Narayana (Sanskrit:नारायण,IAST:Nārāyaṇa) is one of the forms and epithets ofVishnu. In this form, the deity is depicted in yogic slumber under thecelestial ocean, symbolising themasculine principle and associated with his role of creation.[1][2] He is also known asPurushottama, and is considered theSupreme Being inVaishnavism.[3][4][5][6]
Narayan Aiyangar states the meaning of theSanskrit word 'Narayana' can be traced back to theLaws of Manu (also known as theManusmriti, aDharmaśāstra text),[7] which states:
The waters are called narah, (for) the waters are, indeed, the offspring of Nara; as they were his first residence (ayana), he thence is named Narayana.
— Chapter 1, Verse 10[8]
This definition is used throughout post-Vedic literature such as theMahabharata and theVishnu Purana.[7][9] 'Narayana' is also defined as the 'primeval man',[10] and 'Supreme Being who is the foundation of all men'.[11]
L. B. Keny proposes that Narayana was associated with theDravidian, and ultimately, theIndus Valley Civilisation, prior to his syncretism with Vishnu. To this end, he states that the etymology of the deity is associated with the Dravidiannara, meaning ‘water’,ay, which inTamil means "to lie in a place", andan, which is the masculine termination inDravidian languages. He asserts that this is also the reason why Narayana is represented as lying on aserpent in the sea. He quotes, "This Nārāyana of the Āryan pantheon seems to be the supreme being of the Mohenjo-Darians, a god who was probably styled Ān, a name still kept inTamil literature as Āndivanam, the prototype of the historicSiva".[14][15][16]
In theVedas and thePuranas, Narayana is described as having the divine blackish-blue color of water-filled clouds, four-armed, holding aPadma (lotus),Kaumodakigada (mace),Panchajanyashankha (conch), andSudarshanachakra (discus).
As stated in the epicItihāsa, theMahabharata:
I am Narayana, the Source of all things, the Eternal, the Unchangeable. I am the Creator of all things, and the Destroyer also of all. I amVishnu, I amBrahma and I amShankara, the chief of the gods. I am king Vaisravana, and I am Yama, the lord of the deceased spirits. I amSiva, I am Soma, and I amKasyapa the lord of the created things. And, O best of regenerate ones, I am he called Dhatri, and he also that is called Vidhatri, and I am Sacrifice embodied. Fire is my mouth, the earth my feet, and the Sun and the Moon are my eyes; the Heaven is the crown of my head, the firmament and the cardinal points are my ears; the waters are born of my sweat. Space with the cardinal points are my body, and the Air is my mind...
...And, O Brahmana, whatever is obtained by men by the practice of truth, charity, ascetic austerities, and peace and harmlessness towards all creatures, and such other handsome deeds, is obtained because of my arrangements. Governed by my ordinance, men wander within my body, their senses overwhelmed by me. They move not according to their will but as they are moved by me.
— Mahabharata (translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli, 1883-1896), Book 3, Varna Parva, Chapter CLXXXVIII (188)[9]
As per texts like theVishnu Purana,Bhagavata Purana,Garuda Purana, and thePadma Purana, Narayana isVishnu himself, who incarnates invarious avatars.
According to theBhagavad Gita, he is also the "Guru of the Universe". The Bhagavata Purana declares Narayana as theSupreme Personality of Godhead, who engages in the creation of 14 worlds within the universeBrahma who is Deity ofrajas-guna, himself sustains, maintains and preserves the universe asVishnu by acceptingsattva-guna.Narayana himself annihilates the universe at the end ofMaha-Kalpa as KalagniRudra who is presiding deity oftamas-guna.
According to theBhagavata Purana,Purusha Sukta,Narayana Sukta, and theNarayana Upanishad from theVedas, he is the ultimate soul.
According toMadhvacharya, Narayana is one of the fivevyuhas ofVishnu, which are cosmic emanations of God, in contrast to his incarnateavatars. Madhvacharya separates Vishnu's manifestations into two groups: Vishnu's vyuhas (emanations) and His avataras (incarnations).[17] The Vyuhas have their basis in thePancharatras, a sectarian text that was accepted as authoritative by both theVishishtadvaita andDvaita schools ofVedanta. They are mechanisms by which the universe is ordered, was created, and evolves. Narayana possesses thechatur-vyuha aspects of Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha, who evolve one after the other in the development of the universe. In theMahabharata,Krishna is also synonymous with Narayana andArjuna is referred to as Nara.[18] The epic identifies them both in plural 'Krishnas', or as part incarnations of the earlier incarnations ofVishnu, recalling their mystical identity asNara-Narayana.[19]
Narayana (as Krishna) is also described in theBhagavad Gita as having a universal form (Vishvarupa) which is beyond the ordinary limits of human perception or imagination.[20]
In theNarayana Sukta, Narayana is essentially the supreme force and/or essence of all:'Nārāyaṇa parabrahman tatvam Nārāyaṇa paraha'.[21]
Narayana's eternal and supreme abode beyond the material universe isVaikuntha, a realm of bliss and happiness calledParamapada, which means the final or highest place for liberated souls, where they enjoy bliss and happiness for eternity in the company of the supreme lord. Vaikuntha is situated beyond the material universe and hence, cannot be perceived or measured by material science or logic.[22] Sometimes,Kshira Sagara, where Narayana orVishnu rests onShesha in his recliningananta shayana form,[23] is also perceived asVaikuntha within the material universe.
