The Fruit of Recitation

Phalaśruti

The verses that close the garland, telling what the recitation of the thousand names bestows.

A phalaśruti — literally “the hearing of the fruit” — concludes a stotra by naming its rewards and the manner of its right recitation. These verses follow the final name and frame the whole hymn as the Lord's own teaching, first expounded to Brahmā at the beginning of creation.

Phalaśruti · Verse 1

इदं सहस्रं कृष्णस्य नाम्नां सर्वार्थदायकम् ।अनन्तरूपी भगवान् व्याख्यातादौ स्वयम्भुवे॥

idaṃ sahasraṃ kṛṣṇasya nāmnāṃ sarvārthadāyakam ·anantarūpī bhagavān vyākhyātādau svayambhuvē

This thousand names of Kṛṣṇa, the bestower of every purpose — the Lord of infinite forms first expounded them at the beginning to Svayambhū (Brahmā, the Self-born).

Phalaśruti · Verse 2

तेन प्रोक्तं वसिष्ठाय ततो लब्ध्वा पराशरः ।व्यासाय तेन सम्प्रोक्तं शुको व्यासादवाप्तवान्॥

tēna prōktaṃ vasiṣṭhāya tatō labdhvā parāśaraḥ ·vyāsāya tēna samprōktaṃ śukō vyāsādavāptavān

By Brahmā it was taught to Vasiṣṭha; from him Parāśara received it; he taught it to Vyāsa; from Vyāsa, Śuka obtained it.

Phalaśruti · Verse 3

तच्छिष्यैर्बहुभिर्भूमौ ख्यापितं द्वापरे युगे ।कृष्णाज्ञया हरिहरः कलौ प्रख्यापयद्विभुः॥

tachChiṣyairbahubhirbhūmau khyāpitaṃ dvāparē yugē ·kṛṣṇājñayā hariharaḥ kalau prakhyāpayadvibhuḥ

By their many disciples it was made known on earth in the Dvāpara age; at Kṛṣṇa's own command, the all-pervading Hariharaḥ proclaimed it in the Kali age.

Phalaśruti · Verse 4

इदं पठति भक्त्या यः शृणोति च समाहितः ।स्वसिद्ध्यै प्रार्थयन्त्येनं तीर्थक्षेत्रादिदेवताः॥

idaṃ paṭhati bhaktyā yaḥ śṛṇōti cha samāhitaḥ ·svasiddhyai prārthayantyēnaṃ tīrthakṣētrādidēvatāḥ

The presiding deities of holy tīrthas and kṣetras pray to him for their own perfection — to him who reads this with devotion or hears it with a concentrated mind.

Phalaśruti · Verse 5

प्रायश्चित्तान्यशेषाणि नालं यानि व्यपोहितुम् ।तानि पापानि नश्यन्ति सकृदस्य प्रशंसनात्॥

prāyaśchittānyaśēṣāṇi nālaṃ yāni vyapōhitum ·tāni pāpāni naśyanti sakṛdasya praśaṃsanāt

All the expiations that exist, unable to wash away the gravest sins — those very sins perish from a single utterance of this hymn's praise.

Phalaśruti · Verse 6

ऋणत्रयविमुक्तस्य श्रौतस्मार्तानुवर्तिनः ।ऋषेस्त्रिमूर्तिरूपस्य फलं विन्देदिदं पठन्॥

ṛṇatrayavimuktasya śrautasmārtānuvartinaḥ ·ṛṣēstrimūrtirūpasya phalaṃ vindēdidaṃ paṭhan

One freed of the three debts (to the sages, the gods, and the ancestors), who follows the Śrauta and Smārta paths — by reading this he attains the fruit of the three-formed Ṛṣi (the seer Parāśara himself).

Phalaśruti · Verse 7

इदं नामसहस्रं यः पठत्येतच्छृणोति च ।शिवलिङ्गसहस्रस्य स प्रतिष्ठाफलं लभेत्॥

idaṃ nāmasahasraṃ yaḥ paṭhatyētachChṛṇōti cha ·śivaliṅgasahasrasya sa pratiṣṭhāphalaṃ labhēt

Whoever reads or hears this thousand names attains the fruit of consecrating a thousand Śivaliṅgas.

Phalaśruti · Verse 8

इदं किरीटी सञ्जप्य जयी पाशुपतास्त्रभाक् ।कृष्णस्य प्राणभूतस्सन् कृष्णं सारथिमाप्तवान्॥

idaṃ kirīṭī sañjapya jayī pāśupatāstrabhāk ·kṛṣṇasya prāṇabhūtassan kṛṣṇaṃ sārathimāptavān

Arjuna (Kirīṭī), having japa'd this, became victorious, a bearer of the Pāśupata weapon — and, being the very life of Kṛṣṇa, obtained Kṛṣṇa as his charioteer.

Phalaśruti · Verse 9

द्रौपद्या दमयन्त्या च सावित्र्या च सुशीलया ।दुरितानि जितान्येतज्जपादाप्तं च वाञ्छितम्॥

draupadyā damayantyā cha sāvitryā cha suśīlayā ·duritāni jitānyētajjapādāptaṃ cha vāñChitam

By Draupadī, Damayantī, Sāvitrī, and Suśīlā — through the japa of this, adversities were conquered and desires fulfilled.

Phalaśruti · Verse 10

किमिदं बहुना शंसन्मानवो मोदनिर्भरः ।ब्रह्मानन्दमवाप्यान्ते कृष्णसायूज्यमाप्नुयात्॥

kimidaṃ bahunā śaṃsanmānavō mōdanirbharaḥ ·brahmānandamavāpyāntē kṛṣṇasāyūjyamāpnuyāt

Why speak more? The person brimming with bliss, reciting this, attains Brahmānanda — the bliss of Brahman — and in the end reaches union with Kṛṣṇa.

The recitation closes with the uttarāṅga — the final names that complete the thousand.