Who is Narayana?
The vedas declare the supreme being by the name of "Purusha" and the identity of the Purusha has been explained Here, as Lord Vishnu. Now the supreme being Is denoted by another name "Narayana". Through this post, we will Explore more about The supreme being Narayana. Sri Adi Shankaracharya in 4.1 of Sri Gaudapada karika writes :
ज्ञेयैर्धर्मैरात्मभिरभिन्नम् अग्न्युष्णवत् सवितृप्रकाशवच्च यत् ज्ञानम् , तेन ज्ञेयाभिन्नेन ज्ञानेन आकाशकल्पेन ज्ञेयात्मस्वरूपाव्यतिरिक्तेन, गगनोपमान्धर्मान्यः सम्बुद्धः सम्बुद्धवान्नित्यमेव ईश्वरो यो नारायणाख्यः, तं वन्दे अभिवादये । द्विपदां वरं द्विपदोपलक्षितानां पुरुषाणां वरं प्रधानम् , पुरुषोत्तममित्यभिप्रायः ।
“I bow to that God, known as Nārāyaṇa, who byknowledge,non-different from the nature of Ātman (the object of knowledge) and which resembles Ākāśa, knew the Dharmas which, again, may be compared to Ākāśa. The import of the words ‘Dvipadām Varam’(Supreme among the bipeds), is that Nārāyaṇa is the greatest of all men, characterised by two legs, that, is to say, He is the “Puruṣottama”, the best of all men."
Points to be considered here :
- Nārāyana has been called as the Greatest amongst all men
- He has two legs.
- He is the purushottama
"The innermost Brahman is A, U, M ñ saying this a Yogi becomes free from the cycle of birth. Om, I bow to Narayana, having Sankha, Chakra and Gada. The upasaka will go to Vaikuntha. I-2-4. The Brahm pura is a lotus, shining like lightning and lamp. The son of Devaki is Brahmanya (a Brahmana with 44 sacraments); so are Madhusudana, Pundarikaksha, Vishnu and Achyuta. Narayana is the one, existing in all creatures, the causal person without a cause."
Nārāyana has been described as the one with a chakra, gada and sankha, which is None other than God Vishnu.
Sri Adi Shankaracharya again writes in his Bhasya of Srimad bhagwat geeta :
"vishnu" is equated with Narayana. He Also mentions in his Vedanta sutra commentary, in regards to pancharatra agamas :
And we all know, Pancharatra agamas are dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Further, In 11.9 of Gita Sanjay says that Mahayogeshawar Lord Hari showed his viraat rupa..And Adi Shankaracharya says that Hari here refers to Narayana
Here is the sanskrit commentary of shankaracharya
एवं यथोक्तप्रकारेण उक्त्वा ततः अनन्तरं राजन् धृतराष्ट्र? महायोगेश्वरः महांश्च असौ योगेश्वरश्च *हरिः नारायणः* दर्शयामास दर्शितवान् पार्थाय पृथासुताय परमं रूपं विश्वरूपम् ऐश्वरम्।।
In Māhābhārata, it is written :
MahabharaTA, bori 1663.335 :
"Time, computed through the measurement of the stellar bodies, is nothing but the supreme Narayana. The supreme Narayana is the deities of kirti, Sri and Lakshmi Sankhya and yoga are the supreme Narayana and they have Narayana as their soul. He is the cause as Purusha. He is also the cause as Pradhana. All deeds are in his nature. He is the cause behind the gods. He is enumerated as the five kinds of causes. Hari is there in all devotion. He is the truth that the curious ones seek. He is the reason that faces all the directions. He is the single truth. He is the great yogi. He is the lord Hari Narayana. He is the one Brahma, the worlds, the great-souled rishis, the practitioners of sankhya and yoga and the ascetics seek to know."
We all know who is The Husband/Deity of Goddess Māhālaxmī. Again, Māhālaxmī (Sri) is said to be sitting on the lap of "Narayana"
1762.81
I will tell you what transpired, as I have seen it and heard it. Rukmini asked this in the presence of Devaki’s son. She saw the blazing Shri seated on Narayana’s lap, with a face like that of a lotus.
In The vedavatar Vālmīkī Rāmāyana, Lord Brahma prays to Lord Rama as :
bhavānnārāyaṇo devaḥ *śrīmāṃścakrāyudhaḥ* prabhuḥ || ekaśṛṅgo varāhastvaṃ bhūtabhavyasapatnajit |
“You are the Lord Narayana himself the glorious god, who wields the discus. You are the Divine Boar with a single tusk, the conqueror of your past and future enemies.”
