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Thread: Analysis of the name 'nArAyanA' for Sri Vishnu

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    Analysis of the name 'nArAyanA' for Sri Vishnu

    Namaste,

    In another recent thread, one member had noted that the name 'nArAyanA' for Sri Vishnu is inappropriate as it supposedly signified sUrya Bhagwan.

    But, on a recent kaalakshepam (spiritual discourse), I have heard of the following explanation for the name 'nArAyanA' as being that of Sri Vishnu's:

    nAr - means water.

    ayanA - means 'seat'.

    Thus, Sri Vishnu who is seated on water (lying down on a seat of AdiSesha atop water) is thus 'Sriman nArAyanA'.

    So we can see that this way, nArAyanA only refers to Sri Vishnu and not to Surya.

    I welcome learned members opinion and clarifications on the same.

    Thanks and regards.

    EDIT: One can remember the famous 'Narayana Ashtakshari Mantra' that has been around since the beginning of Sanathana Dharma itself - 'Om Namo Narayanaya Namaha'. And of the presence of a form of Narayana - Sri Satyanarayana Swami - surely, Narayana then cannot be an ambiguous name to denote both Sri Vishnu as well as Sri Surya, is it not?
    Last edited by Viraja; 27 July 2014 at 02:32 PM. Reason: Added portion under EDIT.
    jai hanuman gyan gun sagar jai kapis tihu lok ujagar

  2. #2

    Re: Analysis of the name 'nArAyanA' for Sri Vishnu

    Dear Friend,

    There are actually so many references which point out that Sriman Narayana is Sri Maha Vishnu...its not possible to put all those references in one post...

    When one is talking about Sriman Narayana , one cannot miss talking about the popular Narayana Sukta which is also called as MahaNarayana Upanishad.
    This beautiful comprehensive hymn about Sriman Narayana is found in the 10th chapter of the Taitariya Aaranyaka of Krishna Yajur Veda

    Complete details can be found here
    http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/sho...77&postcount=9

    This beautiful hymn ends with

    Om nArAyaNAya vidmahe vAsudevAya dhImahi
    tanno vishNu pracodayAt

    Om...I bow to that Sriman Naarayana
    I focus my intellect on that Sri Vaasudeva who is present everywhere
    Let that Sri Maha Vishnu enlighten me

    This also very clearly indicates that Narayana and Vishnu are one and the same....

    Please refer to this beautiful thread for some good information
    http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=10504

    There are many other instances...will write them when time permits...

  3. #3

    Re: Analysis of the name 'nArAyanA' for Sri Vishnu

    Quote Originally Posted by Viraja View Post
    Namaste,
    Namaste Viraja,
    In another recent thread, one member had noted that the name 'nArAyanA' for Sri Vishnu is inappropriate as it supposedly signified sUrya Bhagwan.
    I am that unfortunate culprit. I wrote:
    Thirdly, calling Shri Vishnu as "nArAyaNa" is in my eyes (and in others) a serious disrespect to Shri Vishnu, Narayana is a proper name of Surya, a Vedic god. Narayana as epithet of Shri Vishnu, no problems, but as a proper name itself is a huge denigration of Shri Vishnu and the Vedic Dharma.
    But, on a recent kaalakshepam (spiritual discourse), I have heard of the following explanation for the name 'nArAyanA' as being that of Sri Vishnu's:

    nAr - means water.
    nAr means waters, also means woman, mother.
    ayanA - means 'seat'.
    Let us just say, it means "refuge".
    Thus, Sri Vishnu who is seated on water (lying down on a seat of AdiSesha atop water) is thus 'Sriman nArAyanA'.
    We are not talking about "Samudra" (the Father) here, instead we are talking about Apah, nAra, Mothers' expanse.

    Who is the first born of Mother? In Shaiva tradition it is Ganesha, and equivalently in Vedic it is Agni, also called "apAm-napata" i.e. waters' child.

    Surya is the highest deity in the span of Shri Agni so He is understood as the very first manifestation of Creation from Mother's womb of Infinity. The first God that we can understand in terms of forms and worship accordingly. The overlord, as well as the guide, of all Creation.
    So we can see that this way, nArAyanA only refers to Sri Vishnu and not to Surya.
    Shri Vishnu, a "composite God" like Shri Agni, has a far grater scope- which includes virtually everything within it- than Shri Agni, and therefore He obviously contains Surya also within Himself (in the infinite unbroken continuity of His being).
    In this way He can assume any of the various deities' names as His adjectives. This is not the same as calling His proper name as something which is a proper name of some other deity.

