Sahasranamas

Sahasrama, from Sanskrit sahasra meaning thousand, refers to a litany or stotra that presents a thousand names and epithets of a deity. In Hindu practice, sahasranamas are used as a form of devotion, meditation, and prayer, inviting contemplation of the divine’s many attributes and aspects. The names are often organized as a sequence of verses or chants and can be recited alone or in group worship.

The best known example is the Vishnu Sahasranama, a list of a thousand names of Vishnu. It appears in the Mahabharata, in the Anushasana Parva, where Bhishma pronounces the names to Yudhishthira as part of teachings on dharma and the divine. The names describe Vishnu as the sustainer of the universe, the source of auspiciousness, and the remover of fear, among many other qualities. The text is widely recited in temples and homes and is considered to confer spiritual focus, protection, and Peace to practitioners.

Beyond Vishnu, sahasranamas exist for other deities, and several well known examples include Lalita Sahasranama for the goddess Lalita Tripura Sundari and Durga and Shiva sahasranamas in various tradition-based texts. These works are drawn from different scriptures and later compositions, and they function as devotional tools across communities. They are used in ritual worship, during festivals, and in personal practice to cultivate remembrance of the divine through its many names.

In practice, the recitation is typically performed in Sanskrit and may be part of a structured ceremony or home puja, often accompanied by meditation on the deity’s attributes and contemplation of one’s own spiritual path.