Vishnu never diminishes, never abandons devotees, never loses his perfection. Arjuna addresses Krishna as Acyuta in the Bhagavad Gita.

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