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shree mahaavishnu asht'ottarashatanaamaaval'ih'

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shree mahaavishnu asht'ottarashatanaamaaval'ih'

1. om vishnave namah'
2. om lakshmeepataye namah'
3. om kri'shnaaya namah'
4. om vaikunt'haaya namah'
5. om garud'adhvajaaya namah'
6. om parabrahmane namah'
7. om jagannaathaaya namah'
8. om vaasudevaaya namah'
9. om trivikramaaya namah'
10. om daityaantakaaya namah'
11. om madhuripave namah'
12. om taarkshyavaahanaaya namah'
13. om sanaatanaaya namah'
14. om naaraayanaaya namah'
15. om padmanaabhaaya namah'
16. om hri'sheekeshaaya namah'
17. om sudhaapradaaya namah'
18. om maadhavaaya namah'
19. om pund'areekaakshaaya namah'
20. om sthitikartre namah'
21. om paraatparaaya namah'
22. om vanamaaline namah'
23. om yajnyaroopaaya namah'
24. om chakrapaanaye namah'
25. om gadaadharaaya namah'
26. om upendraaya namah'
27. om keshavaaya namah'
28. om ham'saaya namah'
29. om samudramathanaaya namah'
30. om haraye namah'
31. om govindaaya namah'
32. om brahmajanakaaya namah'
33. om kait'abhaasuramardanaaya namah'
34. om shreedharaaya namah'
35. om kaamajanakaaya namah'
36. om sheshashaayine namah'
37. om chaturbhujaaya namah'
38. om paanchajanyadharaaya namah'
39. om shreemate namah'
40. om shaarngapaanaye namah'
41. om janaardanaaya namah'
42. om peetaambaradharaaya namah'
43. om devaaya namah'
44. om sooryachandravilochanaaya namah'
45. om matsyaroopaaya namah'
46. om koormatanave namah'
47. om krod'aroopaaya namah'
48. om nri'kesarine namah'
49. om vaamanaaya namah'
50. om bhaargavaaya namah'
51. om raamaaya namah'
52. om baline namah'
53. om kalkine namah'
54. om hayaananaaya namah'
55. om vishvambharaaya namah'
56. om shishumaaraaya namah'
57. om shreekaraaya namah'
58. om kapilaaya namah'
59. om dhruvaaya namah'
60. om dattaatreyaaya namah'
61. om achyutaaya namah'
62. om anantaaya namah'
63. om mukundaaya namah'
64. om dadhivaamanaaya namah'
65. om dhanvantaraye namah'
66. om shreenivaasaaya namah'
67. om pradyumnaaya namah'
68. om purushottamaaya namah'
69. om shreevatsakaustubhadharaaya namah'
70. om muraaraataye namah'
71. om adhokshajaaya namah'
72. om ri'shabhaaya namah'
73. om mohineeroopadhaarine namah'
74. om sankarshanaaya namah'
75. om pri'thave namah'
76. om ksheeraabdhishaayine namah'
77. om bhootaatmane namah'
78. om aniruddhaaya namah'
79. om bhaktavatsalaaya namah'
80. om naraaya namah'
81. om gajendravaradaaya namah'
82. om tridhaamne namah'
83. om bhootabhaavanaaya namah'
84. om shvetadveepasuvaastavyaaya namah'
85. om sanakaadimunidhyeyaaya namah'
86. om bhagavate namah'
87. om shankarapriyaaya namah'
88. om neelakaantaaya namah'
89. om dharaakaantaaya namah'
90. om vedaatmane namah'
91. om baadaraayanaaya namah'
92. om bhaageeratheejanmabhoomipaadapadmaaya namah'
93. om sataam' prabhave namah'
94. om svabhuve namah'
95. om vibhave namah'
96. om ghanashyaamaaya namah'
97. om jagatkaaranaaya namah'
98. om avyayaaya namah'
99. om buddhaavataaraaya namah'
100. om shaantaatmane namah'
101. om leelaamaanushavigrahaaya namah'
102. om daamodaraaya namah'
103. om viraad'roopaaya namah'
104. om bhootabhavyabhavatprabhave namah'
105. om aadidevaaya namah'
106. om devadevaaya namah'
107. om prahlaadaparipaalakaaya namah'
108. om shreemahaavishnave namah'

|| iti shree mahaavishnu asht'ottarashatanaamaaval'ih' sampoornaa ||

Meaning

One hundred and eight names of Vishnu, each said with om before it and namah after. The list opens with om vishnave namah, om lakshmipataye namah, om krishnaya namah, and closes with om shrimahavishnave namah. Households across Karnataka use it for the daily tulasi archane, one name to one leaf. It is not the Vishnu Sahasranama, which runs to a thousand names and comes from the Mahabharata.

