300px|rightNarayana (;
) or
Narayan is an important
Sanskrit name for
Vishnu, and in many contemporary vernaculars a common
Indian name. Narayana is also identified as the original man,
Purusha. The
Puranas present divergent views on Narayana. In the
Kurma Purana he is identified with
Brahman and
Krishna-
Vishnu, but in the
Brahma Vaivarta Purana Narayana is considered different from Krishna and also considered part of
Krishna.
In the
Mahabharata Krishna is often referred to as Narayana and
Arjuna as Nara. 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. Followers of
Lord Swaminarayan believe that Narayan manifested himself as Swaminarayan.
Etymology
A painting of Vishnu seated on
lotusIn Sanskrit, another name for water is ‘Naara’. The Supreme Lord Vishnu whose resting place ('Ayana') is ‘Naara’ is therefore called Naarayana. "Naara" also means the living entities (Jivas). Therefore, another meaning of Naarayana is 'resting place for all living entities. The close association of Narayana with water explains the frequent depiction of Narayana in Hindu art as standing or sitting on an ocean. Another important translation of Narayana is "The supreme Man who is the foundation of all men".
Another interpretation of the word Narayana sees
Nara meaning "human" and
Ayana as "direction/goal". Hence Narayana refers to the "direction of a human" (or the one that helps a human to his/her goal, i.e. towards
moksha). Nara is related to
moksha as both are rooted to the
Water element (Ap), one of the
Great Elements (Mahābhūta). (See also
Tattva).
According to the Vaishnav Philosophy, the Narayana is the Purnapurrushttom Purush lord Keshav. In Gita, lord Krishna admits that he is the Keshav.
Variations
Religious uses
- The book, Sri Ramanuja, His Life, Religion, and Philosophy, states that the name "Narayana" means, "He who is the dwelling place, i.e., the source, support and dissolving ground of all Jivas or souls, including inert matter."
- Om Namo NārāyaNāya is one of the most famous mantras chanted by Hindus. This mantra, along with Om Namah Shivāya, and the Gayatri mantra are the most sacred prayers by Hindus[citation needed].
- When doing a puja, people say the 108 names of Narayana.
A verse that confers the
Devas' subordinate status comes from the
Vishnu sahasranama, whose concluding verses state: "The
Rishis (great sages), ancestors, the Devas, the great elements, in fact, all things moving and unmoving constituting this universe have originated from Narayana." This verse indicates that the Devas are subordinate to Vishnu, but Vishnu is often named a Deva. (Vasudeva, Narasimhadeva, etc.)
Secular uses
Among the many people with the name Narayan are the novelist
R.K. Narayan, the political activist
Jayaprakash Narayan, the singer
Udit Narayan T.R., and the
Fijian stateswoman
Irene Jai Narayan T.R..
Prithvi Narayan Shah founded the
kingdom of
NepalThere is also song "Narayan" by
The Prodigy on their
The Fat of the Land album, with the lyrical line "Om Namah Narayana". The song is co-composed and sung by
Crispian Mills, singer and frontman of the English
psychedelic rock band
Kula Shaker. Kula Shaker covers the song in a version named "Song of Love/Narayana" in their
Strangefolk album.
Narayan Holden,
record producer and owner of
Playakoda in
Sydney,
Australia.
In the video game
Grand Theft Auto 2 from the
Grand Theft Auto series,
Narayana is the name of a neighborhood occupied by the Hare Krishna street gang.
In the video game
Myst III: Exile, the final
age to which the player travels is called Narayan. It consists of an ocean extending to the horizon, beneath a clouded sky in which float trees, suspended by bubbly "pearls" released periodically by the ocean.
The name of the
Siamese king
Narai (r. 1656-1688) is a Thai pronunciation of Narayana.
