The Vishnu Sahasranama is Bhishma’s response to the very pertinent questions that Yudhishtira poses. Who is the one Supreme Deity? Who is the sole and supreme goal for all? By chanting whose names, by praising and by worshipping which person can mankind attain good? Which is the dharma that is considered best by you? By reciting what hymn is mankind freed of all troubles and from the cycle of birth?
Yudhishtira exemplifies the troubled soul caught in samsara struggling to follow the path of dharma against the powerful forces of evil and adharma, pointed out Sri Sriramana Sarma in a discourse. Bhishma draws attention to the Supreme Brahman to whom the entire universe with all its beings owes its existence. He alone is to be propitiated. How can His nature be described? The Supreme Lord is the essence of all effulgence, of the highest penance, of the highest Brahman, and He is also the ultimate destination for all beings in this creation. He is the abode of all auspiciousness and His power is unlimited. He is the embodiment of all penance and His word is the law which He enforces by the sheer power of His yoga.
The Upanishads state that the sun, moon, stars and the other planets in the galaxy dare not transgress the law He has put in force. Moreover, they owe their effulgence, heat and light to His grace alone. Bhishma asserts that every troubled soul is sure to find solace by praising the Lord with His divine names. This hymn, which is venerated by all, carries the promise to fulfill desires, ward off evil influences, free one from diseases, fear, disasters, etc, and above all from the bondage of samsara. No matter whatever be our state of life and existence on earth, we all have to seek, search and try to reach Him who is the ultimate destination for all.
