Original text
ॐ नारायणाय विद्महे वासुदेवाय धीमहि । तन्नो विष्णुः प्रचोदयात् ॥
Transliteration
Om Narayanaya Vidmahe Vasudevaya Dhimahi Tanno Vishnuh Prachodayat
What this mantra means
The mantra addresses Vishnu by two of his names — Narayana, meaning one who dwells in the causal waters at the origin of creation, and Vasudeva, meaning the one who pervades everything — before asking him to illuminate the reciter's understanding, following the same three-part Gayatri structure used for other deities on this site.
Vishnu's role as preserver
Within the trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as creator, preserver and dissolver, Vishnu's task is sustaining cosmic order (dharma) — the same role behind his periodic descent as an avatar. This mantra is commonly chanted on Thursdays, traditionally associated with Vishnu and Guru (Jupiter), as explained in our guide to Thursday Vishnu Bhakti.