Vishnu Stuti

When it is sung or recited

When they are recited: Shantakaram is a verse of meditation (dhyana) and is often said at the start of Vishnu puja. The two mantras are chanted as japa. Many families keep Thursday and Ekadashi for Vishnu worship and say these verses then.

Repetitions: For the two mantras, japa on a mala, usually 108 times

Meaning

Shantakaram is a verse of meditation on Lord Vishnu: his form is peaceful, he rests on the serpent Shesha, a lotus rises from his navel, and he is the lord of the gods. He is the support of the universe, vast as the sky, cloud-colored and beautiful of limb. He is the beloved of Lakshmi and lotus-eyed, and yogis reach him through meditation. The verse bows to this Vishnu, remover of the fear of worldly existence and the one lord of all worlds. Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya means I bow to the Lord Vasudeva, and Om Namo Narayanaya means I bow to Narayana.

Please note

Shantakaram is a traditional verse of meditation; we found no reliable information about who composed it, so it is listed as traditional. Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya is the twelve-syllable Dvadasakshari mantra, regarded in the Bhagavata tradition as the chief mantra of Vaishnavism. Om Namo Narayanaya is the eight-syllable Ashtakshara mantra, which the Narayana Upanishad also speaks of. The verse Shuklambaradharam, which can also be read as a prayer to Vishnu, is given on the Ganesh Vandana page.

Text compared with: shubhpanchang.com, shlokam.org, en.wikipedia.org. A comparison with printed editions is still in progress. Wording differs between sources, so follow your priest’s version.