Narayana

Narayana (Vishnu)
Narayana (Vishnu)
	A depiction of Lord Narayana at Badami cave temples
Sanskrit transliteration	Nārāyaṇa
Affiliation	Deva, Trimurti
Abode	Vaikuntha
Mantra	ॐ नमो नारायणाय
Weapon	Chakra, Gada, Padma, Sankh
Mount	Garuda
Texts	Vedas
Parents	Para-brahman and Adi Parashakti
Consort	Lakshmi and Prithvi

Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण, IAST: Nārāyaṇa), another name for Vishnu, is the supreme absolute being in Hinduism and is considered as the supreme deity in Vaishnavism. The Bhagavata Purana declares Narayana as the Para Brahman (Supreme Lord) who creates unlimited universes and enters each one of them as Lord of the Universe.^[1]

Narayana engages in the creation of 14 worlds within the universe as Brahma when he deliberately accepts rajas guna according to Brahmanism. Narayana himself sustains, maintains and preserves the universe as Vishnu. In Shaivism, Narayan also accepts sattva guna and annihilates the universe at the end of maha-kalpa as Shiva or Rudra when he accepts tamas guna.^[2]^[3]^[4] According to the Bhagavata Purana, Lord Narayana is the supreme controller and is supreme among deities, the ultimate soul. He is also called as Surya Narayana, one who shines like the brilliant sun. ^[5]^[6] He is said to pervade whatever is seen or heard in this universe from inside and outside alike.^[7] He is also mainly associated with the cosmic waters of creation.

According to Madhvacharya, Narayana is one of the five vyuhas of Kṛṣṇa, which are cosmic emanations of God in contrast to his incarnate avatars.^[8]

Description

File:Bhagavan Vishnu.jpg

Lord Narayana/Hari

In the Vedas and Puranas, Lord Narayana is described as having the divine blue colour of water-filled clouds, four-armed, holding a padma (lotus flower), Kaumodaki (mace), Panchajanya shankha (conch) and the Sudarshana Chakra (discus).

Lord Narayana is also often identified as Sharangapani, Vishnu, Hari, Purushottama or Purusha and Jagannath in the Hindu sacred texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas and the Puranas^[9]. Narayana is also venerated as Mukunda^[10] (giver of Moksha, liberation from cycle of births and deaths in the material world). In the Mahabharata, Krishna is often referred to as Narayana and Arjuna as Nara.^[11] The epic identifies them both in plural 'Krishnas', or as part incarnations of the earlier incarnations of Vishnu, recalling their mystical identity as Nara-Narayana.^[12]

Narayana is also described in the Bhagavad Gita as having a universal form (Vishvarupa) which is beyond the ordinary limits of human perception or imagination.^[13]

Narayana's eternal and supreme abode beyond the material universe is Vaikuntha which is a realm of bliss and happiness called Paramapadha, which means final or highest place for liberated souls, where they enjoy bliss and happiness for eternity in the company of supreme lord. Vaikuntha is situated beyond the material universe and hence, cannot be perceived or measured by material science or logic.^[14] Sometimes, Ksheera Sagara where Narayana or Vishnu rests on Ananta Shesha is also perceived as Vaikuntha within the material universe.

Ancient Texts

Lord Narayana is hailed in each and every part of Vedas like, Shatarudriyam, Purusha Suktam, Narayana Suktam, Hiranyagarbha Suktam, Vishnu Suktam, Rudra Suktam.

Lord Narayana is also hailed in the Upanishads like, Narayana Upanishad, Isopanishad, Chandogya Upanishad, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Mundaka Upanishad, Mandukya Upanishad, Katha Upanishad, Kenopanishad, Prasna Upanishad, Svetasvatara Upanishad, Maha Narayana Upanishad, Narasimha Tapani Upanishad.^[15]

Etymology

There are multiple variations of Lord Narayana's name.

