The Glory of Vishnu's Name

Verse 1 (garuda.1.228.1)

सूत उवाच । मुक्तिहेतुमनाद्यन्तमजमव्ययमक्षयम् । यो नमेत्सर्वलोकस्य नमस्यो जायते नरः

sūta uvāca muktihetumanādyantamajamavyayamakṣayam yo nametsarvalokasya namasyo jāyate naraḥ

Suta said: He who bows to the beginningless and endless, unborn, imperishable, undecaying cause of liberation — such a man becomes worthy of the salutation of all the world.

Verse 2 (garuda.1.228.2)

विष्णुमानन्दमद्वैतं विज्ञानं सर्वगं प्रभुम् । प्रणमामि सदा भक्त्या चेतसा हृदयालयम्

viṣṇumānandamadvaitaṁ vijñānaṁ sarvagaṁ prabhum praṇamāmi sadā bhaktyā cetasā hṛdayālayam

I ever bow with devotion, in my heart, to Vishnu — bliss, non-dual, pure consciousness, the all-pervading Lord, who dwells within the heart.

Verse 3 (garuda.1.228.3)

योऽन्तस्तिष्ठन्नशेषस्य पश्यतीशः शुभाशुभम् । तं सर्वसाक्षिणं विष्णुं नमस्ये परमेश्वरम्

yo'ntastiṣṭhannaśeṣasya paśyatīśaḥ śubhāśubham taṁ sarvasākṣiṇaṁ viṣṇuṁ namasye parameśvaram

He who, dwelling within all, sees good and evil — I bow to that Vishnu, the witness of all, the Supreme Lord.

Verse 4 (garuda.1.228.4)

शक्तेनापि नमस्कारः प्रयुक्तश्चक्रपाणये । संसारतृणवर्गाणामुद्वेजनकरो हि सः

śaktenāpi namaskāraḥ prayuktaścakrapāṇaye saṁsāratṛṇavargāṇāmudvejanakaro hi saḥ

Salutation offered, even by one of little ability, to the discus-bearing One is capable of uprooting the entire grass-clump of samsara.

Verse 5 (garuda.1.228.5)

कृष्णे स्फुरज्जलधरोदरचारुकृष्णे लोकाधिकारपुरुषे परमप्रमेये । एको हि भावगुणमात्रदृढप्रणामः सद्यः श्वपाकमपि साधयितुं सशक्तः

kṛṣṇe sphurajjaladharodaracārukṛṣṇe lokādhikārapuruṣe paramaprameye eko hi bhāvaguṇamātradṛḍhapraṇāmaḥ sadyaḥ śvapākamapi sādhayituṁ saśaktaḥ

To Krishna, beautifully dark like the belly of a shimmering rain-cloud, the Person who governs the worlds, supremely immeasurable — a single firm obeisance arising merely from feeling can make even an outcaste dog-cooker perfect at once.

Verse 6 (garuda.1.228.6)

प्रणम्य दण्डबद्भूमौ नमस्कारेण योर्ऽचयेत् । स यां गतिमवाप्नोति न तां क्रतुशतैरपि

praṇamya daṇḍabadbhūmau namaskāreṇa yor'cayet sa yāṁ gatimavāpnoti na tāṁ kratuśatairapi

He who, prostrating flat on the ground like a staff, worships with obeisance — the state he attains is not attained even through a hundred sacrifices.

Verse 7 (garuda.1.228.7)

दुर्गसंसारकान्ताराकूपारेऽपि प्रधावताम् । एकः कृष्णे नमस्कारो मुक्त्या तांस्तारयिष्यति

durgasaṁsārakāntārākūpāre'pi pradhāvatām ekaḥ kṛṣṇe namaskāro muktyā tāṁstārayiṣyati

For those wandering through the impassable wilderness-ocean of samsara, a single obeisance to Krishna will carry them across to liberation.

Verse 8 (garuda.1.228.8)

आसीनो वा शयानो वातिष्ठन् वा यत्र तत्र वा । नमो नारायणायेति मन्त्रैकशरणो भवेत्

āsīno vā śayāno vātiṣṭhan vā yatra tatra vā namo nārāyaṇāyeti mantraikaśaraṇo bhavet

Whether seated, lying down, standing, or wherever one may be, one should take sole refuge in the mantra 'Namo Narayanaya.'

Verse 9 (garuda.1.228.9)

नारायणेति शब्दोऽस्ति वागस्ति वशवर्तिनी । तथापि नरके मूढाः पतन्तीति किमद्भुतम्

nārāyaṇeti śabdo'sti vāgasti vaśavartinī tathāpi narake mūḍhāḥ patantīti kimadbhutam

The word 'Narayana' exists, and speech is under one's own control — yet fools still fall into hell; what a wonder that is!

Verse 10 (garuda.1.228.10)

चतुर्मुखो वा यदि कोटिवक्त्रो भवेन्नरः कोपि विशुद्धचेताः । स वै गुणानामयुतैकदेशं वदेन्न वा देववरस्य विष्णोः

caturmukho vā yadi koṭivaktro bhavennaraḥ kopi viśuddhacetāḥ sa vai guṇānāmayutaikadeśaṁ vadenna vā devavarasya viṣṇoḥ

Even if a man of purified mind were to become four-faced or have ten million mouths, he still could not speak even a ten-thousandth part of the virtues of Vishnu, best of gods.

Verse 11 (garuda.1.228.11)

व्यासाद्या मुनयः सर्वे स्तुवन्तो मधुसूदनम् । मतिक्षयान्निवर्तन्ते न गोविन्दगुणक्षयात्

vyāsādyā munayaḥ sarve stuvanto madhusūdanam matikṣayānnivartante na govindaguṇakṣayāt

All the sages, beginning with Vyasa, while praising Madhusudana, cease from exhaustion of their own intellect, not from any exhaustion of Govinda's virtues.