    However, the avatara who can indeed take Narayana as His proper name is the Avatara of Lord who comes in the Surya-mode of Shri Vishnu.

    And that will be, Shri Rama. Ever heard of "rAmAyaNa"? The sacred book that is the refuge of all mortals? Ramayana is Narayana.

    Does RamNarayana ring a bell? yes?
    Does KrishnaNarayana ring a bell? No?


    Is it clear now why praising the Vedic gods is equivalent to praising Lord Vishnu? Or why Lord Vishnu cant be praised at the cost of denigrating other Vedic Deities? Why doing that is non-Vedic? Or, as my friend Jaskarana Singh says, "mlechcha like"?

    EDIT: One can remember the famous 'Narayana Ashtakshari Mantra' that has been around since the beginning of Sanathana Dharma itself - 'Om Namo Narayanaya Namaha'. And of the presence of a form of Narayana - Sri Satyanarayana Swami - surely, Narayana then cannot be an ambiguous name to denote both Sri Vishnu as well as Sri Surya, is it not?
    I am really not invested in this topic or thread, really. If you want any other information I will be more than happy to give it to you. The point I was making there was that a sect cannot even think that it has a propriety, or necessarily a perfect understanding, over its Devta. Hinduism is just too vast to hazard such assumptions.

    The core aspect of Vishnu, also has a name given out by the Veda, but I will not go into that right now (but if you wish to know it is somewhere in the first 20 posts of mine at HDF).

    And in the end, got to say loud:
    IMHO.
    Things to remember:

    1. Life = yajña
    2. Depth of Āstika knowledge is directly proportional
    to the richness of Sanskrit it is written in
    3. Āstika = Bhārata ("east") / Ārya ("west")
    4. Varṇa = tripartite division of Vedic polity
    5. r = c. x²
    where,
    r = realisation
    constant c = intelligence
    variable x = bhakti

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    Re: Analysis of the name 'nArAyanA' for Sri Vishnu

    Thank you, SanathanaDharma ji,

    Now I am doubtless that the name Narayana indeed refers to Sri MahaVishnu only, although I am not clear about how others view it still.

    Your clarifications and indeed, Philosoraptor's great thread are extremely helpful. Thank you for the same.

    - Viraja
    jai hanuman gyan gun sagar jai kapis tihu lok ujagar

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    Re: Analysis of the name 'nArAyanA' for Sri Vishnu

    Quote Originally Posted by SanathanaDharma View Post
    Dear Friend,

    Om nArAyaNAya vidmahe vAsudevAya dhImahi
    tanno vishNu pracodayAt


    Om...I bow to that Sriman Naarayana
    I focus my intellect on that Sri Vaasudeva who is present everywhere
    Let that Sri Maha Vishnu enlighten me

    This also very clearly indicates that Narayana and Vishnu are one and the same....

    Namaste Ji,

    Do you have link for critical editions of the Vedas.I did not study the Narayana Suktam in detail but from what I read in some history book,the identification of Sri Vishnu/Sri Narayana with Sri Vasudeva happended after the Vedic period.I am not sure if the above Gayathri is found of the original Suktham,maybe it is appended while chanting or
    maybe I am totally wrong.


    He dances in the golden hall of Chidambaram, Let us worship His rosy anklet girt Feet.

  6. #6

    Re: Analysis of the name 'nArAyanA' for Sri Vishnu

    Dear Friend,

    "from what I read in some history book,the identification of Sri Vishnu/Sri Narayana with Sri Vasudeva happended later than than Vedic period"

    I request you to provide the name of this history book and its authors who have defined the term "Vedic Period".... if the authors are so-called westerners who have done research on Sanskrit and India, then we have nothing to discuss as

    - This term "Vedic Period", which in literal sense does not actually make any sense to a Sanatana Dharma follower, was probably introduced by modern age westerners or may be Indians too, who were trying really hard to do some research on Sanskrit texts available in India....
    - The term "Vedic Period" is unknown to those who follow Sanatana Dharma...because Vedas are timeless...
    - The so-called westerners who have coined this term, who have learnt some basic stuff of our timeless knowledge, dare to make such silly mistakes [which ofcourse suits their intellectual ignorance]...

