Vishnu Sahasranama Stotra 49 with Audio
from Anushasana Parva of Mahabharatha
Based on Poojya Bannanje Govidacharya's Discourse in Kannada

All the names in this śloka begin with the prefix ‘su’. In the original Vedic invocation, the Lord is addressed using the term ‘svaḥ’ (as in bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ). Therefore, the prefix ‘su’ implies meanings such as beautiful, graceful, full of bliss, well-established, and well-ordered. This meaning applies to all the names that appear in this verse.

457) Suvrataḥ - ಸುವ್ರತಃ

Vrata means a vow, discipline, or a firm spiritual commitment — a regulated action undertaken with self-control and restraint over the senses. There are two kinds of vratas: one undertaken with a desire for a specific result (kāmya vrata), and another done purely for the love and grace of the Lord (niṣkāma vrata). The former, being desire-driven, is discouraged in the scriptures. The latter is purely devotional and selfless — where the devotee desires nothing but the Lord’s affection.

A perfect example of niṣkāma vrata is Prahlāda. When Lord Hari appeared before him and asked him to request a boon, the young boy said, “I did not worship you to gain anything in return. My devotion is not a business transaction!”

The creation, sustenance, and dissolution of the universe are the Lord's niṣkāma vratas. In the Rāmāyaṇa, Lord Śrī Rāma declares:

“Abhayaṁ sarva-bhūtebhyo dadāmi etat vrataṁ mama”

ಅಭಯಂ ಸರ್ವ ಭೂತೇಭ್ಯೋ ದದಾಮಿ ಏತದ್ ವ್ರತಂ ಮಮಃ

– “I grant fearlessness to all beings who seek refuge in me. This is my vow.”

Similarly, in the Gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa says:

“Ananyāś cintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate, teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmyaham”

ಅನನ್ಯಾಶ್ಚಿಂತಯಂತೋ ಮಾಂ ಯೇ ಜನಾಃ ಪರ್ಯುಪಾಸತೇ

ತೇಷಾಂ ನಿತ್ಯಾಭಿಯುಕ್ತಾನಾಂ ಯೋಗಕ್ಷೇಮಂ ವಹಾಮ್ಯಹಮ್

– “Those who worship me with single-minded devotion, I take care of their needs and protect what they have.”

The Lord never retracts His words, nor does He fail in His vows. However, it may take multiple lifetimes for His promises to manifest. Thus, the ever-blissful Lord who undertakes and upholds selfless vows for the protection of His devotees is known as Suvrataḥ – the One of noble and sacred vows.

458) Sumukhaḥ - ಸುಮುಖಃ

By combining the meaning of the prefix ‘su’ (which implies beauty, auspiciousness, bliss, and harmony) with the word ‘mukha’ (meaning face), the nāma Sumukhaḥ refers to the One with a beautiful and pleasing face.

This name highlights the Lord’s enchanting and divine appearance. Especially in His Krishna avatāra, the Lord revealed this form — charming, graceful, and full of bliss — captivating the hearts of all beings with His divine face and smile.

459) Sūkṣmaḥ - ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮಃ

The Lord is of the nature of pure knowledge and bliss (jñānānandamaya). He is subtler than the subtlest and also greater than the greatest (aṇor aṇīyān, mahato mahīyān).

Despite being so subtle and beyond perception, when He wills, He reveals Himself to His devotees. Those who lived during Lord Rāma's time saw Rāma; those who lived during Krishna's time saw Krishna. The righteous and the wicked, scholars and the ignorant, men and women, young and old — all were able to behold Him.

What they truly saw was not merely a physical form but a glimpse of the subtle, transcendental essence that is otherwise invisible to ordinary eyes. This supreme, all-pervading subtle essence is why He is called Sūkṣmaḥ – the Subtle One.

460) Sughoṣaḥ - ಸುಘೋಷಃ

The Lord's voice is exceedingly sweet and powerful. Even the utterances of great sages and divine beings, who incarnate on Earth at His command, carry the resonance of His divine sound.

The power of mantras lies in their sound vibrations (nāda). Mantras are composed with specific intent and infused with spiritual energy to fulfill the desires of the chanter. Behind them lies immense willpower (icchā-śakti).

If the voice of a devotee can carry such strength and energy, then the sound and willpower of the Lord are far beyond human comprehension.

