Vishnu Sahasranama Stotra 43 with Audio
from Anushasana Parva of Mahabharatha
Based on Poojya Bannanje Govidacharya's Discourse in Kannada

395) Rāmaḥ - ರಾಮಃ

The name Rāma has many meanings in the scriptures. ‘Rā + amaḥ’ - 'ರಾ+ಅಮಃ' means one who is of infinite blissful nature and who shares that bliss with all. This divine quality of the Lord is clearly seen in the Rāma incarnation. In the Rāma incarnation, the Lord never acted in a way that would hurt others. Even when everyone was furious at Kaikeyi, who was the cause for sending Him to the forest, Lord Rāma did not utter a single harsh word. Instead, He said, “If I have committed any offense unknowingly, kindly forgive me,” and left for the forest. Such a rare incarnation, which demonstrated sacrifice for the happiness of others, is the Rāma incarnation.

As the consort of Lakshmi (Ramā), the Lord in this incarnation demonstrated the ideal way married life should be between husband and wife, how the love between brothers should be, and how the relationship between father, mother, and children ought to be.

‘Raṁ + ama’ - ರಂ+ಅಮ — here, Raṁ is the seed syllable of fire (agni-bīja), and ama means ignorance. Therefore, Rāma means "the power that burns away ignorance." Hence, through constant chanting of the name Rāma, our ignorance and bad qualities are burned away.

396) Virāmaḥ - ವಿರಾಮಃ

The power that expresses itself differently in each individual, behaves uniquely in each incarnation, and distributes bliss in a variety of ways is Virāmaḥ.

Vira + amaḥ - ವಿರ+ಆಮಃ; here, vira means those who are eligible for liberation (mukti-yogya); amaḥ means knowledge.

The Lord who bestows complete knowledge to those eligible for liberation and uplifts them is Virāmaḥ.

397) Virajaḥ - ವಿರಜಃ

Raja - 'ರಜ' means impurity or filth. Virajaḥ means that which is eternally pure, untouched by any impurity.

A perfect example of this is fire. Fire is always supremely pure, and whatever substance is offered into fire becomes purified.

If fire — which is itself a creation of the Lord — must possess such a purifying quality, then we can imagine how infinitely pure the Lord Himself must be.

Thus, the Lord who is never impure and is eternally of pure nature is Virajaḥ.

398) Mārgaḥ - ಮಾರ್ಗಃ

Here, Mārgaḥ means "that which is sought after" — the object of search or pursuit.

He is the one whom everyone is searching for.

The Lord is Mārgaḥ — the one who cannot be fully grasped even by the Vedas, who remains incompletely understood even by the deities devoted to the Vedas, and who continues to elude full comprehension no matter how much one searches for Him.

399) Neyaḥ - ನೇಯಃ

No matter how much one searches, the Lord cannot be found — but when His devotees call upon Him with devotion, He comes near and offers guidance.

Such a Lord, who resides in the center of the lotus of the heart (hṛt-kamala madhya), is Neyaḥ.

399) Neyaḥ - ನಯಃ

The Lord, who cannot be found no matter how much one searches, comes willingly when His devotees call upon Him with devotion.

Such a Lord, who resides in the center of the lotus of the heart (hṛt-kamala madhya), is Neyaḥ

401) Anayaḥ - ಅನಯಃ

The Lord who controls everyone, who cannot be grasped by the ignorant, who is always like a child in the presence of the wise, who is not bound by anyone’s rules and regulations, and who is bound only by His own divine principles — such a Lord is Anayaḥ.

402) Vīraḥ - ವೀರಃ

The one who, with His valor, can subdue the entire universe is Vīraḥ.

When this name is broken down, it becomes Vī + īra - ವೀ+ಈರ.

Vī means special or distinct. Therefore, Vīraḥ is the Lord who inspires even those who have attained extraordinary knowledge — the apara-okṣa jñānis (those with direct realization).

Īra refers to Prāṇa Deva (the life force deity) who stands at the highest place among the realized souls.

The Lord who grants this exalted position of knowledge to such Prāṇa Deva is Vīraḥ.

The deity Garuḍa, who is the beloved of all Vedas, is called Vī (bird). To understand the Lord who arrives on Garuḍa — the one who is realized through the Vedas — one must first understand the Vedas.

Such is the Lord known as Vīraḥ.

403) Śaktimatāṁ Śreṣṭhaḥ - ಶಕ್ತಿಮತಾಂ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠಃ

The Lord is the source of all powers (śaktis) in the universe. Be it financial power, physical strength, intellectual power, or manpower — any form of power we possess has been granted to us by the Lord.

Unlike our powers, the Lord’s power is not external. It is inherent to His very nature — eternal, infinite, and unchanging.

We live with pride in the powers given to us by the Lord, but none of our powers are permanent.

Even one who conquers the whole world must one day be defeated by death.

The Lord’s wheel of time (kāla chakra) does not spare even great deities like Brahmā.

Therefore, our strength is momentary.

Thus, the one who is greater than all the powerful, the original embodiment of power — that Supreme Lord is Śaktimatāṁ Śreṣṭhaḥ.

404) Dharmaḥ - ಧರ್ಮಃ

That which forms the very foundation of our life is Dharma; hence, the true Dharma is the Lord Himself.

The Lord expresses the inherent nature (guṇa) of a thing — not a quality that is absent in it.

Diversity is a natural function of creation.

The Lord, who created the universe in alignment with the inherent qualities of each object, is Dharmaḥ.

405) Dharmaviduttamaḥ - ಧರ್ಮವಿದುತ್ತಮಃ

The one who truly knows Dharma is only the Lord.

Because Dharma is bound by time — what is Dharma in one era can be Adharma in another.

What is Dharma for one person might be Adharma for another, and what is Dharma in one country could be Adharma in another.

Therefore, it is not possible to define Dharma universally.

There is no fixed standard for Dharma.

It cannot be determined by outward appearance.

Any action that draws our mind toward the Lord is Dharma.

Any action that makes us forget the Lord is Adharma.

In the Mahābhārata, we see how Śrī Krishna uniquely clarified the concept of Dharma to everyone.

For instance, the idea that telling a lie for the welfare of another is not Adharma but Dharma — this was unknown until Krishna Himself explained it.

Among those who know Dharma, the greatest is the Lord Himself.

For this reason, the name Dharmaviduttamaḥ (the Supreme Knower of Dharma) is most appropriate for the Lord.