Shantakaram — Meditation on Vishnu — Sanskrit Text, Transliteration & Meaning

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Shantakaram — Meditation on Vishnu

शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं

Mantras, Slokas & Daily PrayersVishnuTraditionalSanskrit

The classic meditation verse picturing Vishnu at perfect rest on the serpent Shesha — cloud-dark, lotus-naveled, lord of Lakshmi — remover of the fear of worldly existence.

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Dhyana Shloka

शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं पद्मनाभं सुरेशं विश्वाधारं गगनसदृशं मेघवर्णं शुभाङ्गम् । लक्ष्मीकान्तं कमलनयनं योगिभिर्ध्यानगम्यं वन्दे विष्णुं भवभयहरं सर्वलोकैकनाथम् ॥

shantakaram bhujaga-shayanam padma-nabham suresham vishvadharam gagana-sadrisham megha-varnam shubhangam lakshmi-kantam kamala-nayanam yogibhir dhyana-gamyam vande vishnum bhava-bhaya-haram sarva-lokaika-natham

śāntākāraṃ bhujaga-śayanaṃ padma-nābhaṃ sureśaṃ viśvādhāraṃ gagana-sadṛśaṃ megha-varṇaṃ śubhāṅgam lakṣmī-kāntaṃ kamala-nayanaṃ yogibhir dhyāna-gamyaṃ vande viṣṇuṃ bhava-bhaya-haraṃ sarva-lokaika-nātham

I bow to Vishnu — of serene form, resting on the serpent; lotus-naveled, lord of the gods; support of the universe, vast as the sky, cloud-hued, of auspicious limbs; beloved of Lakshmi, lotus-eyed, reached by yogis in meditation; remover of the fear of worldly existence, the one Lord of all the worlds.

When it is recited: At the start of Vishnu and Satyanarayan puja, before Vishnu Sahasranama, and in daily meditation. Also widely recited during Ekadashi observance.

Traditional significance: Each image in the verse is a support for meditation: the serene form (shanta-akaram) stills the mind, the cosmic serpent-bed and sky-like vastness widen it, and the closing words — bhava-bhaya-haram, remover of the fear of becoming — state the fruit of that contemplation.

Questions

Why is Vishnu shown sleeping on a serpent?

Shesha, the thousand-hooded serpent floating on the cosmic ocean, represents the totality of time and remaining potential. Vishnu's effortless rest upon it — yoga-nidra — expresses supreme mastery: sustaining all worlds without agitation.

Kayena Vacha — Prayer of Dedication Om Jai Jagdish Hare Satyanarayan Vrat Katha

Source: Traditional dhyana-shloka of Vishnu (Puranic). Regional versions may vary — this text follows the version most widely used in community worship.