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Vishnu Chalisa

विष्णु सुनिए विनय, सेवक की चितलाय । कीरत कुछ वर्णन करूँ, दीजै ज्ञान बताय ॥

Also known as Vishnu Suniye Vinay

In Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.

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What the Vishnu Chalisa is

The Vishnu Chalisa that opens 'Vishnu suniye vinaya' is a Hindi prayer of forty chaupais addressed to Vishnu as Hari, Madhusudana and Kharari, the slayer of Khara. No poet signs it and no printing names an author; it has travelled in the small chalisa booklets of Hindi-speaking households, in a plain idiom coloured by Awadhi. A single doha asks Vishnu to listen and to grant the understanding needed to describe him. Chaupais 1 to 9 picture the yellow-robed Lord with the Vaijayanti garland, conch, discus and mace. Chaupais 10 to 28 then recount what he has done: Rama answering the Earth's plea, Varaha, the fish, the tortoise beneath Mount Mandara, Mohini, the rescue of Shiva from Bhasmasura, the Jalandhara episode, and the saving of Dhruva, Prahlada, Ajamila and a courtesan. The last twelve turn to the singer, who confesses not knowing how to worship at all and asks only to be accepted as Vishnu's own.

Vrinda, Jalandhara and the borrowed form

Six chaupais of this chalisa, 21 to 26, compress a story that the Shiva Purana tells at length and that the Padma and Skanda Puranas carry in their own versions. Jalandhara, an asura who in the Shiva Purana's account was born when the fire of Shiva's third eye fell into the ocean, could not be defeated while his wife Vrinda kept her vow of fidelity. During his war with Shiva he took on Shiva's appearance and went to Parvati, who saw through the disguise and withdrew. The chalisa's 'Shivarani' then remembers Vishnu: in the Purana, Parvati asks him to break Vrinda's vow, since the asura cannot be killed in any other way. Vishnu came to Vrinda as an ascetic, and through illusion she saw her husband slain and then seemingly restored to life. She embraced the restored figure, her vow was counted broken, and only then could Shiva kill Jalandhara. The chalisa stops there. The Purana continues: Vrinda, discovering the deception, cursed Vishnu that his own wife would one day be taken by trickery and that he would wander in distress seeking the help of monkeys, a curse later read as fulfilled in the Ramayana. In the tulasi tradition she returns as the tulasi plant, and each Kartika she is married to Vishnu as the shaligrama stone.

The mantra, in six scripts

DevanagariSanskrit & Hindiविष्णु सुनिए विनय, सेवक की चितलाय । कीरत कुछ वर्णन करूँ, दीजै ज्ञान बताय ॥

Tamilவிஷ்ணு ஸுநிஏ விநய, ஸேவக கீ சிதலாய । கீரத குச வர்ணந கரூம், தீஜை ஜ்ஞாந பதாய ॥

Teluguవిష్ణు సునిఏ వినయ, సేవక కీ చితలాయ । కీరత కుఛ వర్ణన కరూఁ, దీజై జ్ఞాన బతాయ ॥

Kannadaವಿಷ್ಣು ಸುನಿಏ ವಿನಯ, ಸೇವಕ ಕೀ ಚಿತಲಾಯ । ಕೀರತ ಕುಛ ವರ್ಣನ ಕರೂಁ, ದೀಜೈ ಜ್ಞಾನ ಬತಾಯ ॥

Malayalamവിഷ്ണു സുനിഏ വിനയ, സേവക കീ ചിതലായ । കീരത കുഛ വര്ണന കരൂഁ, ദീജൈ ജ്ഞാന ബതായ ॥

EnglishRoman transliterationviṣṇu sunie vinaya, sevaka kī citalāya | kīrata kucha varṇana karūṃ, dījai jñāna batāya ||

“O Vishnu, listen with an attentive heart to the humble plea of your servant. I wish to describe something of your glory; grant me the understanding to do so.”

विष्णु: viṣṇu — O Vishnu
सुनिए: sunie — please hear
विनय: vinaya — the humble plea
सेवक: sevaka — servant
की: kī — of (your)
चितलाय: citalāya — with attentive mind
कीरत: kīrata — glory
कुछ: kucha — something of
वर्णन: varṇana — description
करूँ: karūṃ — may I make
दीजै: dījai — grant
ज्ञान: jñāna — understanding
बताय: batāya — by showing (me)

Vishnu Chalisa lyrics in full

One opening doha and forty chaupais, ending at the fortieth chaupai as in most printed collections.

All 41 verses, in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:

Download the Vishnu Chalisa PDFAll 41 verses with their meanings, in Hindi. Free to print and keep.

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Doha 1

विष्णु सुनिए विनय, सेवक की चितलाय ।
कीरत कुछ वर्णन करूँ, दीजै ज्ञान बताय ॥

O Vishnu, listen with an attentive heart to the humble plea of your servant. I wish to describe something of your glory; grant me the understanding to do so.

Chaupai 1

नमो विष्णु भगवान खरारी ।
कष्ट नशावन अखिल बिहारी ॥

Salutations to Lord Vishnu, slayer of the demon Khara, who destroys suffering and moves through the whole universe.

