Book Review: 'The Second Sacred Jewel Of Mahabharata: Shri Vishnu Sahasranama' Enlightens Us About Its History And Spiritual Significance
· Free Press Journal
One is used to chanting of the Vishnu Sahasranama at Satyanarayan Mahapuja. But hardly anyone actually gives a thought to the origin of the 1000 names of Bhagwan Vishnu and their history.
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Vinay Kshirsagar and Sakshi Dahanukar have taken the trouble of reading, researching and presenting the history of Shri Vishnu Sahasranama for the layman. They have delved deep into Mahabharat, Bhagavat and the Bhagvad Gita to compile this prodigious book - The Second Sacred Jewel of Mahabharata: Shri Vishnu Sahasranama. They have not just given the meaning of all thousand names but written about the origin and the versions over the years quite in detail. And as they mention in their Preface : ‘The present work is offered as a humble contribution to that living tradition. It seeks to study the Vishnu Sahasranama with both reverence and inquiry – honouring it as a sacred text while also engaging it through the lenses of language, scripture, philosophy and classical commentary. The title, The Second Sacred Jewel of Mahabharata: Shri Vishnu Sahasranama, has been chosen to emphasize the hymn’s exalted place within the epic tradition.’ (sic)
Not many are aware that the Shri Vishnu Sahasranama is a part of the Mahabharata. It is a section of Anuhasan Parva. It is, in fact, a part of the conversation between Yudhishthir and Bhishma after the war is over. While Bhishma lies on his bed of arrows, Yudhishthir questions him about that one superpower to which everyone should bow to, whose name should one chant to achieve moksha and to that Bhishma replies:
जगतपरभुं देवदेवमननतं पुरुषोत्तमम।
सतुवननामसहसरेण पुरुष: सततोतथति:।।
This means that by praising the Lord of the Universe, the God of gods, the Infinite Supreme Person, through the thousand names, one attains highest good. (sic)
This is the starting point of Vishnu Sahasranama in Anuhasan Parva.
Kshirsagar and Dahanukar have divided the book in nine chapters where they delineate the journey of Vishnu Sahasranama through centuries, demystify the thousand names with their meanings and significance, and also take you on a captivating journey where they talk about the confluence of Vedas, Upanishads and other scriptures. They illustrate the confluence in an engaging way. They discuss each Veda and some other scriptures while pointing out the modern relevance of the scriptures in bullet points. This makes it very easy for the ready understand and relate to.
However, the most intriguing part is the chapter about Bhishma. The detailing and research left me enthralled. Despite having read quite a few versions of Mahabharat, this detailed characterization of Bhishma left me spell bound. They begin at the very beginning to explain the curse Bhishma lived as the last Vasu, who didn’t achieve moksha because his father, Shantanu, stopped Ganga from immersing him in the water. The book goes on to explain Devavrata’s transformation Bhishma and his quandary. Kshirsagar and Dahanukar have categorically pointed out how in the name of Dharma how often Bhishma had to stray from the Dharma.
In chapter A Complete Commentary on the Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam, the duo elucidates modern interpretations, scriptural and textual significance along with examples varied commentaries through the centuries. They go on to reiterate the neuro-physical, neuro-acoustic, semantic-psychological, neuro-cognitive and interdisciplinary interpretations. ‘Some modern researchers and spiritual writers go further, proposing that regular recitation may reduce stress markers such as cortisol, modulate autonomic balance, or increase relaxed attentional status often associated with alpha-wave patterns on EEG.’ (sic)
Book Review: ‘Tradition To Table’ Is A Heartfelt Tribute To Mothers And Their RecipesIt is interesting to note that they give examples of varied names of Vishnu while talking about the varied systems, the scientific and cosmological parallelism, and modern spiritual psychology. Anushasita, Sthanu, and Anantah to name a few. They explain it in a lucid language before concluding: ‘Taken as a whole, the commentarial history of Vishnu Sahasranama demonstrates the extraordinary capacity of a single sacred text to sustain metaphysical enquiry, devotional surrender, scholastic rigor, practical spirituality, and contemporary reinterpretation across centuries.’ (sic)
In the chapter Poorva Peethika, Kshirsagar and Dahanukar analyse characters of Mahabharat to underline their contrasts. This is the foundation for the chanting, according to them.
While they go on to explain each name in detail with its mythological, spiritual and word meaning, they also, in the next chapter, talk about phalshruti (benefits) of chanting the Vishnu Sahasranama.
The Second Sacred Jewel of Mahabharata: Shri Vishnu Sahasranama is an interesting book that decodes Vishnu Sahasranama while explaining the history and its modern relevance.
Book: The Second Sacred Jewel of Mahabharata: Shri Vishnu Sahasranama
Author: Vinay Kshirsagar, Sakshi Dahanukar
Publisher: StoryMirror Infotech Pvt.Ltd
Pages: 696
Price: ₹699