The Twenty-Four Names and Forms of the Shaligrama

Verse 1 (skanda.6.244.1)

पैजवन उवाच । एतान्भेदान्मम ब्रूहि विस्तरेण तपोधन । त्वद्वाक्यामृतपानेन तृषा नैव प्रशाम्यति

paijavana uvāca etānbhedānmama brūhi vistareṇa tapodhana tvadvākyāmṛtapānena tṛṣā naiva praśāmyati

Paijavana said: "Tell me these distinctions in detail, O treasure of austerity; by drinking the nectar of your words, my thirst is never quenched."

Verse 2 (skanda.6.244.2)

गालव उवाच । शृणु विस्तरतो भेदान्पुराणोक्तान्वदामि ते । याञ्छ्रुत्वा मुच्यतेऽवश्यं मनुजः सर्वकिल्बिषात्

gālava uvāca śṛṇu vistarato bhedānpurāṇoktānvadāmi te yāñchrutvā mucyate'vaśyaṁ manujaḥ sarvakilbiṣāt

Galava said: "Hear these distinctions in detail, spoken of in the Puranas, as I tell them to you; hearing which, a person is surely freed from every sin."

Verse 3 (skanda.6.244.3)

पूर्वं तु केशवः पूज्यो द्वितीयो मधुसूदनः । संकर्षणस्तृतीयस्तु ततो दामोदरः स्मृतः

pūrvaṁ tu keśavaḥ pūjyo dvitīyo madhusūdanaḥ saṁkarṣaṇastṛtīyastu tato dāmodaraḥ smṛtaḥ

"The first form to be worshipped is Keshava, the second Madhusudana; the third is Sankarshana, and then the fourth is remembered as Damodara."

Verse 4 (skanda.6.244.4)

पंचमो वासुदेवाख्यः षष्ठः प्रद्युम्नसंज्ञकः । सप्तमो विष्णुरुक्तश्चाष्टमो माधव एव च

paṁcamo vāsudevākhyaḥ ṣaṣṭhaḥ pradyumnasaṁjñakaḥ saptamo viṣṇuruktaścāṣṭamo mādhava eva ca

"The fifth is called Vasudeva, the sixth is named Pradyumna; the seventh is declared to be Vishnu, and the eighth is Madhava."

Verse 5 (skanda.6.244.5)

नवमोऽनंतमूर्त्तिश्च दशमः पुरुषोत्तमः । अधोक्षजस्ततः पश्चाद्द्वादशस्तु जनार्दनः

navamo'naṁtamūrttiśca daśamaḥ puruṣottamaḥ adhokṣajastataḥ paścāddvādaśastu janārdanaḥ

"The ninth is the form of Ananta, the tenth is Purushottama; after that comes Adhokshaja, and the twelfth is Janardana."

Verse 6 (skanda.6.244.6)

त्रयोदशस्तु गोविंदश्चतुर्दशस्त्रिविक्रमः । श्रीधरश्च पंचदशो हृषीकेशस्तु षोडशः

trayodaśastu goviṁdaścaturdaśastrivikramaḥ śrīdharaśca paṁcadaśo hṛṣīkeśastu ṣoḍaśaḥ

"The thirteenth is Govinda, the fourteenth Trivikrama; Shridhara is the fifteenth, and Hrishikesha the sixteenth."

Verse 7 (skanda.6.244.7)

नृसिंहस्तु सप्तदशो विश्वयोनिस्ततः परम् । वामनश्च ततः प्रोक्तस्ततो नारायणः स्मृतः

nṛsiṁhastu saptadaśo viśvayonistataḥ param vāmanaśca tataḥ proktastato nārāyaṇaḥ smṛtaḥ

"Nrisimha is the seventeenth, and after that comes Vishvayoni; then Vamana is declared, and after him Narayana is remembered."

Verse 8 (skanda.6.244.8)

पुंडरीकाक्ष उक्तस्तु ह्युपेंद्रश्च ततः परम् । हरिस्त्रयोविंशतिमः कृष्णश्चांत्य उदाहृतः

puṁḍarīkākṣa uktastu hyupeṁdraśca tataḥ param haristrayoviṁśatimaḥ kṛṣṇaścāṁtya udāhṛtaḥ

"Then Pundarikaksha is declared, and after him Upendra; Hari is the twenty-third, and Krishna is spoken of as the last."

Verse 9 (skanda.6.244.9)

शालिग्रामस्य भेदांश्च मयोक्तास्तव शूद्रज । मूर्तिभेदास्तथा प्रोक्ता एत एव महाधन

śāligrāmasya bhedāṁśca mayoktāstava śūdraja mūrtibhedāstathā proktā eta eva mahādhana

"O son of a shudra, these distinctions of the Shaligrama have been told by me to you; and thus these very distinctions of form have been declared, O man of great wealth."

Verse 10 (skanda.6.244.10)

मूर्त्तयस्तिथिनाम्न्यः स्युरेकादश्यः सदैव हि । संवत्सरेण पूज्यंते चतुर्विंशतिमूर्तयः

mūrttayastithināmnyaḥ syurekādaśyaḥ sadaiva hi saṁvatsareṇa pūjyaṁte caturviṁśatimūrtayaḥ

"These forms bear the names of the Ekadashi tithis themselves, always so; over the course of a year, these twenty-four forms are worshipped."

Verse 11 (skanda.6.244.11)

देवावताराश्च तथा चतुर्विंशतिसंख्यकाः । मासा मार्गशिराद्याश्च मासार्द्धाः पक्षसंज्ञकाः

devāvatārāśca tathā caturviṁśatisaṁkhyakāḥ māsā mārgaśirādyāśca māsārddhāḥ pakṣasaṁjñakāḥ

"And likewise the incarnations of the Lord number twenty-four; the months, beginning with Margashirsha, and the half-months called the two fortnights, correspond to them as well."

Verse 12 (skanda.6.244.12)

अधीशसहितान्नित्यं पूजयन्भक्तिमान्भवेत् । चतुर्विंशतिसंज्ञं च चतुष्टयमुदाहृतम्

adhīśasahitānnityaṁ pūjayanbhaktimānbhavet caturviṁśatisaṁjñaṁ ca catuṣṭayamudāhṛtam

"Whoever constantly worships them together with their presiding lords becomes filled with devotion. Thus this fourfold group, known under the number twenty-four, has been declared —"

Verse 13 (skanda.6.244.13)

एतच्चतुष्टयं नृणां धर्मकामार्थमोक्षदम् । यः शृणोति नरो भक्त्तया पठेद्वापि समाहितः

etaccatuṣṭayaṁ nṛṇāṁ dharmakāmārthamokṣadam yaḥ śṛṇoti naro bhakttayā paṭhedvāpi samāhitaḥ

"— this fourfold group bestows upon men dharma, kama, artha, and moksha. Whoever, with devotion and a composed mind, hears it or recites it —"

Verse 14 (skanda.6.244.14)

भूतसर्गस्य गोप्ताऽसौ हरिस्तस्य प्रसीदति

bhūtasargasya goptā'sau haristasya prasīdati

— to him, Hari, the protector of the creation of all beings, becomes gracious.