How did Sri Vishnu Sahasranaamam come to be?

Yudhishthira, the oldest of the Pandavas, felt depressed and deprived after he was forced to kill his brothers, relatives, and teacher on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. At the same time, Bhishma was lying on the bed of arrows on the verge of death. With Bhishma's passing, his irreplaceable wisdom, based on the experiences of his long life of virtue, righteousness, and devotion, would be lost to the world.

Upon the advice of Maharishi Vyasa and Lord Krishna, Yudhishthira and his four brothers made a trip to Kurukshetra to salvage all the knowledge possessed by Bhishma and become better rulers. A dialogue series between Yudhishthira and Bhishma ensued, witnessed by Lord Krishna, Maharishi Vyasa, and various other sages at the site to gain invaluable knowledge of Bhishma.

Yudhishthira sought Bhishma's advice on the easiest and best means humankind could attain lasting happiness, peace of mind, and relief from all bondage and worldly sorrows. This was the setting under which Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram was imparted, with the welfare of future generations also in mind, by Bhishma to Yudhishthira as part of the advice given by Bhishma in response to the above question.