श्रीवैशम्पायन उवाच —
श्रुत्वा धर्मानशेषेण पावनानि च सर्वशः ।
युधिष्ठिरः शान्तनवं पुनरेवाभ्यभाषत ॥ ७॥
śrī vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca:
śrutvā dharmnāśeṣeṇa pāvanāni ca sarvaśaḥ,
yudhiṣṭhiraḥ śāntanavaṃ punarevābhyabhāṣata. (7)
Sri Vaisampayan said: Having heard, in its entirety, the purifying dharma, Yudhiṣṭhir again addressed Bhīṣm, son of Śantanu.
श्री युधिष्ठिर उवाच —
किमेकं दैवतं लोके किं वाप्येकं परायणम् ।
स्तुवन्तः कं कमर्चन्तः प्राप्नुयुर्मानवाः शुभम् ॥ ८॥
śrī yudhiṣṭhira uvāca:
kimekaṃ daivatam loke kim vāpyekaṃ parāyaṇam,
stuvantaḥ kaṃ kamarcantaḥ prāpnuyurmānavāḥ śubham. (8)
Yudhishthir asked: Who is the one Supreme Deity of the world? What single being is the highest refuge? By praising and worshipping whom do humans attain auspiciousness?
को धर्मः सर्वधर्माणां भवतः परमो मतः ।
किं जप्नुमुच्यते जन्तुर्जन्मसंसारबन्धनात् ॥ ९॥
ko dharmaḥ sarvadharmāṇāṃ bhavataḥ paramo mataḥ,
kiṃ japanmuchyate janturjanmasaṃsārabaṃdhanāt. (9)
Which dharma do you consider highest among all dharmas? By reciting what may a creature be released from the fetters of birth and saṃsāra?
श्री भीष्म उवाच —
जगत्प्रभुं देवदेवमनन्तं पुरुषोत्तमम् ।
स्तुवन्नामसहस्रेण पुरुषः सततोत्थितः ॥ १०॥
śrī bhīṣma uvāca:
jagatprabhuṃ devadeva-manantaṃ puruṣottamam,
stuvannāmasahasreṇa puruṣaḥ satatotthitaḥ. (10)
Bhishma replied: A person who, ever wakeful, extols with a thousand names the Lord of the universe, God of gods, the Infinite, the Supreme Person —
तमेव चार्चयन्नित्यं भक्त्या पुरुषमव्ययम् ।
ध्यायन् स्तुवन् नमस्यंश्च यजमानस्तमेव च ॥ ११॥
tameva cārcayannityaṃ bhaktyā puruṣamavyayam,
dhyāyan stuvan namasyaṃśca yajamānastameva ca. (11)
— who with devotion worships that imperishable Being alone, meditates on Him, praises Him, bows to Him and offers sacrifice to Him —
अनादिनिधनं विष्णुं सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम् ।
लोकाध्यक्षं स्तुवन्नित्यं सर्वदुःखातिगो भवेत् ॥ १२॥
anādinidhanam viṣṇuṃ sarvalokamaheśvaram,
lokādhyakṣaṃ stuvannityaṃ sarvaduhkhātigo bhavet. (12)
— by constantly lauding Vishnu, without beginning or end, the great Lord and overseer of all worlds — goes beyond every sorrow.
ब्राह्मण्यं सर्वधर्मज्ञं लोकानां कीर्तिवर्धनम् ।
लोकनाथं महद्भूतं सर्वभूतभवोद्भवम् ॥ १३॥
brahmanyaṃ sarvadharmajñaṃ lōkānāṃ kīrtivardhanam,
lōkanāthaṃ mahadbhūtaṃ sarvabhūtabhavodbhavam. (13)
He is the friend of Brāhmaṇas, knower of every dharma, augmenter of the worlds' renown, Lord of the worlds, wondrous and vast, the source from which all beings spring.
एष मे सर्वधर्माणां धर्मोऽधिकतमो मतः ।
यद्भक्त्या पुण्डरीकाक्षं स्तवैरर्चन्नरः सदा ॥ १४॥
eṣa me sarvadharmāṇāṃ dharmo'dhikatamo mataḥ,
yadbhaktyā puṃdarikākṣaṃ stavairarchennaraḥ sadā. (14)
This, to me, is dharma superior to all dharmas: that a person should unceasingly worship the lotus-eyed Lord with devotion and hymns.
परमं यो महत्तेजः परमं यो महत्तपः ।
परमं यो महद्ब्रह्म परमं यः परायणम् ॥ १५॥
paramaṃ yō mahattejaḥ paramaṃ yō mahattapaḥ,
paramaṃ yō mahadbrahma paramaṃ yaḥ parāyaṇam. (15)
He whose splendour is supremely great, whose ascetic power is supremely great, who is the supreme great Brahman, the highest ultimate goal.
पवित्राणां पवित्रं यो मङ्गलानां च मङ्गलम् ।
दैवतं दैवतानां च भूतानां योऽव्ययः पिता ॥ १६॥
pavitrāṇāṃ pavitraṃ yō maṃgalānāṃ cha maṃgalam,
daivataṃ daivatānāṃ cha bhūtānāṃ yo'vyayaḥ pita. (16)
The purifier of the pure, the most auspicious among the auspicious, the deity of deities, the immutable Father of beings.
यतः सर्वाणि भूतानि भवन्त्यादियुगागमे ।
यस्मिंश्च प्रलयं यान्ति पुनरेव युगक्षये ॥ १७॥
yataḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni bhavantiyādiyugāgame,
yasmiṃśca pralayaṃ yānti punareva yugakṣaye. (17)
From whom all beings arise at the dawn of a cosmic age and into whom they merge again when that age comes to its close.
तस्य लोकप्रधानेन जगन्नाथेन भूपते ।
विष्णोर्नामसहस्रं मे शृणु पापभयापहम् ॥ १८॥
tasya lōkapradhānena jagannāthen bhūpate,
viṣṇōrnāmasahasraṃ me śṛṇu pāpabhayāpaham. (18)
Listen, O king, to the thousand names of Vishnu — Chief of the worlds, Lord of the universe — names that dispel sin and fear.
यानि नामानि गौणानि विख्यातानि महात्मनः ।
ऋषिभिः परिगीतानि तानि वक्ष्यामि भूतये ॥ १९॥
yāni nāmāni gauṇāni vikhyātāni mahātmanaḥ,
ṛṣibhiḥ parigītāni tāni vakṣyāmi bhūtaye. (19)
Those celebrated secondary names of the Great Self, sung by the Ṛishis, I shall declare for the welfare of all.
ऋषिर्नाम्नां सहस्रस्य वेदव्यासो महामुनिः ।
छन्दोऽनुष्टुप् तथा देवो भगवान् देवकीसुतः ॥ २०॥
ṛṣirnāmnāṃ sahasrasya vedavyāso mahāmuniḥ,
chamdōnuṣṭup tathā devō bhagavān devakisutaḥ. (20)
The seer of this thousand-name hymn is the great sage Vedavyās; the metre is Anuṣṭup; the deity is the blessed son of Devakī.
अमृतांशूद्भवो बीजं शक्तिर्देवकिनन्दनः ।
त्रिसाम हृदयं तस्य शान्त्यर्थे विनियुज्यते ॥ २१॥
amṛtāṃśūdbhavo bījaṃ śaktirdevakinamdanaḥ,
trisāma hṛdayaṃ tasya śāntyarthe viniyujyate. (21)
"Born of the nectar-rayed Moon" is its seed; "Son of Devakī" its power; "He who is lauded by the three Sāman-chants" its heart — employed for the sake of peace.