What it means
"I bow to Vishnu." The name comes from a root meaning to pervade: the one present in everything.
Where it comes from
It's the usual mantra in the Thursday vrat and in Satyanarayan puja, and many people say it a few times before reading the Vishnu Sahasranama. If you're just starting out with japa, it's a good first mantra: short, and easy to hold on to.
How to chant it
On a tulsi mala. If you like, wear yellow and offer a tulsi leaf, as people do on Thursdays.
When: Thursday mornings.
Try it now
The japa counter opens with this mantra selected and keeps count for you.
Questions people ask
Thursday is Brihaspati's day, and tradition has long set it aside for Vishnu worship. That's where the Thursday vrat and the Satyanarayan katha come from.