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Anyone/Anything in the universe/brahmanda get an initial name as soon as it initiates itself and later on it gets multiple names by its environment. Like me and you get a name after our birth, and later we got additional names by our colleagues. And same must be for lord Vishnu too, that is how lord Vishnu also got many names later, which is here i got a list of 1000 names of lord Vishnu. I am not sure how this list is sorted/ordered or in which order the names are listed. Its not an opinion based question to choose from the given names, It may be possible also lord Vishnu have more then 1000 names which we could not able to find it. I can assume that these 1000 names of lord Vishnu are found so far.

So, when lord Vishnu comes into existence initially, What name he was named, to which we say as Adi-naam or beginning name of Lord Vishnu.

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    is this a trick question? @Kailash Chandra Polai :-)
    – S K
    Jan 25, 2019 at 15:28
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    The answer (Vishnu) SEEMS obvious, but may not be correct @Kailash Chandra Polai?
    – S K
    Jan 25, 2019 at 15:32
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    Here is my two cents acc. to VisishtAdvaita Siddhantham. No such thing as initial name for parabrahman, identified without a second, as the supreme soul Sri-Vishnu-Narayana (i.e., birth, death don't apply): Now our minds cannot (yet?) wrap around and go beyond the conceptions of spacetime which is part of the fabric of our Cosmos (including the notions of time as being distinct from space). Now, having established this context (just as is stated above), it does not make sense to ask for an initial name or "Adi Naam" - It has always been, is now, and will always be Sri-Vishnu-Narayana Jan 26, 2019 at 10:27
  • OK sir, but I afraid why the word "Adi Naam" exists and for whom it is used. How/where do you use "Adi Naam" in a sentence? @SudarshanaSuri Jan 26, 2019 at 13:09
  • If you are asking for the origin and usage of the term "Adi Naam", I'm afraid that burden rests on you to figure out (as to whether it has any scriptural backing) since I am hearing this idea of initial name for the first time in this question only and as stated in my earlier comment, it is not something meaningful in the context I have established. Jan 26, 2019 at 18:52

2 Answers 2

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The Aadi Naam of Vishnu is OM.

The word विष्णु comes from the root विष्. The word Vishnu means ALL- PERVADING (व्यापकत्वात् विष्णुः).The word ब्रह्म comes from the root वृहि, which means expansion.The word Brahma means THE BIGGEST ONE (बृहत्वात् ब्रह्म). Only the biggest one can be all pervading. So Brahma and Visnu are synonymous. Vishnu can be Nirguna or Saguna according to mental propensity of the aspirant, as is mentioned in Srimadbhagabatam:

वदन्ति तत्तत्त्वविदस्तत्त्वं यज्ज्ञानमद्वयम्।ब्रह्मेति परमात्मेति भगवानिति शब्द्यते॥ which means that the realized souls name the same Unique One by words like Brahma, Aatma or Bhagavan.

OM is the Primal Name of Brahma or Paramatma, as stated in Srimadbhagavatam(12/6/41-42).

Actually OM is the source of all letters and therefore all names.

In Gita, Sri Krishna says:

ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन्।

यः प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम्।।8.13।।

English Translation By Swami Gambirananda.

He who departs by leaving the body while uttering the single syllable, viz Om, which is Brahman, and thinking of Me, he attains the supreme Goal.

पिताऽहमस्य जगतो माता धाता पितामहः।

वेद्यं पवित्रमोंकार ऋक् साम यजुरेव च।।9.17।।

English Translation By Swami Gambirananda

Of this world I am the father, mother, ordainer, (and the), grand-father; I am the knowable, the sancitifier, the syllable Om as also Rk, Sama and Yajus.

रसोऽहमप्सु कौन्तेय प्रभास्मि शशिसूर्ययोः।

प्रणवः सर्ववेदेषु शब्दः खे पौरुषं नृषु।।7.8।

English Translation By Swami Gambirananda

O son of Kunti, I am the taste of water, I am the effulgence of the moon and the sun; (the letter) Om in all the Vedas, the sound in space, and manhood in men.

I must mention here that OM is NOT a syallable. The word Akhshara means unperishable and not syllable here.

The Vishnushasransama starts with OM.

So the conclusion is that the Primal Name of Vishnu is OM.

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    If you read teh Vishnusahasranama and Gita, you know Shiva Sambhu Swayambhu Brahma all these are names of Very Vishnu. God is one, just named differently. This becomes clear from the Vishnusahashranama, Shivasahasranama, Ganeshaswhasranama, Lalitasahasranama etc
    – user17294
    Jan 26, 2019 at 10:05
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    @KailashChandraPolai just one point. All othet deities have their tantrik beejas. But for Vishnu, always OM is used. At least I do not know an tantrik beeja mantra of Vishnu
    – user17294
    Jan 26, 2019 at 13:53
  • Om is not the Tantric Bija for Vishnu it is the Kama Bija kLim.. Om is not a Bija for any deity .. @ParthaBanerjee
    – Rickross
    Jan 27, 2019 at 17:40
  • @Rickross yes Rickross thats what i meant.Brahman and Vishnu are the same. KLEEM is the beeja for Krishna and Kamadeva, not Vishnu
    – user17294
    Jan 27, 2019 at 17:45
  • Klim is also Vishnu one Tantra starts with that topic .. can't recall the name right now.. Vaishnava bija is Klim only .. @ParthaBanerjee
    – Rickross
    Jan 27, 2019 at 17:56
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You cannot give an unequivocal answer. The choice boils down to

(1) Vishnu - occurs in the earliest Hindu scripture - the Rig Veda

(2) Narayana - doesn't occur in the Rig Veda but is asserted to be the personal form of supreme Brahman by Vaishnavites.

(3) Pranava (a name that occurs in the Sahasranama) - but given the penchant of Vaishnavites for a personal God, this may not be a good candidate

(4) Rama and (5) Krishna

Please see

Why are the names of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama superior to the name of Lord Vishnu?

Most of the other names are either rare or are attributes of Vishnu - like padmanabha.

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