Chaupai 2

प्रबल जगत में शक्ति तुम्हारी ।
त्रिभुवन फैल रही उजियारी ॥

Your power is supreme in the world, and your radiance spreads across the three worlds.

Chaupai 3

सुन्दर रूप मनोहर सूरत ।
सरल स्वभाव मोहनी मूरत ॥

Your form is beautiful and your face captivating; your nature is gentle and your image enchanting.

Chaupai 4

तन पर पीताम्बर अति सोहत ।
बैजन्ती माला मन मोहत ॥

A yellow silk garment shines on your body, and the Vaijayanti garland charms the mind.

Chaupai 5

शंख चक्र कर गदा बिराजे ।
देखत दैत्य असुर दल भाजे ॥

The conch, discus and mace adorn your hands; seeing them, the armies of demons and asuras flee.

Chaupai 6

सत्य धर्म मद लोभ न गाजे ।
काम क्रोध मद लोभ न छाजे ॥

Truth and dharma are with you, and pride and greed do not roar near you; desire, anger, pride and greed do not touch you.

Chaupai 7

सन्तभक्त सज्जन मनरंजन ।
दनुज असुर दुष्टन दल गंजन ॥

You delight saints, devotees and good people, and you crush the hosts of demons and the wicked.

Chaupai 8

सुख उपजाय कष्ट सब भंजन ।
दोष मिटाय करत जन सज्जन ॥

You bring forth happiness and break every sorrow; removing their faults, you make people good.

Chaupai 9

पाप काट भव सिन्धु उतारण ।
कष्ट नाशकर भक्त उबारण ॥

You cut away sin and carry devotees across the ocean of worldly existence; you destroy suffering and rescue your devotees.

Chaupai 10

करत अनेक रूप प्रभु धारण ।
केवल आप भक्ति के कारण ॥

Lord, you take many forms, and you do so only for the sake of devotion.

Chaupai 11

धरणि धेनु बन तुमहिं पुकारा ।
तब तुम रूप राम का धारा ॥

When the Earth, taking the form of a cow, called out to you, you took the form of Rama.

Chaupai 12

भार उतार असुर दल मारा ।
रावण आदिक को संहारा ॥

You lifted her burden, destroyed the armies of demons and slew Ravana and others like him.

Chaupai 13

आप वाराह रूप बनाया ।
हिरण्याक्ष को मार गिराया ॥

You took the form of the boar Varaha and struck down Hiranyaksha.

Chaupai 14

धर मत्स्य तन सिन्धु बनाया ।
चौदह रतनन को निकलाया ॥

Taking the body of a fish, you made the ocean your home; and you caused the fourteen jewels to be drawn out of it.

Chaupai 15

अमिलख असुरन द्वन्द मचाया ।
रूप मोहनी आप दिखाया ॥

When countless demons stirred up strife, you showed yourself as the enchantress Mohini.

Chaupai 16

देवन को अमृत पान कराया ।
असुरन को छबि से बहलाया ॥

You had the gods drink the nectar of immortality and beguiled the demons with your beauty.

Chaupai 17

कूर्म रूप धर सिन्धु मझाया ।
मन्द्राचल गिरि तुरत उठाया ॥

Taking the form of the tortoise Kurma, you held up the churning of the ocean and at once bore Mount Mandara.

Chaupai 18

शंकर का तुम फन्द छुड़ाया ।
भस्मासुर को रूप दिखाया ॥

You freed Shankara from his trap, showing your enchanting form to the demon Bhasmasura.

Chaupai 19

वेदन को जब असुर डुबाया ।
कर प्रबन्ध उन्हें ढुँढवाया ॥

When a demon sank the Vedas into the waters, you arranged for them to be searched out and recovered.

Chaupai 20

मोहित बनकर खलहि नचाया ।
उसही कर से भस्म कराया ॥

Taking an enchanting form, you made the wicked one dance, and by his own hand had him burned to ash.

Chaupai 21

असुर जलंधर अति बलदाई ।
शंकर से उन कीन्ह लड़ाई ॥

The demon Jalandhara, of very great strength, fought a battle with Shankara.

Chaupai 22

हार पार शिव सकल बनाई ।
कीन सती से छल खल जाई ॥

Though Shiva tried every means, he could not prevail; the wicked one went off to deceive Sati by trickery.

Chaupai 23

सुमिरन कीन तुम्हें शिवरानी ।
बतलाई सब विपत कहानी ॥

Shiva's consort then remembered you and told you the whole tale of her distress.

Chaupai 24

तब तुम बने मुनीश्वर ज्ञानी ।
वृन्दा की सब सुरति भुलानी ॥

Then you became a wise sage and made Vrinda forget all her awareness.

Chaupai 25

देखत तीन दनुज शैतानी ।
वृन्दा आय तुम्हें लपटानी ॥

Seeing the three demonic forms, Vrinda came and clung to you.

Chaupai 26

हो स्पर्श धर्म क्षति मानी ।
हना असुर उर शिव शैतानी ॥

At that touch her vow of virtue was held broken, and Shiva struck the demon in the chest.

