Viṣṇu Sūktam1
̍ i ̠ pravo̍ca̠ṃ yaḥ pārthi ̍vāni vima̠me
auṁ viṣṇo̱rnuka̍ṃ vī ̠ryāṇ
rajāgṁsi ̠ yo aska̍-bhāya̠d-utta̍ragṁ sa̠dhastha̍ṃ vicakra-mā̠ṇas-
tre̱dhor-u̍gā̠yo2 viṣṇo̍r-a̠rāṭa̍m-asi ̠ viṣṇo̎ḥ pṛ̠ṣṭham-a̍si ̠ viṣṇo̱ḥ
śnaptre̎stho̱ viṣṇo̱s-syūr-a̍si ̠ viṣṇo̎r-dhru̠vam-a̍si vaiṣṇa̠vam-a̍si ̠
viṣṇa̍ve tvā ॥1॥3
tad-a̍sya pri ̠yam-a̠bhipātho̍ aśyām ।
naro̱ yatra̍ deva̠yavo̱ mada̍nti ।
u̠ru̠kram-a̍sya̠ sa hi bandhu̍r-i ̠tthā ।
viṣṇo̎ḥ pa̠de pa̍ra̠me madhva̠ utsa̍ḥ ।4
pratad-viṣṇu̍s-stavate vī ̠ryāy̍ a ।
mṛ̠go na bhī ̠maḥ ku̍ca̠ro gi ̍ri ̠ṣṭhāḥ ।
yasyo̱ruṣu̍ tri ̠ṣu vi ̠krama̍ṇeṣu ।
1
Romanised transliteration of original Sanskrit text taken from https://vignanam.org/english/vishnu-
suktam.html, https://stotranidhi.com/en/vishnu-suktam-in-english/, and https://nios.ac.in/media/
documents/OBE_indian_knowledge_tradition/Level_C/Veda/VC-Ch-5.pdf on 26 August 2021. File last updated
on 26 February 2023.
2
viṣṇornukaṃ … tredhor-ugāyo: From TS1.2.13:3; same as RV1.154:1
3
viṣṇor-arāṭam-asi … viṣṇave tvā: From TS1.2.13:3
4
tad-asya priyam … parame madhva utsaḥ: From TB2.4.6:2; same as RV1.154:5
adhi ̍kṣi ̠yanti ̠ bhuva̍nāni ̠ viśvā̎ ।5
pa̠ro mātra̍yā ta̠nuvā̍ vṛdhāna ।
na te̍ mahi ̠tvam-anv-a̍śnuvanti ॥2॥
u̠bhe te̍ vidma̠ raja̍sī pṛthi ̠vyā viṣṇo̍ deva̠tvam ।
pa̠ra̠masya̍ vitse ।6
vica̍krame pṛthi ̠vīm-e̱ṣa e̱tām ।
kṣetrāy̍ a̠ viṣṇu̠r-manu̍ṣe daśa̠syan ।
dhru̠vāso̍ asya kī ̠rayo̱ janās̍ aḥ ।
ū̠rukṣi ̠ti ̠gṁ su̠jani ̍mā-cakāra ।7
trir-de̱vaḥ pṛ̍thi ̠vīm-e̱ṣa e̱tām ।
vica̍krame śa̠t-arca̍saṃ mahi ̠tvā ।
̍
pra-viṣṇu̍r-astu ta̠vas-a̠stavīyān ।
tve̱ṣaggh-hya̍sya̠ sthavi ̍rasya̠ nāma̍ ॥3॥8
ato̍ de̱vā a̍vantu no̱ yato̱ viṣṇu̍r-vicakra̠me ।
pṛ̠thi ̠vyāḥ sa̠pta-dhāma̍bhiḥ ।
5
pratad-viṣṇus-stavate … bhuvanāni viśvā: From TB 2.4.3:4; same as RV1.154:2
6
paro mātrayā tanuvā … paramasya vitse: From TB2.8.3:2; same as RV7.99:1
7
vicakrame pṛthivīm … sujanimā-cakāra: From TB2.4.3:5; same as RV7.100:4
8
trir-devaḥ pṛthivīm … sthavirasya nāma: From TB2.4.3:5; same as RV7.100.3
i ̠daṃ viṣṇu̠r-vica̍krame tre̱dhā nida̍dhe pa̠dam ।
samū̍ḍham-asya pāgṁ su̠re ॥
trīṇi ̍ pa̠dā vica̍krame̱ viṣṇu̍r-go̱pā adāb̎ hyaḥ ।
̍ i dhā̠rayan̍ ।9
tato̱ dharmāṇ
̍ i paśyata̠ yato̎ vra̠tāni ̍ paspa̠śe ।
viṣṇo̱ḥ karmāṇ
indra̍sya̠ yujya̠ḥ sakhā̎ ॥4॥
tad-viṣṇo̎ḥ para̠maṃ pa̠dagṁ sadā̍ paśyanti sū̠raya̍ḥ ।
di ̠vīva̠ cakṣu̠r-āta̍tam ।10
tad-viprās̍ o vipa̠nyavo̍ jāgṛ̠vāgṁ sa̠s-sam-i ̍ndhate ।
viṣṇo̱r-yat-pa̍ra̠maṃ pa̠dam ।11
paryāp̎ tyā̠ ana̍ntarāyāya̠ sarva̍sto’moti rā̠tra u̍tta̠ma maha̍r-bhavati ̠
sarva̠syāptyai ̠ sarva̍sya̠ jittyai ̠ sarva̍m-e̱va tenāp̎ noti ̠ sarvaṃ̍ jayati
॥5॥
auṁ śānti ̠ḥ śānti ̠ḥ śānti ̍ḥ ॥
9
trīṇi padā … dharmāṇi dhārayan: From TB2.4.6:1
10
viṣṇoḥ karmāṇi paśyata … divīva cakṣur-ātatam: From TS1.3.6:2
11
ato devā avantu no … viṣṇor-yat-paramaṃ padam: Same as RV1.22:16-21
English Translation
1) Auṁ! Now shall I proclaim the heroic deeds of Viṣṇu, who measured out the
earthly realms, who propped up the higher seat, having stridden out three times,
the wide-ranging one.12 You are the forehead of Viṣṇu. You are the back of Viṣṇu.
