Was the Shiva’s saying - śrī rāma rāma rāmeti – part of original Vishnu Sahasranāma?

 

The general impression that people have is that Shiva’s eulogisation of Vishnu Sahasranama and finally stating mere uttering of the name Rama is equivalent to uttering 1,000 names of Vishnu, is a part of Vishnu Sahasranama.

śrī rāma rāma rāmeti rame rāme manorame |

sahasranāmatattulyaṃ rāmanāma varānane ||

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a) The eulogisation of 1,000 names of Vishnu appears in the Chapter 149 of Anushasana Parva of Mahabharata, and 1,000th name ends with the following shloka,

शङ्खभृन्नन्दकी चक्री शार्ङ्गधन्वा गदाधरः ।

रथाङ्गपाणिरक्षोभ्यः सर्वप्रहरणायुधः ॥

—-

And, that chapter finally ends with the following shloka.

विश्वेश्वरमजं देवं जगतः प्रभवाप्ययम् ।

भजन्ति ये पुष्कराक्षं न ते यान्ति पराभवम् ॥

———

b) Interestingly, the śrī rāma rāma rāmeti shloka does not appear as a part of Vishnu Sahasranama, in the Mahabharata.

It was taken from the Padma Purana, where Shiva says the same thing, but in a slightly different manner.

If we carefully study the first line of the shloka, the difference is apparent.

mahādeva uvāca |

rāmarāmeti rāmeti rame rāme manorame |

sahasranāmatattulyaṃ rāmanāma varānane ||