The Prologue

In the introductory part of the Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram, Yudhishthira asks Bhishma six questions about how humankind can attain happiness. These are contained in two stanzas starting with "kimēkaṃ daivataṃ lōkē" in the Stotram.

These questions are:

1. Who is the One (Supreme) Deity?

2. What is the highest goal of life?

3. By praising which Deity's auspicious qualities will human beings attain prosperity in this world and bliss in the next?

4. By meditating on which Deity will human beings attain prosperity in this world and bliss in the next?

5. By reciting which mantra, will man be released from the bondage of the cycle of birth and death?

6. Of the three means referred to above (i.e., recitation, praise or archana, and meditation), which is the best means for attaining the grace of the Supreme Deity based on your vast experience and knowledge?

Bhishma's response to the above questions follows in the following ten stanzas.

In Bhishma's opinion, a person would tide over all the sorrows in this world by reciting the Thousand Names of the Eternal Lord (dhyāyan stuvan namasyaṃśca yajamānastamēva ca).

Bhishma adds that of all the dharmas, the dharma or practice involving service done to the Lotus-eyed Lord Krishna, without any desire for benefit, through worship (archana) and hymnal praise (stava), is the best. Note that praising is straightforward, involves only speech, and involves no material sacrifice or bodily exertion. It is open to all and does not need help from or dependence on others.

Other kinds of worship might require money or other resources to perform the worship or impose on other people for their involvement (e.g., a priest to give instructions on the method of prayer, etc.). While chanting the name of God, there is also no constraint on the ashrama (i.e., brahmacharya, grihasta, etc.) to which a person belongs, unlike, for example, the conditions that the Vedas place in performing the ceremonial rites with sacrificial fire.

There is also no requirement regarding time, place, the status of purity, etc., for chanting the stotram. The critical element of chanting as a means to attain the Lord's grace is sincerity and purity of mind, and there is no other constraint or consideration.