Verse 12 (garuda.1.228.12)

अवशेनापि यन्नाम्नि कीर्तिते सर्वपातकैः । पुमान् विमुच्यते सद्यः सिंहत्रस्तो मृगा यथा । बद्धः परिकरस्तेन मोक्षाय गमनं प्रति

avaśenāpi yannāmni kīrtite sarvapātakaiḥ pumān vimucyate sadyaḥ siṁhatrasto mṛgā yathā baddhaḥ parikarastena mokṣāya gamanaṁ prati

By whose name, even uttered involuntarily, a man is instantly freed from all sins, as deer flee in terror of a lion — by that, he becomes girded for the journey toward liberation.

Verse 13 (garuda.1.228.13)

स्वप्नेऽपि नाम स्पृशतोऽपि पुंसः क्षयं करोत्यक्षयपापराशिम् । प्रत्यक्षतः किं पुनरत्र पुंसा प्रकीर्तिते नाम्नि जनार्दनस्य

svapne'pi nāma spṛśato'pi puṁsaḥ kṣayaṁ karotyakṣayapāparāśim pratyakṣataḥ kiṁ punaratra puṁsā prakīrtite nāmni janārdanasya

Even for a man who merely touches the name in a dream, it destroys his inexhaustible heap of sins — how much more, then, when Janardana's name is openly chanted by a man?

Verse 14 (garuda.1.228.14)

नमः कृष्णाच्युतानन्तवासुदेवेत्युदीरितम् । यैर्भावभावितैर्विप्रन ते यमपुरं ययुः

namaḥ kṛṣṇācyutānantavāsudevetyudīritam yairbhāvabhāvitairviprana te yamapuraṁ yayuḥ

'Namah Krishna, Achyuta, Ananta, Vasudeva' — those, O brahmins, who have uttered this with true feeling never go to Yama's city.

Verse 15 (garuda.1.228.15)

क्षयो भवेद्यथा वह्नेस्तमसो भास्करोदये । तथैव कलुषौघस्य नामसंकीर्तनाद्धरेः

kṣayo bhavedyathā vahnestamaso bhāskarodaye tathaiva kaluṣaughasya nāmasaṁkīrtanāddhareḥ

As darkness is destroyed by fire, or by the rising of the sun, so too is the flood of impurity destroyed by the chanting of Hari's name.

Verse 16 (garuda.1.228.16)

क्व नाकपृष्ठगमनं पुनरायाति न क्षयम् । गच्छतां दूरमध्वानं कृष्णमूर्छितचेतसाम्

kva nākapṛṣṭhagamanaṁ punarāyāti na kṣayam gacchatāṁ dūramadhvānaṁ kṛṣṇamūrchitacetasām

There is even a going to the summit of heaven that ends only in return again; but for those traveling the long road with minds absorbed in Krishna, there is a destination that does not decay.

Verse 17 (garuda.1.228.17)

पाथेयं पुण्डरीकाक्षनामसंकीर्तनं हरेः । संसारसर्पसंदष्टविषचेष्टैकभेषजम् । कृष्णेति वैष्णवं क्षान्तं जप्त्वा मुक्तो भवेन्नरः

pātheyaṁ puṇḍarīkākṣanāmasaṁkīrtanaṁ hareḥ saṁsārasarpasaṁdaṣṭaviṣaceṣṭaikabheṣajam kṛṣṇeti vaiṣṇavaṁ kṣāntaṁ japtvā mukto bhavennaraḥ

The chanting of Hari's lotus-eyed name is the provision for the journey; it is the sole remedy for the venomous convulsions caused by the serpent of samsara. Having recited the forbearing Vaishnava mantra 'Krishna,' a man becomes free.

Verse 18 (garuda.1.228.18)

ध्यायन् कृते जपेन्मन्त्रैस्त्रेतायां द्वापरेर्ऽचयन् । यदाप्नोति तदाप्नोति तदाप्नोति कलौ संस्मृत्यकेशवम्

dhyāyan kṛte japenmantraistretāyāṁ dvāparer'cayan yadāpnoti tadāpnoti tadāpnoti kalau saṁsmṛtyakeśavam

What one obtains in Krita through meditation, in Treta through mantra-recitation, in Dvapara through worship — that same, that same, that same fruit is obtained in Kali merely by remembering Keshava.

Verse 19 (garuda.1.228.19)

जिह्वाग्रे वर्तते यस्य हरिरित्यक्षरद्वयम् । संसारसागरं तीर्त्वा स गच्छेद्वैष्णवं पदम्

jihvāgre vartate yasya harirityakṣaradvayam saṁsārasāgaraṁ tīrtvā sa gacchedvaiṣṇavaṁ padam

He on whose tongue-tip the two syllables 'Ha-ri' ever abide — having crossed the ocean of samsara, he attains the Vaishnava abode.

Verse 20 (garuda.1.228.20)

विज्ञातदुष्कृतिसहस्रसमावृतोऽपिश्रेयः परन्तु परिशुद्धिम भीप्समानः । स्पप्नान्तरे न हि पुनश्च भवं स पश्येन्नारायणस्तुतिकथापरमो मनुष्यः

vijñātaduṣkṛtisahasrasamāvṛto'piśreyaḥ parantu pariśuddhima bhīpsamānaḥ spapnāntare na hi punaśca bhavaṁ sa paśyennārāyaṇastutikathāparamo manuṣyaḥ

Even one surrounded by a thousand known misdeeds — if he desires supreme purification, and is a man devoted above all to the praise and stories of Narayana — he shall not see rebirth again, even in a dream.