Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 283
कीर्तयन् प्रयत: सर्वान् सर्वपापै: प्रमुच्यते । इसी प्रकार नन्दीश्वर
kīrtayan prayataḥ sarvān sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate |
Bhīṣma said: “One who, with self-control and purity of intention, recites all these names is released from every sin. In this manner, the devout remembrance of Nandīśvara, the great-bodied one, the leader of hosts, the bull-bannered Lord, Gaṇeśa the master of all worlds—Vināyaka—together with the gentle gaṇas, the Rudra-gaṇas, the yoga-gaṇas, the bhūta-gaṇas, the constellations, the rivers, the sky, Garuḍa the king of birds, the great ascetics perfected by austerity on earth, the immovable and the moving beings, Himālaya and all mountains, the four oceans, the attendants of Śaṅkara equal to him in valor, and also Viṣṇu, Jiṣṇu, Skanda, and Ambikā—destroys all sin for the person who chants their names with a pure heart.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Disciplined and sincere recitation of sacred names (nāma-kīrtana) is presented as a powerful means of moral and spiritual purification, capable of removing sin when done with a pure intention.
Bhīṣma is instructing on religious practice and expiation: he lists divine beings, Śiva’s hosts, cosmic elements, and revered figures, stating that chanting their names with purity frees a person from all sins.