is a Sanskrit term which means "a thousand names". It is also a genre of stotra literature, usually found as a title of the text named after a deity, such as Vishnu Sahasranāma, wherein the deity is remembered by 1,000 names, attributes or epithets. As stotras, Sahasra-namas are songs of praise, a type of devotional literature. The word is a compound of ' "thousand" and ' "name". A Sahasranāma often includes the names of other deities, suggesting henotheistic equivalence and/or that they may be attributes rather than personal names. Thus the Ganesha Sahasranamalist ofone thousand names includes Brahma, Vishnu, Shakti, Shiva, Rudra, SadaShiva and others. It also includes epithets such as Jiva, Satya, Param, Jnana and others. The Vishnu Sahasranama includes in its list work and jñāna-yājna as two attributes of Vishnu. The Lalita Sahasranama, similarly, includes the energies of a goddess that manifest in an individual as desire, wisdom and action. A sahasranama provides a terse list of attributes, virtues and legends symbolized by a deity. There are also many shorter stotras, containing only 108 names and accordingly called ashtottara-shata-nāma.
Chronology
The sahasranamas such as the Vishnu Sahasranama, are not found in early Samhita manuscripts, rather found in medieval and later versions of various Samhitas. One of the significant works on Sahasranama is from the sub-school of Ramanuja and the Vishnu Sahasra-namam Bhasya by 12th-century Parasara Bhattar.
Type
Sahasranamas are used for recitals, in ways such as:
sravana, listening to recitals of names and glories of God
nama-sankirtana, reciting the names of God either set to music or not
smarana, recalling divine deeds and teaching of divine deeds.
archana, worshipping the divine with ritual repetition of divine names.
Hinduism
The most well-known sahasranāmas are:
Vishnu sahasranama, is a Vaishnavism stotra, and is found in section 13.135 of the Mahabharata, and all Puranas linked to Vaishnavism.
Shiva sahasranama, is a Shaivism stotra, also found in 13.17 of the Mahabharata. It exists in eight different versions. The best-known version is from Book 13 of the Mahabharata.
Lalita sahasranama, is a Shaktism stotra. This Devi-related work is found in the.
Ganesha sahasranama, is a Ganeshism stotra. One version is found in the Ganesha Purana.
Tantrikas chant the Bhavani Nāma Sahasra Stuti and the Kali Sahasranāma. While the Vishnu and Shiva Sahāsranamas are popular amongst all Hindus, the Lalita Sahasranama is mostly chanted in South India. The Ganesha Sahasranama is mainly chanted by Ganapatya, the Bhavani Nāma Sahasra Stuti is the choice of s, and the Kali Sahasranāma is mostly chanted by Bengalis.
of Sikhism, along with his associates, are credited with Sukhmani Sahasranama, composed in gauriraga, based on Hindu Puranic literature, and dedicated to Rama and Krishna. This 17th-century Sikh text is entirely dedicated to bhakti themes along the lines of "Sri Rama Krishna Waheguru Miharvan", unlike Dasam Granth that focussed on warfare and sovereignty.