The word 'Narayana' means "The one who rests on waters of creation". The Manusmriti states,

The waters are called "narah", for the waters are, indeed, produced by Nara-Narayana (the first Being); as they were his first residence "ayana", he is called Narayana.^[16]

Narayana also means,

"The Supreme Being who is the foundation of all men".^[17]

Another interpretation sees,

Nara means "human" and Ayana as "direction/goal". Some view Narayana as meaning "son of man." Hence, Narayana refers to the "direction of a human" (towards moksha).

Nara means "Human" and Ayana also means "Shelter" so Narayana means, shelter of all human beings. The Narayana Upanishad reads:

Om Namo Narayanayeti mantra upasaka Vaikuntha bhuvanam gamishyati,^[18]

In Sanskrit, The word 'Nara' can also refer to a man, male or a person^[19]. Narayana is spoken of in the scriptures as being parabrahman, paramatma parameshwar parashakti and parajyothi which are all ways of saying "absolute" or "supreme".

In the Vedas, it is written,

"Narayana parabrahman tatvam Narayana paraha"

which points to how Narayana is essentially the supreme force and/or essence of all.^[20]

Gallery

Narayan Temple on Narayanhiti palace premises,Kathmandu,Nepal
Oldest Sridhar Narayan statue at Naksaal, Kathmandu

References

^ Bhagavata Purana Canto 2 Chapter 10 Verse 10
^ Bhagavata Purana Canto 2 Chapter 5 Verse 16-18
^ Bhagavata Purana Canto 11 Chapter 4 Verse 5
^ Vishnu Purana 1.2.61-63
^ Bhagavata Purana (12.12.56): "Narayanam Devam adevam isam - Lord Narayana, the Supreme controller and the ultimate Soul of all existence, beyond whom there is no other God.
^ Bhagavata Purana (12.13.16): Just as the river Ganges is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Achyuta (Vishnu or Narayana) the supreme among deities (devas) and Lord Shambhu (Shiva) the greatest of Vaishnavas, so Bhagavata Purana is the greatest of all Puranas.
^ http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_vishhnu/narayana-sukta.html
^ Bryant, Edwin F., Krishna: a Sourcebook. p.359 "Madhvacharya separates Vishnu’s manifestations into two groups: Vishnu’s vyuhas (emanations) and His avataras (incarnations). The vyuhas have their basis in the Pancharatra agamas, a sectarian text that was accepted as authoritative by both the Vishishtadvaita and Madhva schools of Vedanta. They are mechanisms by which the universe is ordered, was created, and evolves. According to Madhvacharya, Vishnu has either four or five vyuhas, named Narayana, Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha, which evolve one after the other in the development of the universe. The status of the fifth vyuha, Narayana, is not clear, and in some passages, he is not even mentioned."
^ Bhagavad Gita (15.18): Because I am transcendental, beyond the fallible and the infallible, and because I am the greatest, I am celebrated both in the world and in the Vedas as that Supreme Person (Purushottama)
^ Name No. 515 in Vishnu Sahasranama
^ Vaisnavism Saivism and Minor Religious Systems, Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar. Published by Asian Educational Services, p.46.
^ Hiltebeitel, Alf (1990). The ritual of battle: Krishna in the Mahābhārata. Albany, N.Y: State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-0249-5. p61
^ Prabhupada, AC Bhaktivedanta. "Bhagavad-gita As It Is Chapter 11 Verse 3". vedabase.net. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) "see the cosmic manifestation"
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 May 2007. Retrieved 21 May 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "Narayanastra – Defending Vaishnavism as the supreme Vedic position". narayanastra.blogspot.in. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
^ Manu Smruti 1:10 " The Law Code of Manu", Published by Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-280271-2, page 11, also, The Laws of Manu in the 21st Century [1] by Pt. Sri Rama Ramanuja Acharya, page 6
^ Harivansh, Adhyay 88 shlock 44, also, Manu Smruti 1:10 " The Law Code of Manu", Published by Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-280271-2, page 11
^ http://www.sathyasaiottawa.org/pdf/Vedam/Narayana_Upanishad.pdf
^ http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?tinput=nara&script=&direction=SE&link=yes
^ "॥ नारायणसूक्तम् सार्थ ॥ - .. Narayana Sukta .. - Sanskrit Documents". sanskritdocuments.org. Retrieved 21 October 2015.

