I. Overlapping Names
Vishnu Sahasranāma – Mahābhārata & Garuḍa Purāṇa
1. Names Expressing Supreme Reality (Brahman)
Name
Meaning
Viṣṇuḥ
The all-pervading one
Nārāyaṇaḥ
Refuge of all beings
Hariḥ
Remover of sins and bondage
Śāśvataḥ
Eternal
Avyayaḥ
Imperishable
Paramātmā
Supreme Self
Īśvaraḥ
Supreme Lord
Purāṇaḥ
The Ancient One
2. Names Expressing Cosmic Function
Name
Meaning
Jagatpatiḥ
Lord of the universe
Jagannāthaḥ
Master of all worlds
Viśvakarma
Creator of all
Bhūtādiḥ
Source of all beings
Prabhavaḥ
Origin of creation
Sarvakāraṇakāraṇam
Cause of all causes
3. Names of Protection & Refuge
(Strongly emphasized in Garuḍa Purāṇa)
Name
Meaning
Śaraṇyam
Ultimate refuge
Goptā
Protector
Rakṣakaḥ
Guardian
Bhaya-nāśanaḥ
Destroyer of fear
Pāpahā
Destroyer of sins
Mokṣadaḥ
Giver of liberation
4. Names of Compassion & Grace
Name
Meaning
Dayāluḥ
Compassionate
Karunākaraḥ
Ocean of mercy
Śāntidaḥ
Bestower of peace
Hitakṛt
Doer of good
Anukampakaḥ
One who shows mercy
5. Names Connected with Liberation
Name
Meaning
Muktidaḥ
Bestower of freedom
Tārakaḥ
One who carries across saṃsāra
Anantaḥ
Endless, infinite
Paragatiḥ
Supreme goal
Amṛtaḥ
Immortal
Mahābhārata uses these names to lead the seeker upward toward realization.
Garuḍa Purāṇa uses the same names to hold the trembling soul steady during transition.
Same Lord.
Same Names.
Different moment in the soul’s journey.
One Thousand Names, Two Sacred Voices:
Vishnu Sahasranāma in the Mahābhārata and Garuḍa Purāṇa.
The Vishnu Sahasranāma is often spoken of as the thousand names of Lord Viṣṇu.
Yet our sacred tradition gently reminds us that the Lord is too vast to be enclosed in a single garland of names.
Among the many Sahasranāmas, two stand out with distinct voices and intentions:
One spoken by Bhīṣma on the battlefield of the Mahābhārata
Another revealed by Lord Viṣṇu Himself to Garuḍa in the Garuḍa Purāṇa
Though both praise the same Supreme Being, they arise from two very different moments of existence.
The Mahābhārata Vishnu Sahasranāma:
Wisdom Spoken at the Edge of Life
As Bhīṣma lies on a bed of arrows, suspended between life and death, he offers Yudhiṣṭhira the essence of all dharma—not law, not ritual, but remembrance of Nārāyaṇa.
Here, the Sahasranāma is:
Philosophical
Vedāntic
Universal
Names such as Paramātmā, Avyaktaḥ, Sarvagataḥ, and Śāśvataḥ lift the seeker’s mind from form to essence.
Chanting becomes contemplation.
Devotion becomes knowledge.
This Sahasranāma does not merely protect life—it transforms consciousness.
The Garuḍa Purāṇa Vishnu Sahasranāma:
Assurance Given to the Departing Soul
In contrast, the Garuḍa Purāṇa speaks to a soul on the threshold—between worlds, between breaths.
Here Viṣṇu is praised not as an abstraction, but as:
Protector
Rescuer
Guide through fear
Names like Bhaya-nāśanaḥ, Tārakaḥ, Pāpahā, and Mokṣadaḥ recur with urgency and tenderness.
This Sahasranāma assures the soul:
“You are not alone.
Remember Me—and I will carry you.”
It is less a philosophical ladder and more a divine hand extended.
One Lord, Two Functions of Grace
The overlap of names between these two Sahasranāmas is deeply revealing.
The same Nārāyaṇa who is Brahman in the Mahābhārata
becomes Refuge in the Garuḍa Purāṇa.
One teaches us how to live
The other teaches us how to cross over
The difference is not in the Lord, but in our condition when we call upon Him.
A Vaishnava Understanding
Our Ācāryas remind us:
Nāma smaraṇa never fails—
even when memory, strength, and body fail.
Thus,
The Mahābhārata Sahasranāma prepares the soul
The Garuḍa Purāṇa Sahasranāma protects the soul
Preparation and protection—both are grace.
If the Mahābhārata Vishnu Sahasranāma is
a lamp that illumines the path,
the Garuḍa Purāṇa Vishnu Sahasranāma is
the light that appears when night falls suddenly.
In life or in death,
in understanding or in surrender,
the thousand names remain unchanged in their compassion.
For Viṣṇu does not ask when we remember Him—
only that we do.
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