Chapter 1: Yudhishthira asks, Bhishma answers

शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुं शशिवर्णं चतुर्भुजम् ।
प्रसन्नवदनं ध्यायेत् सर्वविघ्नोपशान्तये

śuklāmbaradharaṃ viṣṇuṃ śaśivarṇaṃ caturbhujam |
prasannavadanaṃ dhyāyet sarvavighnopaśāntaye

For the removal of every obstacle, one should meditate on Vishnu, clad in white, bright as the moon, four-armed, with a serene and smiling face.

यस्य द्विरदवक्त्राद्याः पारिषद्याः परः शतम्‌ ।
विघ्नं निघ्नन्ति सततं विष्वक्सेनं तमाश्रये

yasya dviradavaktrādyāḥ pāriṣadyāḥ paraḥ śatam‌ |
vighnaṃ nighnanti satataṃ viṣvaksenaṃ tamāśraye

I take refuge in Vishvaksena, whose attendants, more than a hundred, led by the elephant-faced one, constantly destroy all obstacles.

व्यासं वसिष्ठनप्तारं शक्तेः पौत्रमकल्मषम्‌ ।
पराशरात्मजं वन्दे शुकतातं तपोनिधिम्

vyāsaṃ vasiṣṭhanaptāraṃ śakteḥ pautramakalmaṣam‌ |
parāśarātmajaṃ vande śukatātaṃ taponidhim

I bow to Vyasa, great-grandson of Vasishtha, grandson of Shakti, son of Parashara and father of Shuka, the spotless one, a treasure of tapas.

व्यासाय विष्णुरूपाय व्यासरूपाय विष्णवे ।
नमो वै ब्रह्मनिधये वासिष्ठाय नमो नमः

vyāsāya viṣṇurūpāya vyāsarūpāya viṣṇave |
namo vai brahmanidhaye vāsiṣṭhāya namo namaḥ

Salutations to Vyasa, who is a form of Vishnu, and to Vishnu, who is in the form of Vyasa. Salutations again and again to him of Vasishtha's line, the treasure-house of the Veda.

अविकाराय शुद्धाय नित्याय परमात्मने ।
सदैकरूपरूपाय विष्णवे सर्वजिष्णवे

avikārāya śuddhāya nityāya paramātmane |
sadaikarūparūpāya viṣṇave sarvajiṣṇave

Salutations to Vishnu, the changeless, the pure, the eternal Supreme Self, ever of one unvarying form, victorious over all.

यस्य स्मरणमात्रेण जन्मसंसारबन्धनात् ।
विमुच्यते नमस्तस्मै विष्णवे प्रभविष्णवे
ॐ नमो विष्णवे प्रभविष्णवे ।

yasya smaraṇamātreṇa janmasaṃsārabandhanāt |
vimucyate namastasmai viṣṇave prabhaviṣṇave
oṃ namo viṣṇave prabhaviṣṇave |

Salutations to Vishnu, the all-powerful, by the mere remembrance of whom a person is freed from the bondage of birth and samsara. Om, salutations to Vishnu, the mighty Lord.

श्रुत्वा धर्मानशेषेण पावनानि च सर्वशः ।
युधिष्ठिरः शान्तनवं पुनरेवाभ्यभाषत

śrutvā dharmānaśeṣeṇa pāvanāni ca sarvaśaḥ |
yudhiṣṭhiraḥ śāntanavaṃ punarevābhyabhāṣata

Vaishampayana said: Having heard the dharmas in full, and every means of purification, Yudhishthira spoke again to Bhishma, the son of Shantanu.

किमेकं दैवतं लोके किं वाप्येकं परायणम् ।
स्तुवन्तः कं कमर्चन्तः प्राप्नुयुर्मानवाः शुभम्

kimekaṃ daivataṃ loke kiṃ vāpyekaṃ parāyaṇam |
stuvantaḥ kaṃ kamarcantaḥ prāpnuyurmānavāḥ śubham

Yudhishthira said: Who is the one God in the world? What is the one supreme refuge? By praising whom, and by worshipping whom, may men attain the highest good?

को धर्मः सर्वधर्माणां भवतः परमो मतः ।
किं जपन्मुच्यते जन्तुर्जन्मसंसारबन्धनात्

ko dharmaḥ sarvadharmāṇāṃ bhavataḥ paramo mataḥ |
kiṃ japanmucyate janturjanmasaṃsārabandhanāt

Which dharma, of all dharmas, do you hold to be the highest? By repeating what is a living being freed from the bondage of birth and samsara?

जगत्प्रभुं देवदेवमनन्तं पुरुषोत्तमम् ।
स्तुवन् नामसहस्रेण पुरुषः सततोत्थितः

jagatprabhuṃ devadevamanantaṃ puruṣottamam |
stuvan nāmasahasreṇa puruṣaḥ satatotthitaḥ

Bhishma said: A person who ever strives to praise with the thousand names the Lord of the world, God of gods, the endless Purushottama,

तमेव चार्चयन्नित्यं भक्त्या पुरुषमव्ययम् ।
ध्यायन् स्तुवन् नमस्यंश्च यजमानस्तमेव च

tameva cārcayannityaṃ bhaktyā puruṣamavyayam |
dhyāyan stuvan namasyaṃśca yajamānastameva ca

and who daily worships with devotion that imperishable Purusha alone, meditating on him, praising him, bowing to him and offering sacrifice to him,

अनादिनिधनं विष्णुं सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम् ।
लोकाध्यक्षं स्तुवन्नित्यं सर्वदुःखातिगो भवेत्

anādinidhanaṃ viṣṇuṃ sarvalokamaheśvaram |
lokādhyakṣaṃ stuvannityaṃ sarvaduḥkhātigo bhavet

praising always Vishnu, without beginning or end, the great Lord of all worlds, overseer of the worlds, he passes beyond all sorrow.