Chaupai 27

तुमने धुरू प्रहलाद उबारे ।
हिरणाकुश आदिक खल मारे ॥

You saved Dhruva and Prahlada and slew wicked ones such as Hiranyakashipu.

Chaupai 28

गणिका और अजामिल तारे ।
बहुत भक्त भव सिन्धु उतारे ॥

You saved the courtesan and Ajamila, and carried many devotees across the ocean of existence.

Chaupai 29

हरहु सकल संताप हमारे ।
कृपा करहु हरि सिरजन हारे ॥

Remove all our afflictions; show mercy, O Hari, creator of all.

Chaupai 30

देखहुँ मैं निज दरश तुम्हारे ।
दीन बन्धु भक्तन हितकारे ॥

Let me behold your own vision, O friend of the humble and benefactor of devotees.

Chaupai 31

चहत आपका सेवक दर्शन ।
करहु दया अपनी मधुसूदन ॥

Your servant longs for your darshan; show your compassion, O Madhusudana.

Chaupai 32

जानूं नहीं योग्य जप पूजन ।
होय यज्ञ स्तुति अनुमोदन ॥

I do not know the proper way of chanting or worship; may you approve this as my sacrifice and hymn of praise.

Chaupai 33

शीलदया सन्तोष सुलक्षण ।
विदित नहीं व्रतबोध विलक्षण ॥

I know nothing of good conduct, compassion, contentment or good qualities, nor of the rare knowledge of vows.

Chaupai 34

करहुँ आपका किस विधि पूजन ।
कुमति विलोक होत दुख भीषण ॥

In what way should I worship you? Seeing my poor understanding brings me deep sorrow.

Chaupai 35

करहुँ प्रणाम कौन विधिसुमिरण ।
कौन भाँति मैं करहुँ समर्पण ॥

How should I bow to you and how should I remember you? In what manner should I offer myself?

Chaupai 36

सुर मुनि करत सदा सिवकाई ।
हर्षित रहत परम गति पाई ॥

Gods and sages always serve you; they live in joy and attain the highest state.

Chaupai 37

दीन दुखिन पर सदा सहाई ।
निज जन जान लेव अपनाई ॥

You are always the helper of the poor and the suffering; know me as your own and accept me.

Chaupai 38

पाप दोष संताप नशाओ ।
भव बन्धन से मुक्त कराओ ॥

Destroy my sins, faults and afflictions, and free me from the bonds of worldly existence.

Chaupai 39

सुत सम्पति दे सुख उपजाओ ।
निज चरनन का दास बनाओ ॥

Grant children and wealth, bring forth happiness, and make me a servant of your feet.

Chaupai 40

निगम सदा ये विनय सुनावै ।
पढ़ै सुनै सो जन सुख पावै ॥

The Vedas always proclaim this prayer. The verse says that whoever reads or hears it attains happiness.

The syllable people get wrong

The first chaupai calls Vishnu kharārī, Khara plus ari, 'enemy of Khara', and it is often flattened into 'karari'; keep the breath on the kh and lengthen both a sounds, kha-RAA-ree.

When the Vishnu Chalisa is chanted

Weekday. Thursday

Festival. Ekadashi and Thursdays

Questions

No author is known. The text carries no poet's signature in any printing, and it is passed down as an anonymous devotional chalisa. It should not be confused with a different Vishnu Chalisa that opens 'jai jai jai shri jagat pati' and is signed by a poet named Sundardas; the two share a subject and a form but not a single line.

No. Om Jai Jagdish Hare is an aarti, a lamp-waving song composed around 1870 by Pandit Shardha Ram Phillauri. The Vishnu Sahasranama is a Sanskrit hymn of a thousand names, found in the Mahabharata's Anushasana Parva. The Vishnu Chalisa is an anonymous Hindi poem in doha and chaupai metre that retells Vishnu's deeds and ends in a personal prayer for acceptance.

Chaupai 39 asks for children and wealth, for happiness, and to be made a servant at Vishnu's feet; one family of printings reads 'sukha sampatti' there instead of 'suta sampati'. Chaupai 40 carries the phala: the verse says that whoever reads or hears this prayer finds happiness. A few printings add a short closing doha asking Vishnu to dwell in the devotee's heart, but most end at the fortieth chaupai.

Ajamila is the subject of a story in the sixth canto of the Bhagavata Purana. On his deathbed he called out to his youngest son, who was named Narayana, and Vishnu's attendants came to rescue him from the messengers of Yama. The chalisa sets him beside a courtesan as examples of people carried across the ocean of existence despite their past.

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Vishnu Chalisa

What the Vishnu Chalisa is

Vrinda, Jalandhara and the borrowed form

The mantra, in six scripts

Vishnu Chalisa lyrics in full

The syllable people get wrong

When the Vishnu Chalisa is chanted

Questions

Have your chart read before you decide

Related

Vishnu Sahasranama

Sudarshana Mantra

Vishnu Ashtottara Shatanamavali

Nirnaya