External links

Name of Narayana even at the time of death can save a great sinner, Ajamila.
http://www.srivaishnavan.com/ans_secrets.html (See Answer #14.)
http://www.ayurvedacollege.com/articles/drhalpern/om_namo_narayanaya Om Namo Narayana and Ayurveda

[1] Bhagavata Purana Canto 2 Chapter 10 Verse 10

[2] Bhagavata Purana Canto 2 Chapter 5 Verse 16-18

[3] Bhagavata Purana Canto 11 Chapter 4 Verse 5

[4] Vishnu Purana 1.2.61-63

[5] Bhagavata Purana (12.12.56): "Narayanam Devam adevam isam - Lord Narayana, the Supreme controller and the ultimate Soul of all existence, beyond whom there is no other God.

[6] Bhagavata Purana (12.13.16): Just as the river Ganges is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Achyuta (Vishnu or Narayana) the supreme among deities (devas) and Lord Shambhu (Shiva) the greatest of Vaishnavas, so Bhagavata Purana is the greatest of all Puranas.

[7] ttp://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_vishhnu/narayana-sukta.html

[8] Bryant, Edwin F., Krishna: a Sourcebook. p.359 "Madhvacharya separates Vishnu’s manifestations into two groups: Vishnu’s vyuhas (emanations) and His avataras (incarnations). The vyuhas have their basis in the Pancharatra agamas, a sectarian text that was accepted as authoritative by both the Vishishtadvaita and Madhva schools of Vedanta. They are mechanisms by which the universe is ordered, was created, and evolves. According to Madhvacharya, Vishnu has either four or five vyuhas, named Narayana, Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha, which evolve one after the other in the development of the universe. The status of the fifth vyuha, Narayana, is not clear, and in some passages, he is not even mentioned."

[9] Bhagavad Gita (15.18): Because I am transcendental, beyond the fallible and the infallible, and because I am the greatest, I am celebrated both in the world and in the Vedas as that Supreme Person (Purushottama)

[10] Name No. 515 in Vishnu Sahasranama

[11] Vaisnavism Saivism and Minor Religious Systems, Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar. Published by Asian Educational Services, p.46.

[12] Hiltebeitel, Alf (1990). The ritual of battle: Krishna in the Mahābhārata. Albany, N.Y: State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-0249-5. p61

[13] Prabhupada, AC Bhaktivedanta. "Bhagavad-gita As It Is Chapter 11 Verse 3". vedabase.net. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) "see the cosmic manifestation"

[14] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 May 2007. Retrieved 21 May 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[15] "Narayanastra – Defending Vaishnavism as the supreme Vedic position". narayanastra.blogspot.in. Retrieved 21 October 2015.

[16] Manu Smruti 1:10 " The Law Code of Manu", Published by Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-280271-2, page 11, also, The Laws of Manu in the 21st Century [1] by Pt. Sri Rama Ramanuja Acharya, page 6

[17] Harivansh, Adhyay 88 shlock 44, also, Manu Smruti 1:10 " The Law Code of Manu", Published by Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-280271-2, page 11

[18] ttp://www.sathyasaiottawa.org/pdf/Vedam/Narayana_Upanishad.pdf

[19] ttp://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?tinput=nara&script=&direction=SE&link=yes

[20] "॥ नारायणसूक्तम् सार्थ ॥ - .. Narayana Sukta .. - Sanskrit Documents". sanskritdocuments.org. Retrieved 21 October 2015.

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v t e Avatars of Vishnu
Dashavatara (for example)¹	Matsya Kurma Varaha Narasimha Vamana Parashurama Rama Balarama Krishna Buddha Kalki
Other avatars	Four Kumaras Narada Nara-Narayana Kapila Dattatreya Yajna Rishabha Prithu Dhanvantari Mohini Vyasa Prsnigarbha Hayagriva Hamsa
¹ The list of the "ten avatars" varies regionally. Two substitutions^{[clarification needed]} involve Balarama, Krishna, and Buddha. Krishna is almost always included; in exceptions, he is considered the source of all avatars.