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Book: Samarpanam – English Commentary of the Vishnu Sahasranamam

The book titled, Samarpanam, which contains word-by-word translation and interpretation of the Vishnu Sahasranamam, is the result of four years of research and dedication by Uthradom Tirunal Marthanda Varma, the present head of the royal family of erstwhile Travancore (South Kerala). The book is published by Konark Publishers, Delhi.

‘Vishnu Sahasranama,’ chanted by Bheeshma after the 18-day Kurukshetra battle, consists of the thousands of Lord Vishnu and it has symbolic meanings.

The Hindu reports

“The Vishnu Sahasranamam was recited by Bheeshma Pitamah at the end of the Mahabharata war as he approached his hour of attaining peace, in response to the six questions asked by Yudhishtira. The concept of attempting an English commentary of Vishnu Sahasranamam came some years back at a programme in Salem where I quoted a few lines and followed it up with an explanation. Hearing this, [the then] Chief Justice of India K. Subba Rao, who was sharing the dais, asked me to prepare a commentary and that is how the idea of this book was first born,” Mr. Varma said at a press conference held here on Saturday.

English translations and commentaries of Vishnu Sahasranamam had been compiled earlier by people such as Swami Chinmayananda. “However, there are only very few attempts on the commentary on Vishnu Sahasranamam. The first commentary was compiled by Adi Sankara,” he said.