Composition of the Stotram

The following sloka in the prologue to Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram identifies some crucial aspects of the composition of the stotram:

विष्णोर्नामसहस्रस्य वेदव्यासो महामुनिः ।

छन्दोऽनुष्टुप् तथा देवो भगवान् देवकीसुतः ॥

viṣṇōrnāmasahasrasya vēdavyāsō mahāmuniḥ |

chandō'nuṣṭup tathā dēvō bhagavān dēvakīsutaḥ ||

Sri Vedavyasa is the rishi of Sri Vishnu's one thousand names, i.e., the sage strung together the thousand names as Bhishma revealed them to Yudhishthira. Anushtup (eight syllables per quarter) is its meter. Lord Krishna, the son of Devaki, is the Lord who is being worshipped.

There are over forty commentaries on Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram. Sri Adi Sankara's commentary is the earliest of them.

Sri Parasara Bhatta, a disciple of Sri Ramanuja, has written a detailed commentary. Sri Satyasandha Yatiswara from the Dvaita school is another prominent commentator. Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram, along with the Bhagavad Gita, is an integral part of the epic Mahabharata composed by Sage Vedavyasa (Vyasa is also the one who organised the Vedas into the classifications as we know them today).

Of all the commentaries Sri Sankara wrote for our religious scriptures (the Bhagavad Gita, the Brahma Sutras, etc.), Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram was the foremost one. Sri Sankara emphasises the importance of reciting the Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram in his Bhaja Govindam (gēyaṃ gītā nāmasahasram).

Six reasons are generally identified for the greatness of the Stotram.

These are:

1. It is the essence of the Mahabharata.

2. Sages such as Narada, the Alwars, and composers, including Saint Tyagaraja, have repeatedly referenced the "Thousand Names of Lord Vishnu" in their devotional works.

3. The person who strung together the thousand names as part of the Mahabharata and preserved it for the world was none other than Sage Vedavyasa, the foremost knower of the Vedas and considered an incarnation of Vishnu (vyāsāya viṣṇurūpāya vyāsarūpāya viṣṇavē namaḥ).

4. Bhishma considers it the best and most accessible of all dharmas or the means to attain relief from all bondage.

5. It is widely accepted that the chanting of this Stotram gives relief from all sorrows and leads to happiness and peace of mind.

6. It conforms with the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, Narayaneeyam, etc.

The above reasons illustrate that the importance of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram becomes more apparent when we recount the personalities involved in the events that resulted in the stotram. It was no ordinary person's advice that was sought. No average person sought direction; the advice was sought at no average person's urging.

Bhishma was the son of the Mother Ganga and a person sanctified by his unswerving devotion to Lord Krishna and one who had controlled and conquered all his senses. Yudhishthira was the son of dharma and a practitioner of justice, righteousness, truth, honesty, and integrity. Vyasa was the knower of all Vedas. Lord Krishna witnessed the whole event involving the advice and revelation of the easiest and best means to achieve happiness and peace of mind, given by Bhishma to Yudhishthira.

As we know, the advice is in the form of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram. No other justification is needed to recognise the greatness of the education imparted to the human race through the medium of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram by Vyasa and Bhishma.