ब्रह्मण्यं सर्वधर्मज्ञं लोकानां कीर्तिवर्धनम् ।
लोकनाथं महद्भूतं सर्वभूतभवोद्भवम्

brahmaṇyaṃ sarvadharmajñaṃ lokānāṃ kīrtivardhanam |
lokanāthaṃ mahadbhūtaṃ sarvabhūtabhavodbhavam

He is devoted to the Veda and to brahmanas, knower of all dharma, who increases the fame of the worlds, Lord of the worlds, the great Being, source of the birth of all beings.

एष मे सर्वधर्माणां धर्मोऽधिकतमो मतः ।
यद्भक्त्या पुण्डरीकाक्षं स्तवैरर्चेन्नरः सदा

eṣa me sarvadharmāṇāṃ dharmo'dhikatamo mataḥ |
yadbhaktyā puṇḍarīkākṣaṃ stavairarcennaraḥ sadā

This, in my view, is the greatest of all dharmas: that a man should always worship the lotus-eyed Lord with devotion, through hymns of praise.

परमं यो महत्तेजः परमं यो महत्तपः ।
परमं यो महद्ब्रह्म परमं यः परायणम्

paramaṃ yo mahattejaḥ paramaṃ yo mahattapaḥ |
paramaṃ yo mahadbrahma paramaṃ yaḥ parāyaṇam

He who is the supreme great radiance, the supreme great tapas, the supreme great Brahman, and the supreme refuge,

पवित्राणां पवित्रं यो मङ्गलानां च मङ्गलम् ।
दैवतं दैवतानां च भूतानां योऽव्ययः पिता

pavitrāṇāṃ pavitraṃ yo maṅgalānāṃ ca maṅgalam |
daivataṃ daivatānāṃ ca bhūtānāṃ yo'vyayaḥ pitā

who is the purest of all that purifies, the most auspicious of all that is auspicious, the God of the gods and the imperishable father of all beings,

यतः सर्वाणि भूतानि भवन्त्यादियुगागमे ।
यस्मिंश्च प्रलयं यान्ति पुनरेव युगक्षये

yataḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni bhavantyādiyugāgame |
yasmiṃśca pralayaṃ yānti punareva yugakṣaye

from whom all beings come forth at the dawn of the first yuga, and into whom they return in dissolution at the end of the yuga,

तस्य लोकप्रधानस्य जगन्नाथस्य भूपते ।
विष्णोर्नामसहस्रं मे शृणु पापभयापहम्

tasya lokapradhānasya jagannāthasya bhūpate |
viṣṇornāmasahasraṃ me śṛṇu pāpabhayāpaham

hear from me, O King, the thousand names of that Vishnu, foremost in the worlds and Lord of the universe, which take away sin and fear.

यानि नामानि गौणानि विख्यातानि महात्मनः ।
ऋषिभिः परिगीतानि तानि वक्ष्यामि भूतये

yāni nāmāni gauṇāni vikhyātāni mahātmanaḥ |
ṛṣibhiḥ parigītāni tāni vakṣyāmi bhūtaye

Those names of the great-souled one which arise from his qualities, which are renowned and sung by the rishis, I shall tell you for the welfare of all.

ऋषिर्नाम्नां सहस्रस्य वेदव्यासो महामुनिः ।
छन्दोऽनुष्टुप् तथा देवो भगवान् देवकीसुतः

ṛṣirnāmnāṃ sahasrasya vedavyāso mahāmuniḥ |
chando'nuṣṭup tathā devo bhagavān devakīsutaḥ

The rishi of the thousand names is the great muni Veda Vyasa; the metre is Anushtubh; and the deity is Bhagavan, the son of Devaki.

अमृतांशूद्भवो बीजं शक्तिर्देवकिनन्दनः ।
त्रिसामा हृदयं तस्य शान्त्यर्थे विनियोज्यते

amṛtāṃśūdbhavo bījaṃ śaktirdevakinandanaḥ |
trisāmā hṛdayaṃ tasya śāntyarthe viniyojyate

'Amritamshudbhava' is the seed, the son of Devaki is the power, and 'Trisama' is the heart. It is employed for the sake of peace.

विष्णुं जिष्णुं महाविष्णुं प्रभविष्णुं महेश्वरम्‌ ।
अनेकरूपदैत्यान्तं नमामि पुरुषोत्तमम्

viṣṇuṃ jiṣṇuṃ mahāviṣṇuṃ prabhaviṣṇuṃ maheśvaram‌ |
anekarūpadaityāntaṃ namāmi puruṣottamam

I bow to Purushottama: Vishnu the all-pervading, Jishnu the victorious, Mahavishnu, Prabhavishnu the all-powerful, the great Lord, who destroyed daityas of many forms.