TheŚruti texts mention Narayana as the primordial being who was present even whenBrahma and Ishana (Shiva) were not present. He is conceived as the Supreme Soul in the texts.[24]
TheMahāsamaya Sutta (DN 20) of thePali Canon mentions a deity by the nameVeṇhu (Sanskrit:Viṣṇu), though the text suggests that this name may also signify a class of deva. He also appears in theVeṇḍu Sutta (SN 2.12) asVeṇḍu where he addressesGautama Buddha by celebrating the joy experienced by those who follow theDhamma. He also makes brief mention ofManu.[25]
Mahayana Buddhism elaborates on the character of this deity, where he is often calledNārāyaṇa (Chinese:那羅延天;Tibetan:མཐུ་བོ་ཆེ།) or more rarely,Narasiṃha (納拉辛哈) andVāsudeva (婆藪天). Literature often depicts him as aVajradhara (金剛力士). He is present in theWomb Realm Mandala and is among the twelve guardian devas of theDiamond Realm Mandala. He is associated withŚrāvaṇa in esoteric astrology.[26] His queen consort is Nārāyaṇī.[27] He is said to have been born fromAvalokiteśvara's heart.[28] TheBuddhas are sometimes described as having a firm vajra body like Nārāyaṇa.
TheYogācārabhūmi Śāstra describes him as having three faces with a greenish-yellow complexion. He holds a wheel in his right hand and rides upon agaruḍa. Chapter 6 of theYiqiejing Yinyi explains that he belongs to theKāmadhātu and is venerated for the acquisition of power. Chapter 41 adds that he has eight arms that wield various "Dharma weapons" (dharmāyudha) with which he subjugates theasuras.
He appears as aninterlocutor in severalMahayana sutras, including theKāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra,Sarvapuṇyasamuccayasamādhi Sūtra and theNārāyaṇaparipṛcchā Dhāraṇī.
He is also mentioned in several places in theLalitavistara Sūtra, one of theSutras that describe the life ofGautama Buddha. It is said that because the Buddha is "endowed with the great strength of Nārāyaṇa, he is called the great Nārāyaṇa himself."
TheChinese Manichaean manuscriptMoni Guangfo, a syncretic religious text incorporating both Buddhist and Manichaean elements, considers Nārāyaṇa (Chinese:那羅延;pinyin:Naluoyan) to be one of the Five Buddhas, with the other buddhas beingZoroaster,Śākyamuni,Jesus, andMani.[29]
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Balabhadra andNarayana are mighty half-brothers, who appear nine times in each half of the time cycles of theJain cosmology and jointly rule half the earth as half-chakravarti. UltimatelyPrati-naryana is killed byNarayana for his unrighteousness and immorality. Narayana are extremely powerful and are as powerful as 2 Balabhadras. Chakravartins are as powerful as 2 Narayanas. Hence Narayanas become half-chakravartins. Tirthankaras are much more powerful than Chakravartins. In JainMahabharata, there is a friendly duel between cousin brothersNeminatha (Tirthankara) and Krishna (Naryana) in which Neminath lost to Krishna without any effort at all. There is also a story of Neminatha lifting the conch of Krishna and blowing it without any effort. The JainMahabharata describes Krishna's conflict withJarasandha, who he kills.
Narayana is hailed in certain parts of theVedas like theNarayana Suktam and theVishnu Suktam. He is also hailed in selective VaishnavaiteUpanishads like theNarayana Upanishad,Mahanarayana Upanishad, and theNrisimha Tapaniya Upanishad.[30]
ThePadma Purana relates an episode where Narayana grants Rudra (Shiva) a boon. The destroyer deity seeks two boons. Firstly, he wishes to be the greatest of the devotees of Narayana, as well as bearing the reputation of the same throughout the world. Secondly, he desires the ability to offer salvation to whoever seeks refuge in him.[31]
The prowess of Narayana is described in theRamayana:[32]
Narayana, like unto a luminous cloud, with his excellent shafts loosed from His bow, as so many lightning strokes, exterminated those rangers of the night with their hair dishevelled and streaming in the wind. Their parasols broken, their rich apparel torn by the shafts, their entrails ripped open, their eyes wide with fear, those warriors, throwing away their arms, fell into a frenzy of terror. Resembling elephants attacked by a lion, those night-rangers with their mounts emitted cries whilst fleeing from that Primeval Lion [i.e., Vishnu’s incarnation as Nrsimha—half man, half lion], who pursued them.
Ramanuja's prayer of surrender to Narayana in theSharanagati Gadyam of theTiruvaymoli was and is significant to his Sri Vaishnava adherents, as it became a model prayer for future generations. In this prayer, Ramanuja describes Narayana to be the "beloved consort ofSri and ofBhumi andNila". He is stated to reside in his abode of Vaikuntha, where he assumes the role of the creation, preservation, as well as the destruction of the universe. Narayana is extolled to be the same as the Ultimate Reality,Brahman. He is regarded to be the refuge of all creation, the master of spiritual as well as material entities, as well as the dispeller of the miseries of his devotees. He ends his prayer by saluting Narayana and his consort Sri, to whom he surrenders to his "lotus-like feet".[33]
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| Vyūhas | Image | Attributes | Symbol[37][38] | Direction | Face | Concept | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Narayana Vishnu | Vāsudeva |  | Chakra Wheel Gadā Mace Shankha Conch | Garuda Eagle |  | East | Saumya (Placid/ benevolent) | .jpg) | Jṅāna Knowledge |
| Samkarsana |  | LāṅgalaPlough MusalaPestle Wine glass | Tala Fan palm |  | South | Simha Lion | .jpg) | Bala Strength | |
| Pradyumna |  | Cāpa Bow Bāṇa Arrow | Makara Crocodile |  | West | Raudra Kapila | _(cropped).jpg) | Aiśvaryā Sovereignty | |
| Aniruddha |  | Carma Shield Khaḍga Sword | Ṛṣya (ऋष्य) White-footed antelope | North | Varaha Boar | .jpg) | Śakti Power | ||
| Dashavatara (for example)1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Other avatars | ||
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. | ||
