Vamana Purana — Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu, Shloka 100

The Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu (Vishnu-Pañjara) and the Redemption of a Rakshasa

Devanagari script

विष्णवे वासुदेवाय हरये केशवाय च जनार्दनाय कृष्णाय नमो भूयो नमो नमः

Transliteration

viṣṇave vāsudevāya haraye keśavāya ca janārdanāya kṛṣṇāya namo bhūyo namo namaḥ

Translation

وشنو، واسودیو، ہری اور کیشو کو نمسکار؛ جناردن اور کرشن کو نمسکار—بار بار نمسکار، نمسکار، نمسکار۔

Speakers

• Narratorial/teaching voice within the stuti sequence (speaker not specified in the excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Krishna

Key Themes

• Stuti (praise)
• Nāma-japa/namaskāra
• Bhakti as purifier
• Litany of Viṣṇu epithets

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "bhakti", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Why are multiple names of the same deity listed in a single verse?

Purāṇic stutis use nāma-litanies to invoke the deity’s many functions—cosmic (Viṣṇu), incarnational (Vāsudeva/Kṛṣṇa), salvific (Hari), and heroic (Keśava/Janārdana)—compressing theology into devotional address.

What is the force of ‘namo bhūyo namo namaḥ’?

It intensifies reverence through repetition, functioning like a refrain. In recitation practice it marks humility and sustained surrender (praṇipāta) rather than a single formal bow.

Is this verse meant as a standalone mantra?

While not a Vedic mantra in strict ritual classification, Purāṇic tradition often treats such ślokas as mantra-like for japa or tīrtha recitation because they are compact, name-centered, and framed by repeated ‘namo’.