Vrishapriya

The Viṣṇu Sahasranāma — the “thousand names of Viṣṇu” — appears in the Anuśāsana Parva of the Mahābhārata (chapter 149), spoken by the dying Bhīṣma to Yudhiṣṭhira on the bed of arrows, in the presence of Kṛṣṇa himself. Bhīṣma answers Yudhiṣṭhira’s six questions about the highest goal — and offers the Sahasranāma as the supreme means.

Vrishapriya is the 536th name in the canonical sequence of 1,008. Each name is a window into one face of the same supreme reality. Some names describe Viṣṇu’s essence (Brahman, Ātman); some describe his cosmic functions (creation, preservation, dissolution); some describe specific avatars (Narasiṃha, Vāmana, Kṛṣṇa); some describe his consorts, weapons, and abodes; some, like Vrishapriya, are interpretive epithets revealed by the bhāṣyas of Adi Śaṅkara, Parāśara Bhaṭṭar, and others.

Daily recitation of all 1,008 names is among the most beloved Vaiṣṇava practices. In south Indian and Iyengar households the Sahasranāma is chanted morning and evening. In north Indian Vaiṣṇava traditions it is recited especially on Ekādaśīs, on Saturdays, and during periods of illness or distress. Bhīṣma promised in the phalaśruti (the closing verses) that one who recites the Sahasranāma with devotion attains all earthly fruits and ultimate liberation.

Primary source: Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 149 (verses 14–120). The earliest preserved text of the Sahasranāma is in the critical edition of the Mahābhārata published by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI). The numbering of names in this resource follows Adi Śaṅkara’s eighth-century bhāṣya, which has been the most influential interpretation across Vaiṣṇava and Smārta traditions.

Major commentaries on the Sahasranāma read each name distinctively. Adi Śaṅkara reads names as pointers to nirguṇa Brahman (the attributeless absolute). Parāśara Bhaṭṭar’s Bhagavad-Guṇa-Darpaṇa reads them as celebrations of Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa’s kalyāṇa-guṇas (auspicious qualities). Madhva’s bhāṣya reads them as enumerating distinct, real attributes of Viṣṇu under the pañca-bheda framework. The meaning given for Vrishapriya on this page primarily follows Adi Śaṅkara’s reading.

Awaiting scholar verification. This rendering is a first-pass digital edition. Sanskrit (Devanāgarī) accuracy is being reviewed by qualified paṇḍitas before final publication. If you spot an error in the spelling, IAST transliteration, or interpretation of any name, please write to us so we can correct it.