Vishnu: Who Lord Vishnu Is, With His Mantras and Prayers

Who is Vishnu?

Vishnu is revered as the Preserver and Protector of the universe. In Hindu tradition, his wife is Lakshmi. He is depicted with four arms, carrying a mace and a discus. Vishnu is especially worshipped on Vaikuntha Ekadashi.

Vishnu mantras with meaning

Below are the 13 mantras and verses to Vishnu in Diya's prayer library, in Sanskrit and in English letters, each with its meaning in plain English.

Mantra (Sanskrit and transliteration)	Meaning in English
Oṃ Namo Nārāyaṇāya ॐ नमो नारायणाय oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya	Om. I bow to Narayana, Lord Vishnu.
Invocation to Vishnu ॐ श्री विष्णवे नमः । oṃ śrī viṣṇave namaḥ |	Om. I bow to Lord Vishnu.
Invocation to Narayana ॐ श्री नारायणाय नमः । oṃ śrī nārāyaṇāya namaḥ |	Om. I bow to Lord Narayana, Vishnu.
Invocation to Vasudeva ॐ श्री वासुदेवाय नमः । oṃ śrī vāsudevāya namaḥ |	Om. I bow to Lord Vasudeva, a name of Vishnu and Krishna.
Viṣṇu Sahasranāma — opening śloka (Viśvaṃ Viṣṇur Vaṣaṭkāraḥ) विश्वं विष्णुर्वषट्कारो भूतभव्यभवत्प्रभुः । भूतकृद्भूतभृद्भावो भूतात्मा भूतभावनः ॥ viśvaṃ viṣṇurvaṣaṭkāro bhūtabhavyabhavatprabhuḥ | bhūtakṛdbhūtabhṛdbhāvo bhūtātmā bhūtabhāvanaḥ ||	Vishnu is the universe, the one present everywhere, and the sacred 'vashat' call of sacrifice. He is Lord of past, future, and present; maker and sustainer of beings; existence itself; the Self within all beings; and the one who nurtures their growth.
Viṣṇu Ṣaṭpadī 1 अविनयमपनय विष्णो दमय मनः शमय विषयमृगतृष्णाम् । भूतदयां विस्तारय तारय संसारसागरतः ॥ १॥ avinayamapanaya viṣṇo damaya manaḥ śamaya viṣayamṛgatṛṣṇām | bhūtadayāṃ vistāraya tāraya saṃsārasāgarataḥ || 1||	Vishnu, remove my arrogance, bring my mind under control, and quiet my thirst for the mirage of sense pleasures. Expand my compassion for all beings, and carry me across the ocean of samsara, the cycle of birth and death.
Viṣṇu Ṣaṭpadī 2 दिव्यधुनीमकरन्दे परिमलपरिभोगसच्चिदानन्दे । श्रीपतिपदारविन्दे भवभयखेदच्छिदे वन्दे ॥ २॥ divyadhunīmakarande parimalaparibhogasaccidānande | śrīpatipadāravinde bhavabhayakhedacchide vande || 2||	I bow to the lotus feet of Vishnu, Lakshmi's Lord. Their nectar is the heavenly Ganga; to savor their fragrance is to experience pure being, awareness, and bliss. They cut away the fear and sorrow of worldly existence.
Viṣṇu Ṣaṭpadī 3 सत्यपि भेदापगमे नाथ तवाहं न मामकीनस्त्वम् । सामुद्रो हि तरङ्गः क्वचन समुद्रो न तारङ्गः ॥ ३॥ satyapi bhedāpagame nātha tavāhaṃ na māmakīnastvam | sāmudro hi taraṅgaḥ kvacana samudro na tāraṅgaḥ || 3||	Even when all difference disappears, Lord, I belong to you; you do not belong to me. A wave belongs to the ocean; the ocean never belongs to a wave.
Viṣṇu Ṣaṭpadī 6 दामोदर गुणमन्दिर सुन्दरवदनारविन्द गोविन्द । भवजलधिमथनमन्दर परमं दरमपनय त्वं मे ॥ ६॥ dāmodara guṇamandira sundaravadanāravinda govinda | bhavajaladhimathanamandara paramaṃ daramapanaya tvaṃ me || 6||	Krishna, called Damodara, whose waist was bound with a rope, treasure-house of virtues, Govinda with a beautiful lotus face: you are like Mount Mandara churning the ocean of worldly existence. Please take away my deepest fear.
Viṣṇu Ṣaṭpadī 5 मत्स्यादिभिरवतारैरवतारवताऽवता सदा वसुधाम् । परमेश्वर परिपाल्यो भवता भवतापभीतोऽहम् ॥ ५॥ matsyādibhiravatārairavatāravatā’vatā sadā vasudhām | parameśvara paripālyo bhavatā bhavatāpabhīto’ham || 5||	Supreme Lord, you continually protect the earth through your incarnations, beginning with Matsya, the fish. Frightened by the suffering of worldly existence, I too need your protection.
Śāntākāraṃ Bhujagaśayanaṃ ॐ शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं पद्मनाभं सुरेशं विश्वाधारं गगनसदृशं मेघवर्णं शुभाङ्गम् । लक्ष्मीकान्तं कमलनयनं योगिभिर्ध्यानगम्यं वन्दे विष्णुं भवभयहरं सर्वलोकैकनाथम् ॥ oṃ śāntākāraṃ bhujagaśayanaṃ padmanābhaṃ sureśaṃ viśvādhāraṃ gaganasadṛśaṃ meghavarṇaṃ śubhāṅgam | lakṣmīkāntaṃ kamalanayanaṃ yogibhirdhyānagamyaṃ vande viṣṇuṃ bhavabhayaharaṃ sarvalokaikanātham ||	Om. I bow to Vishnu: peaceful in form, resting on a serpent, a lotus arising from his navel, Lord of the gods and support of the universe. Vast as the sky, cloud-colored, with auspicious limbs, Lakshmi's beloved and lotus-eyed, he is reached by yogis in meditation, removes the fear of worldly existence, and is the sole Lord of all worlds.
Bhāgavata 8.3.2 ॐ नमो भगवते तस्मै यत एतच्चिदात्मकम् । पुरुषायादिबीजाय परेशायाभिधीमहि ॥ oṃ namo bhagavate tasmai yata etaccidātmakam | puruṣāyādibījāya pareśāyābhidhīmahi ||	Om. I bow to the blessed Lord, through whom this body is conscious. Let us meditate on that supreme Person, the original seed of all and the highest Lord.
Traditional Viṣṇu meditation verse नमः समस्तभूतानामादिभूताय भूभृते । अनेकरूपरूपाय विष्णवे प्रभविष्णवे ॥ namaḥ samastabhūtānāmādibhūtāya bhūbhṛte | anekarūparūpāya viṣṇave prabhaviṣṇave ||	I bow to mighty Vishnu, the origin of all beings, the bearer of the earth, whose form takes countless forms.

Diya's English gives the meaning of each verse in plain language; it is not a word-for-word translation.

Prayers to Vishnu

• Vishnu Sahasranamam Lyrics in English: Full Text
• Om Jai Jagdish Hare Lyrics in English, With Context

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