Lord Vishnu is one of the principal Hindu deities (regarded as “the preserver”), and with Brahma (ब्रह्मा) “the creator” and Shiva (शिव) “the destroyer”, constitutes the well-known tri-murti ( त्रि-मूर्ति) or triad of Hinduism. The Vaishnava sect of Hinduism considers him to be the foremost deity, worthy of total devotion and reverence. This article discusses three mantras for Lord Vishnu – guru mantra, mantra for invocation and mantra for meditation.
Lord Vishnu as Guru
dhyaana moolam guruur muurti, pooja moolam guruur padam
mantra moolam guruur vaakyam, moksha moolam guruur kripa
om shri guruve namah
पूजा मूलम गुरूर पदम्
मंत्र मूलम गुरूर वाक्यम्
मोक्ष मूलम गुरूर कृपा
अोम श्री गुरुवे नम:
Dear Lord Vishnu – please accept me as your Guru pupil or shishya (thanks @deshdaaz via twitter). As I meditate, reflect upon and think about my Guru (dhyaana-), it is equivalent to meditating upon the Lord himself. As I sit at my Guru’s feet (gurur padam-), it is equivalent to praying to the Lord himself. As I listen to the words and sentences (vaakyam) uttered by the Guru, it is equivalent to the mantras or utterances of the Lord himself. The pity, tenderness and compassion (kRipaa) shown by the Guru towards me is equivalent to being granted liberation or emancipation (mokSha) from this earthly life by Lord Vishnu.
Dear Lord Vishnu – I come to you humbly – please accept me as your pupil. I bow before my Guru again and again.
Lord Vishnu Invocation
sashankha chakram sakiriiTa kundalam,
sapiita vastram sarasii ruhe
sahaara vakshasthala kaustubhashriyam,
namaami vishnum shirasaachaturbhujam
सपीत वस्त्रम् सरसीरुहे
सहार वक्षस्थल कौस्तुभ श्रीयम्
नमामि विष्णुं शिरसाचतुर्भुजम्
Let me sing praises of the Lord Vishnu, who sports in His hand the Shankha and the Chakra, who is adorned with a crown (sakiriiTa) and ear-pendants (kundalam), who wears a yellow cloth (sapiita vastram) and whose eyes resemble a lotus (sarasii ruhe) –
Whose chest is beautified by many necklaces and the Kaustubha (a celebrated jewel obtained with thirteen other precious things at the churning of the ocean and suspended on the breast of Vishnu). Let me bow down my head before Lord Vishnu, the four-handed one (chatur-bhujam) who controls the four directions with his divine powers.
Audio – Sashankha Chakram – Vishnu Mantra
Lord Vishnu Mantra for Meditation
asheSha saMsaara vihaara hInaM, aadityagaM poornasukhaabhiraamam
samastasaakshim tamasaparastraam, naaraayaNam viShNumaham bhajaami
समस्तसाक्षिम् तमसपरस्त्राम्, नारायणं विष्णुंहं भजामि
Let me meditate on Vishnu – he who is ‘without remainder’, ‘entire’ and the only ‘perfect’ (ashesha) resident (vihaara hInaM) in this world (saMsaara)
Let me meditate on Vishnu – he who came to this earth as the son of aaditya (aadityagaM) in his dwarf (वामन) avataar (अवतार) – the one who is agreeable (-abhiraamaM) to give his worshippers complete (poorna-) happiness and prosperity (-sukha)
Let me meditate on Vishnu who is omnipresent (-saakShi) in all the worlds put together (samasta-) and who is the remover (-parastraam) of darkness (tamasa-) or dark tendencies. Let me sing the praises (bhajaami) again and again of Lord Naarayan or Lord Vishnu, the great one (-maham).
Audio – Ashesha Sansaar – Vishnu Mantra (edited extract)
Vishnu Sahasranamam (full version of vishnu mantras at amazon.com)
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