Shantakaram Bhujagashayanam (Vishnu Dhyana) — Benefits & How to Chant
शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं
Complete guide to chanting correctly for maximum benefit
Benefits of Chanting Shantakaram Bhujagashayanam (Vishnu Dhyana)
The supreme dhyana shloka (meditation verse) of Lord Vishnu, recited to bring his image to mind before worship, japa or the Vishnu Sahasranama.
Describes Vishnu reclining on Shesha with the lotus-navel, cloud-hued and lotus-eyed, deepening peace and devotion as one visualises the Lord.
Believed to remove the fear of worldly existence (bhava-bhaya) and bestow serenity, protection and the grace of Narayana.
Recited daily, and especially on Thursdays (Vishnu's day), on Ekadashi, and before reciting the Vishnu Sahasranama or Bhagavad Gita.
Chanted as the opening dhyana before Vishnu, Narayana, Krishna or Satyanarayan puja.
How to Chant Shantakaram Bhujagashayanam (Vishnu Dhyana)
Instructions
Sit calmly before an image of Vishnu (or Narayana / Krishna), light a lamp, and recite the shloka slowly while visualising each detail of the Lord's form — the serpent couch, the lotus-navel, the cloud-blue body and lotus eyes. It is the traditional dhyana verse chanted before the Vishnu Sahasranama.
Spiritual Significance
Sages hold that to picture the Lord as this verse describes — serene upon the serpent, lotus-eyed and cloud-hued — is itself to be freed of fear; it is chanted first so that the mind, steadied on that peaceful form, may enter worship without agitation.
Origin & History
Source: Traditional Vishnu Dhyana Shloka
Author: Traditional
This single luminous verse is the classical dhyana (meditation) shloka of Lord Vishnu, recited across India before his worship and before the Vishnu Sahasranama. In one sweep it beholds Narayana asleep on the serpent Shesha upon the milk-ocean — serene, lotus-naveled, cloud-blue and lotus-eyed — the support of all the worlds and the remover of every fear.