This itself asserts the identity of God Narayana I.e The God with The sudarshan chakra (discus).
āpo nārā iti proktā āpo vai narasūnavaḥ | tā yadasyāyanaṃ pūrvaṃ tena nārāyaṇaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
Water is called ‘nara,’—water being the offspring of nara; since water was the first thing created by (or, the original residence of) that being, he is, on that account, described as ‘nārāyaṇa.’
Mahabharata, Markandey samasya parva
“In ancient times I called the waters by the name of Nara; and because the waters have ever been my ayana or home, therefore have I been called Narayana (the water-homed). O best of regenerate ones ,I am Narayana ,the Source of all things, the Eternal, the Unchangeable.”
This is the Primary definition of the word “Narayana” I.e the Lord who has his home in the waters I.e The kshirsagar. Jagadguru sri Adi Shankaracharya has also explained this :
He is the Abode of all Tattvas (Nara), hence he is called Narayana. Another way can be that he is the refuge of all men (Nara), hence he is called Narayana.
Mahabharata 1656.328
“I know the attributes of nivritti and the means whereby dharma is awakened. I alone am known as the eternal refuge of men .The water is known as Nara and Nara obtained birth from the waters. Since, in earlier times, the water was my road, I am known as Narayana. Assuming the form of Surya, I envelop the world and the universe with my rays. Since I am the dwelling of all creatures, I am Vasudeva.”
At the end of Sri Vishnu sahasrnam in Mahabharata, Bhishma says :
Mahabharata 1816.135
He is the kshetra and the kshetrajna. In all the sacred texts, conduct is said to be the foremost. Conduct is based on dharma and he is said to be the lord of dharma. The rishis, the ancestors, the gods, the great elements, the minerals and everything mobile and immobile in the universe has originated from Narayana. The knowledge of yoga, the knowledge of sankhya, all the acts of artisanship, the Vedas, the sacred texts and vijnana—all these originated from janardana. Vishnu is the single great being. He has manifested himself in many kinds of forms. He pervades the three worlds and is in the soul of all creatures. He is the undecaying enjoyer who enjoys the universe. This praise of the illustrious Vishnu was chanted by Vyasa. If a man desires to obtain benefit and happiness, he should read it. He is the lord of the universe. He is without origin. He is the undecaying god whose power pervades the universe. A person who worships Pundarikaksha does not have to face defeat.
Moreover, The Vishnu Gayatri Mantra at the end of the Narayana suktam says
ōm nārāyaṇāya vidmahe vāsudevāya dhīmahi, tanno viṣṇuḥ pracodayāt.
Some People who have no Pramana from shastras, use Bogus logic of Sanskrit to Prove Vasudeva here is someone else, not Lord Vishnu. The name “Vasudeva” is given only to God Sridhara, as per authentic shastras. In the Above verse 1656 of Mahabharata, he also explained why he is known as Vasudeva I.e He is the one who indwells all creatures, and covers the entire universe I.e He is the all pervading Almighty.
Also, The Nārāyana suktam declares Lord Narayana as the supreme purusha :
ṛtagï satyaṁ paraṁ brahma puruṣaṁ kṛṣṇapiṅgalam, ūrdhvaretaṁ virūpākśaṁ viśvarūpāya vai namo namaḥ.