Significance

Why a hundred and eight gets different answers from different teachers: the beads of a japa-mala, the number that closes a round of counting. The practical reason is plainer. The list is short enough to finish before the lamp burns low and wide enough to touch every side of Vishnu. Kshirabdhinilaya, who sleeps on the ocean of milk, stands next to Damodara, the child tied at the waist with a rope. Avatara names sit beside quality names, and the archane moves between the two without comment.

The commonly printed recension of this namavali stops at om shrimahavishnave namah with no phala-shruti verse after it. That absence is worth knowing, because many stotras do end with a promise and this one does not. What tradition attaches to the archane is a habit rather than a bargain: the names are spoken one at a time while tulasi is offered, and the household worship stays a conversation instead of a routine. Elders here will say the test of an archane is whether you can still hear the meaning of the name by the hundredth one.

How and when to chant

Morning, after bathing, before the day's cooking starts, is the usual slot. Ekadashi, Saturdays and the month of Shravana draw longer or more attentive recitation; many families simply do it every day. Keep a hundred and eight tulasi leaves, or flowers when tulasi is scarce, in a plate to your right, and offer one as each name is spoken. Where a saligrama is kept, the archane follows the panchamrita abhisheka. Where there is only a framed picture or a small bronze, the leaf is placed at the feet.

Regional variation is real. Madhva households on the coast usually recite in Sanskrit with a Kannada-script book open in front of them. Some Sri Vaishnava families keep the Sahasranama for Saturdays and use the ashtottara on weekdays. A namavali needs no initiation and no priest. If the Sanskrit is hard, say each name slowly and correctly rather than quickly and wrong.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Vishnu Ashtottara and Vishnu Sahasranama?
Length and source. The ashtottara is a list of 108 names arranged for archane, with om before and namah after each. The Sahasranama is a thousand names in verse from the Mahabharata's Anushasana Parva, taught by Bhishma to Yudhishthira. Most households recite the ashtottara daily and keep the Sahasranama for Saturdays, Ekadashi or a vow.
Can women and children recite this namavali?
Yes. A namavali is not a Vedic mantra requiring upanayana or a teacher's initiation; it is a list of names with om and namah around them. Women lead the tulasi archane in most Karnataka homes. Children usually begin with the first ten or twelve names and add more as the tongue gets used to the Sanskrit.
Which day is best for reciting Vishnu Ashtottara?
Any day, since this is daily worship rather than a vrata. Ekadashi, Saturday and the month of Shravana are when families recite it more often or more carefully. Vaikuntha Ekadashi, Krishna Janmashtami and Vamana Jayanti are common occasions too. Some keep Thursday for it, since Guruvara is given to Vishnu in parts of Karnataka.
Do I need tulasi leaves for the archane?
Tulasi is preferred and easy to grow at home, which is why most households use it. If the plant has dried or the season is against you, flowers, akshate or even clean water offered with each name will serve. What the archane asks for is the name said clearly, one at a time, rather than an expensive material.
How long does it take to recite 108 names?
Between eight and twelve minutes at a steady pace, longer if you offer a leaf with every name. Rushing through in five minutes defeats the purpose. Families who add a dhyana shloka at the start and a short mangalarati at the end usually set aside twenty minutes for the whole archane.
Is Mahavishnu Ashtottara the same as Venkateshwara Ashtottara?
No. Both have 108 names and both address Vishnu, but the lists differ. The Venkateshwara namavali opens with om venkateshaya namah and is tied to Tirumala. This one opens with om vishnave namah and addresses Vishnu in general, moving across the avataras and the cosmic epithets. Use whichever matches the form kept at home.
Can I recite it without a priest?
Yes, and most people do. A purohita is called for a homa, a vrata with formal sankalpa, or a ceremony with fire and fixed procedure. Daily archane with a namavali is household work. Light a lamp, wash your hands, say the names, offer the leaves, and finish with whatever arati your family sings.
What does the closing name Shrimahavishnu mean?
It joins Shri, that is Lakshmi, to the name Mahavishnu, so the last offering goes to the Lord with the Goddess rather than to him alone. Vaishnava practice rarely separates the two, and the namavali's second name, om lakshmipataye namah, has already said as much at the beginning.

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