Pañca-pañcāśad Vishṇu Nāmāni
Pañca-pañcāśad Vishṇu Nāmāni · pañca-pañcāśat vishṇu nāmāni, “the fifty-five names of Vishṇu”
The Pañca-pañcāśad Vishṇu Nāmāni, the fifty-five names of Bhagavān Vishṇu, are a teaching given by Agni Deva in Chapter 305 of the Agni Purāṇa. Each name belongs to a holy place: at Pushkara one remembers Bhagavān Vishṇu as Puṇḍarīkāksha, the lotus-eyed; at Gayā as Gadādhara, the bearer of the divine mace; at Mathurā as Keśava; at Dvārakā as Kṛshṇa; and so on across the tīrthas (holy places), rivers, oceans, mountains and lands of Bhārata, until, in the heart, one remembers the Ātmā, and everywhere, Vāsudeva.
Agni Deva teaches that one who does japa (repeated recitation) of these names gains the fruit of mantra-japa and the akshaya (imperishable) puṇya (merit) of pūjā at all the tīrthas. One who remembers Bhagavān Vishṇu in this way gains bhukti (enjoyment in this world) and mukti (moksha). Śrāddha, dāna, japa and tarpaṇa done at these kshetras (sacred places) become a crore-fold, and one who reads or hears the teaching is freed of pāpa and reaches svarga.
The names
Agni Deva speaks: “One who does japa of these fifty-five names of Śrī Mahāvishṇu gains the fruit of mantra-japa and the like, and the imperishable puṇya of pūjā at the tīrthas.” Then he names each place and the name of Bhagavān Vishṇu that one should remember (smaret) there. The list as printed:
| No. | Place | Name of Bhagavān Vishṇu |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pushkara | Puṇḍarīkāksha, the lotus-eyed |
| 2 | Gayā | Gadādhara, bearer of the divine mace |
| 3 | Citrakūṭa | Rāghava |
| 4 | Prabhāsa | Daityasūdana, destroyer of the daityas |
| 5 | Jayantī | Jaya |
| 6 | Hastināpura | Jayanta |
| 7 | Vardhamāna | Vārāha |
| 8 | Kāśmīra | Cakrapāṇi, the one with the cakra in his hand |
| 9 | Kubjāmra | Janārdana |
| 10 | Mathurā | Keśava |
| 11 | Kubjaka | Hṛshīkeśa |
| 12 | Gaṅgādvāra | Jaṭādhara, wearer of matted locks |
| 13 | Śālagrāma | Mahāyogī, the great yogī |
| 14 | Govardhana mountain | Hari |
| 15 | Piṇḍāraka | Caturbāhu, the four-armed |
| 16 | Śaṅkhoddhāra | Śaṅkhī, bearer of the divine conch |
| 17 | Kurukshetra | Vāmana |
| 18 | The Yamunā | Trivikrama |
| 19 | The Śoṇa | Viśveśvara |
| 20 | Pūrva-sāgara, the eastern ocean | Kapila |
| 21 | Mahodadhi, the great ocean | Vishṇu |
| 22 | The meeting of the Gaṅgā and the ocean | Vanamālī, wearer of the forest garland |
| 23 | Kishkindhā | Raivataka |
| 24 | Kāśī-taṭa, the bank at Kāśī | Mahāyogī |
| 25 | Virajā | Ripuñjaya, conqueror of foes |
| 26 | Viśākha-yūpa | Ajita, the unconquered |
| 27 | Nepāla | Lokabhāvana, who brings the worlds into being |
| 28 | Dvārakā | Kṛshṇa |
| 29 | Mandara | Madhusūdana |
| 30 | Lokākula | Ripuhara, remover of foes |
| 31 | Śālagrāma | Hari |
| 32 | Purushavaṭa | Purusha |
| 33 | Vimala | Jagatprabhu, master of the world |
| 34 | Saindhavāraṇya | Ananta |
| 35 | Daṇḍaka | Śārṅgadhārī, bearer of the divine Śārṅga bow |
| 36 | Utpalāvartaka | Śauri |
| 37 | The Narmadā | Śrīpati, husband of Śrī |
| 38 | Raivataka | Dāmodara |
| 39 | Nandā | Jalaśāyī, who rests on the waters |
| 40 | Sindhu-samudra | Gopīśvara |
| 41 | Mahendra-tīrtha | Acyuta |
| 42 | Sahyādri | Devadeveśa, Īśa of the devas of devas |
| 43 | Māgadha-vana | Vaikuṇṭha |
| 44 | The Vindhya | Sarvapāpahara, remover of every pāpa |
| 45 | Oḍra-deśa | Purushottama |
| 46 | The hṛdaya (heart) | the Ātmā |
| 47 | Every vaṭa (banyan) | Vaiśravaṇa |
| 48 | Every catvara (crossroads) | Śiva |
| 49 | Every mountain | Rāma |
| 50 | Everywhere | Madhusūdana |
| 51 | Earth and sky | Nara |
| 52 | Vasishṭha-tīrtha | Garuḍadhvaja, whose banner bears Garuḍa |
| 53 | Everywhere | Vāsudeva |
Of the Ātmā remembered in the heart, Agni Deva says that for those who do japa it gives bhukti and mukti.
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 305
The phalaśruti
- One who does japa of the fifty-five names gains the fruit of mantra-japa and the like, and the akshaya puṇya of pūjā at the tīrthas.
- One who remembers Bhagavān Vishṇu in this way, at each place by its name, gains bhukti and mukti. One who does japa of these names of Vishṇu gains everything.
- Śrāddha (rites for the departed), dāna (giving), japa and tarpaṇa (offering of water) done at these kshetras all become a crore-fold (koṭi-guṇita). One who does so becomes brahma-maya, one with Brahman, after death.
- One who reads this, and one who hears it, becomes free of pāpa and attains svarga.
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 305
Sources
- Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 305