You two are the corners of Viṣṇu’s mouth. You are the thread of Viṣṇu. You are
the fixed point of Viṣṇu. You are of Viṣṇu, to Viṣṇu you!13
2) Might I reach that dear realm of his,
where men seeking the gods find elation,
for exactly that is the bond to the wide-striding one:
the wellspring of honey in the highest step of Viṣṇu.14
In this way Viṣṇu will be praised for his heroic deed —
(he who is) like a fearsome wild beast,
living in the mountains and roaming wherever it wants,
in whose three wide strides dwell all living beings.15
O you who have grown with your body beyond measure,
they [who?] do not attain to your greatness.
3) We (only) know both your dusky realms of the earth, God Viṣṇu.
You yourself know the farthest one.16
Quick Viṣṇu strode across this earth
for a dwelling place for Manu, showing his favor.
Firmly fixed are his peoples, (even) the weak.
He, affording good birth, has made (them) wide dwelling.17
Three times did the quick god stride across this earth,
with his greatness worth a hundred verses.
Let Viṣṇu be preeminent, stronger than the strong,
for vibrant is the name of this stalwart one.18
12
Now I shall proclaim … the wide-ranging one: Translation from Jamison-Brereton RV1.154:1
13
You are the forehead … are of Viṣṇu, to Viṣṇu you: Translation from Keith TS1.2.13:3, lightly edited
14
Might I reach … highest step of Viṣṇu: Translation from Jamison-Brereton RV1.154:5, lightly edited
15
In this way … dwell all living beings: Translation from Jamison-Brereton RV1.154:2
16
O you who have grown … know the farthest one: Translation from Jamison-Brereton RV7.99:1, lightly edited
17
Quick Viṣṇu strode … made (them) wide dwelling: Translation from Jamison-Brereton RV7.100:4
18
Three times did the quick god … the name of this stalwart one: Translation from Jamison-Brereton RV7.100:3,
lightly edited
4) Let the gods help us from there whence Viṣṇu strode out
from the earth through the seven domains.
Viṣṇu strode out this (world); three times he laid down a step:
(this world) is concentrated in his dusty (step).
He strode three steps, Viṣṇu the undeceivable cowherd,
founding the foundations from there—
Behold the deeds of Viṣṇu: from (the place) where he watches over the
commandments,
the partner in yoke with Indra.
5) That is the highest footstep of Viṣṇu. The patrons always behold it
stretched out like the eye [=sun] in heaven.
That do the inspired poets, admiring and wakeful, kindle—
the highest footstep of Viṣṇu.19
? Probably a Phala-Śruti… something about how those who chant this Sūktam will obtain
all kinds of success and wealth ?20
________________________________________________________________________________________
References
Sanskrit text of the Taittirīya Saṃhitā in Devanagari with svara marks from sanskritdocuments.org, edited by
Muralidhara B.A., updated 24 March 2018
Sanskrit text of the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa in Devanagari with svara marks from sanskritweb.net, edited by
Subramania Sarma in 2005
Sanskrit text of the Ṛg Veda Mantra Saṃhitā in Devanagari with svara marks from sanskritweb.net, edited by
R.L. Kashyap and S. Sadagopan, 2nd Ed. published in 2005 by the Aurobindo Kapali Sastry Institute of
Vedic Culture Bangalore, digitised by U. Stiehl
Tutorial for chanting the Viṣṇu Sūktam by the GRD Iyers GuruCool YouTube Channel: Part 1 published on 29
August 2018 and Part 2 published on 5 September 2018
English translation of the Ṛg Veda Mantra Saṃhitā from academia.edu, by S.W. Jamison and J.P. Brereton,
published by Oxford University Press and the University of Texas, South Asia Institute in 2017
English translation of the Taittirīya Saṃhitā from sanskritweb.net, by A.B. Keith, published in the Harvard
Oriental Series (Vol. 18-19) in 1914
19
Let the gods help us … the highest footstep of Viṣṇu: Translation from Jamison-Brereton RV1.22:16-21
20
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