All the sounds in the world — be it birds chirping, animals calling, the babble of a stream, the roar of the ocean, the whistle of the wind, or the rustle of leaves — are ultimately praising the Lord. Every sound, every language, every vibration in this universe glorifies Him. Hence, the Lord is called Sughoṣaḥ – the One whose sound is auspicious, beautiful, and pervades all creation.

461) Sukhadaḥ - ಸುಖದಃ

Just listening about the Lord brings joy. Contemplating upon the Lord, who is the embodiment of bliss (ānandamaya), fills us with that very same bliss. He is an ocean of joy (ānanda sāgara), and those who reach Him are immersed in that ocean of divine happiness.

In another sense, the name also means “the One who grants (or contemplates) true happiness.” For those who walk the path of falsehood, He may seem to take away worldly pleasures, but in truth, He is leading them toward liberation by allowing them to experience the transient nature of mixed joy and sorrow.

Thus, the Lord is called Sukhadaḥ – the Giver of Bliss, both by bestowing divine joy and by guiding souls toward ultimate freedom through life’s lessons.

462) Suhṛt - ಸುಹೃತ್

The Lord is the dearest and truest friend of all living beings. Even the difficulties He gives us are ultimately for our own good, often in ways we may not understand in the moment.

His benevolence and grace are immeasurable, quietly working in our lives for our upliftment. As an intimate well-wisher who is always with us—guiding, protecting, and nurturing—He is known as Suhṛt, the Eternal Companion and Inner Friend.

463) Manoharaḥ - ಮನೋಹರಃ

As we saw earlier in the name Sumukhaḥ, the Lord is the very essence of beauty. In the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, poets and sages often describe Him as Manmatha (the god of love) — but this is only a metaphor. For, in truth, the Lord is the father of Manmatha!

He is the source of all charm, the mine of divine beauty, the one who steals the hearts of all beings — and thus, He is called Manoharaḥ, the Enchanter of Minds.

The Lord, who resides within Hiraṇyagarbha (Brahmā) and governs the mind-sheath (manomaya-kośa), is also the One who helps us transcend not just the physical (annamaya), mental (manomaya), and intellectual (vijñānamaya) layers, but leads us to the immortal core (amṛta-kośa) — the eternal, reflective soul (jīva).

It is this Lord, who liberates the soul from the bondage of worldly existence (saṁsāra) and grants mokṣa (liberation), who is rightfully known as Manoharaḥ.

464) Jitakrodhaḥ - ಜಿತಕ್ರೋಧಃ

The Lord is the conqueror of anger. Krodha (anger) is a distorted expression of the mind, and even great sages and seers who have conquered almost everything sometimes fall prey to it.

But the Lord is never overpowered by anger. On rare occasions, He may appear to display anger, just as a mother might scold her child — not out of hate, but out of deep concern and for the child’s ultimate upliftment.

Though such divine anger may seem harsh on the surface, its end result is always beneficial and filled with compassion.

Thus, the Lord, who has completely subdued anger and uses even apparent wrath only for the well-being of souls, is called Jitakrodhaḥ – He who has conquered anger.

465) Vīrabāhuḥ - ವೀರಬಾಹುಃ

The Lord possesses mighty and valorous arms, filled with divine strength and courage. His arms are ever ready to uphold truth, oppose falsehood, and subdue wicked forces that deny reality and support unrighteousness.

The Lord does not hate beings, but rather, He opposes ignorance and falsehood. He is ever devoted to protecting truth, knowledge, and righteousness, and therefore, He is called Vīrabāhuḥ – the One with heroic, powerful arms.

466) Vidāraṇaḥ

Vidāraṇaḥ means “the one who tears apart” — symbolizing the Lord's power to destroy evil and rip through unrighteousness.

The valorous-armed Lord (Vīrabāhuḥ) is endowed with the force to tear apart enemies and demonic forces. This quality is vividly displayed in His incarnations:

·         As Krishna, He orchestrated the slaying of Jarasandha by guiding Bhīma to tear him apart, thereby liberating around 22,800 imprisoned princes.

·         As Narasimha, He tore open the chest of the demon Hiraṇyakaśipu with His bare claws.

Thus, to destroy the wicked and protect dharma, the Lord possesses this fierce power of tearing through falsehood and evil — and hence He is known as Vidāraṇaḥ, the Destroyer of Evil.