And this has been again and again proven by adi Shankaracharya, That Lord Vishnu is the supreme Purusha. I will provide the link to previously written answers to explain this, in the comments. Further, The Narayana suktam talks of how lord Nārāyana himself is Brahma Vishnu shiva indra etc. Also in Māhābhārata, Lord Brahma describes The Purusha to be Narayana to lord Shiva :
Moksha dharma parva, Mahabharata :
brahma said, “O son! Hear about the eternal and undecaying Purusha. He is said to be without destruction and immeasurable. He goes everywhere. O virtuous one! I, you, nor anyone else, can see him. He is this universe, with qualities and without qualities. It is said that he can be seen through wisdom. He is without a body. But he also dwells in every body. Though he dwells in bodies, he is not touched by any of the acts committed by them. He is in my atman, in yours and in that of others, conscious of the bodies. He is a witness to everything, but cannot be grasped by anyone. The universe is his head. The universe is his arms. The universe is his feed, his eyes and his nose. As he wills, he alone cheerfully wanders among all the kshetras. The kshetras are the bodies, the seeds of everything, good or bad. Since he knows them through the yoga of his atman, he is known as kshetrajna. No creature can discern his coming and going, though this progress is indicated in thebordinances of sankhya and yoga. Even if I think about his progress, I will be unable to comprehend that supreme progress. According to my knowledge, I will tell you about that eternal Purusha. His alone is the greatness. There is said to be only one Purusha. That single and eternal one should be praised by the words of Mahapurusha. There is one fire, but it blazes in different kinds of kindling. There is one sun. There are many austerities, but their origins are the same. There is one wind, but it blows in many ways in the world. There is one great ocean, though there are many sources of water. There is one Purusha, devoid of qualities. The universe is his form and it also enters Purusha, devoid of qualities. One should abandon all the qualities. One should discard all acts, good and bad. One should give up both truth and falsehood. In this way, onebshould be divested of qualities. One can then know the one who is unthinkable. He has four subtle forms. An ascetic who roams around in this way can advance towards the lord, Purusha. There are some learned ones who desire him as the paramatman. There are others who have thought about adhyatma and think of him as the single atman within their own selves. The paramatman is always spoken of as one who is devoid of qualities. He is known as Narayana. He is the Purusha who is inside all atmans. Like water on the leaf of a lotus, he is not touched by any acts. He is sometimes engaged in acts. He is sometimes freed from bonds and united with moksha. He is sometimes united with the accumulation of the seventeen. In this way, in due order, Purusha is spoken of in many ways. Everything in the worlds has a refuge in him. He is the supreme object of knowledge. He is the one who knows and he is also what is to be known. He is the thinker and the object of thought. He is the eater and the object that is eaten. He is the one who smells and the object that is smelt. He is the one who touches and the object that is touched. He is the seer and the object that is seen. He is the hearer and the object that is heard."
tasyāḥ śikhāyā madhye paramātmā vyavasthitaḥ, sa brahma sa śivaḥ sa hariḥ sendraḥ so'kṣaraḥ paramaḥ svarāṭ.
This is repeated again and again in the Mahabharata, that it is Lord Narayana who manifests the Tridevas, Once by Lord Narayana himself, Once by Lord Shiva and Many more cases. Almost all authentic versions of the Ramayana too Mention this, including Ramcharitmanas, Adhyatma, adbhuta, kamba, ananda and indirectly by Vālmīkī Rāmāyana. Further, The vedas too assert it at different places, Like The Mahanarayana Upanishad, Narayana Upanishad, The maha Upanishad, subala Upanishad etc and All of them have been Quoted for Lord Vishnu by Adi Shankaracharya and Sri Ramanujacharya.
The essence of All puranic literature and natural commentary on Vedanta sutra, Srimad bhagwatam says
atra saṅkīrtitaḥ sākṣāts arva-pāpa-haro hariḥn ārāyaṇo hṛṣīkeśob hagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ (12.12.3)
"This literature fully glorifies the Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari, who removes all His devotees’ sinful reactions. The Lord is glorified as Nārāyaṇa, Hṛṣīkeśa and the Lord of the Sātvatas."
nūnaṁ tvaṁ bhagavān sākṣādd harir nārāyaṇo ’vyayaḥ anugrahāya bhūtānāṁ dhatse rūpaṁ jalaukasām (8.24.27)
My Lord, You are certainly the inexhaustible Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, Śrī Hari. It is to show Your mercy to the living entities that You have now assumed the form of an aquatic
nārāyaṇa namas te ’stu śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-dhara dāmodarāravindākṣag ovinda yadu-nandana (10.56.6)
"Obeisances unto You, O Nārāyaṇa, O holder of the conch, disc and club , O lotus-eyed Dāmodara, O Govinda, O cherished descendant of Yadu!"
Nārāyana here has been described as the deity with Shanka, chakra and Gada I.e Lord Vishnu.
so ’ntaḥ-sarasy urubalena gṛhīta ārto
dṛṣṭvā garutmati hariṁ kha upātta-cakram
utkṣipya sāmbuja-karaṁ giramāha kṛcchrān nārāyaṇākhila-guro bhagavan namas te (8.3.32)
Gajendra had been forcefully captured by the crocodile in the water and was feeling acute pain, but when he saw that Nārāyaṇa, wielding His disc, was coming in the sky on the back of Garuḍa, he immediately took a lotus flower in his trunk, and with great difficulty due to his painful condition, he uttered the following words: “ O my Lord, Nārāyaṇa, master of the universe, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You
In the Gajendra moksha Stotram also, narayana has been equated with Lord Vishnu. Credits to Anant prabhu for providing verses from Bhagwatam.
Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankaracharya Has very well explained in his bhagwat geeta bhasya also, that who Nārāyana is :
Comm. 5.29
comm. 7.15
Comm 7.19
The main Scriptures Which couple with the vedas I.e The Rāmāyana and Māhābhārata, The declare The identity of Narayana, to be none other than the four armed Lord Sridhara, which was Repeated in the Bhasyas of Great acharyas like Sri Adi Shankaracharya
Now some Guys quote Puranic References to Prove Lord Brahma is described as God Nārāyana, cherry picking from the vishnu puran. Here's the actual translation of the Vishnu Puran verse :
Yes, It does refers to Brahma as "Nārāyana" but the point to be noted is, Nārāyana himself is said to be in the form of Brahma. This doesn't gives the title of Nārāyana to Brahma. This has been confirmed by Sri Adi Shankaracharya also, in his Vishnu sahasrnam bhasya :
He assumes different forms I.e Brahma as Rajo Gun, Vishnu as Sato and Shiva as Tamas, to carry out creation, maintain, Protect and Destroy. So, Brahma in the Vishnu Puran verse is God Nārāyana only, not Chaturmukha Brahma. Moreover, as explained in the samwad between Brahma and Shiva from Mahabharata, Lord Narayana I.e The Purusha is the indweller of All Beings, including Him and Shiva. So, when they are praised, it's actually Bhagwan Nārāyana who is addressed, which is confirmed by Lord Krishna Himself in santi parva of Māhābhārata. moreover, The same Vishnu Puran and even manu smriti says Narayana himself was born as Brahma or the indweller of Brahma.
This can be explained using another example. In Yajur veda Taittirīya Samhītā 7.1.5, The God who assumed the Boar Avatar (Varah) and rescued Bhu devi is named as "Prajapati". Now Vishnu dweshis use this mantra to claim Brahma Assumed the form of Varah. But just before this in Taittirīya Samhītā 4.6.2, It is written Brahma was born from Naval of Viswakarma (I.e Vishnu as per Sri Adi Shankaracharya), But 7.1.5 says he himself became Viswakarma! Now is this a contradiction? It is not! We need to interpret both verses Using the Māhābhārata Samvad and Sri Vishnu sahasrnam bhasya of Adi Shankaracharya.
- Lord Vishnu is also Known by the Name of "Prajapati" or the Lord of all Beings in the Vishnu sahasrnam! Moreover, Bhu devi in Vedas and Other texts is sung as The consort of Lord Nārāyana, and since vedic verses can't Contradict, This "Prajapati" in 7.1.5 is Lord Nārāyana and not Chaturmukha Brahma.
- If we consider it being Brahma, Then also, the "Prajapati" there Points towards Nārāyana in That from, Not chaturmukha brahma, as He is his indweller and sri Adi Shankaracharya also supports this.
Another case is, when they use Kurma Puran to prove Narayana is Lord Shiva, which is again a misinterpretation. Here's the verse :
Here, he is referring to Lord Vishnu and Mother Mahalakshmi. Next verse proves it :
The name "Narayana" has not been given to Shiva, it refers to Lord Vishnu here. It simply talks of Non duality between Nārāyana and Rudra or one can say, narayana is called vibbuti of Shiva. Another verse which these guys use to Prove chaturmukha Brahma as Nārāyana is this one from kurma puran again :
Now the thing is, Which scripture says Chaturmukha sri Brahma dev Has got "Thousand eyes and feet", and Is Brahma the one who sleeps in the ocean? To a genuine person, It will appear absurd. It is sri Nārāyana vasudeva who Rests on the ocean and Has Got thousands of feet and eyes. Hence here Brahma means Vishnu only, not Chaturmukha Brahma. As explained in The Epics, Lord Vishnu is the indweller of all beings, be it Brahma, Rudra, Indra, Surya etc. So whenever they are addressed with the names belonging to Lord Vishnu it doesn't means those names can be given to them, it actually is pointing towards the Indwelling soul of These Gods I.e Lord Vishnu.
more evidences to Prove Nārāyana is different from Shiva and Brahma
This much is enough to convince a geniune person that "narayana" can be used to denote Vishnu alone.
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