    These people date the Vedas based solely on the grammar used in different scripts, have a flawed and meaningless foundation...as according to them all the Aaranyakas, most of the Samhitas and almost all Upanishad's were written very recently...

    These people see the wrapper of a book and conclude the age and value of the contents where as one who understands the contents of the book knows how valuable and timeless the contents are....

    As far as the link to vedas are concerned, I do not have any online reference to it... this hymn is from an old Sanskrit Vedic book available here [not online]....probably you may find the Vedic books in some really old temples in India....you may get the manuscripts from a city in India called Pune where all the age old manuscripts are preserved in a University in Pune....

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    Re: Analysis of the name 'nArAyanA' for Sri Vishnu

    EDIT: FOUND THE GAYATHRI

    http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/sho...4&postcount=12


    Quote Originally Posted by SanathanaDharma View Post
    Dear Friend,

    "from what I read in some history book,the identification of Sri Vishnu/Sri Narayana with Sri Vasudeva happended later than than Vedic period"

    I request you to provide the name of this history book and its authors who have defined the term "Vedic Period".... if the authors are so-called westerners who have done research on Sanskrit and India, then we have nothing to discuss as

    IN BLUE MINE:

    Namaste Ji,

    But here the point is whether the said Gayathri is found in the Narayana Sukta or not?


    As far as the link to vedas are concerned, I do not have any online reference to it... this hymn is from an old Sanskrit Vedic book available here [not online]....probably you may find the Vedic books in some really old temples in India....you may get the manuscripts from a city in India called Pune where all the age old manuscripts are preserved in a University in Pune....


    P.S. My knowledge of the scriptures(Vedas,Upanishads etc.) is poor,if I have posted anything wrong do not hesitate to refute it and kindly correct me.


    Last edited by Ram11; 29 July 2014 at 04:41 AM.
    He dances in the golden hall of Chidambaram, Let us worship His rosy anklet girt Feet.

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    Re: Analysis of the name 'nArAyanA' for Sri Vishnu

    Namaste,

    I am also reminded of 12 Alwars works in Tamil language -- in the pAsurams. I will try to find in internet sources whether they have used the term 'nArAyaNA'.

    Thanks.
    jai hanuman gyan gun sagar jai kapis tihu lok ujagar

  9. #9

    Re: Analysis of the name 'nArAyanA' for Sri Vishnu

    Quote Originally Posted by Viraja View Post
    Thank you, SanathanaDharma ji,

    Now I am doubtless that the name Narayana indeed refers to Sri MahaVishnu only, although I am not clear about how others view it still.

    Your clarifications and indeed, Philosoraptor's great thread are extremely helpful. Thank you for the same.

    - Viraja
    Well, I can say how some Shaktas will say what Narayana means. According to one, the Narayana in Narayana Suktam refers to Devi. Of course, it cannot because Narayana is a proper noun because of nakaara. The Narayana naam is probably the greatest argument in favor of Vishnu's supremacy, as the Vedas specifically denote Brahman with Narayana. Plus it is a proper noun and has been identified with Vishnu in the Gayatris.
    Regards

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    Re: Analysis of the name 'nArAyanA' for Sri Vishnu

    Namaste,

    From a SriVaishnava standpoint, which relies on the works of 12 great Alwars, calling Sri MahaVishnu as Sriman Narayana is justified. Although the alwars lived in the AD, they are considered the greatest devotees of the Lord (MahaVishnu) and their works/verses are collectively referred to as '4000 Divya Prabandhams'.

    I find the following references for Sri MahaVishnu and his avatara, Srii Krishna, being called 'Narayana' within the first 150 verses:

    Thirupallandu rendered by Periyazhwar: Verses 4, 12.

    Periyazhwar Thirumozhi/8th Thirumozhi: (Calling Kannan as Narayana) :
    Verse 107

    Irandaampatthu - Moonraam Thirumozhi: Verse 140.

    The list will be exhaustive when considering all the 4000 verses, as I could find the above references within the first 150 verses.

    These prabandha verses are recited all over TamilNadu in all SriVaishnava 'Divya Desams' - or Vaishnava temples for those of which Alwars have sung hymns praising the lord.

    Hope this helps some!

    Thanks.
    jai hanuman gyan gun sagar jai kapis tihu lok ujagar

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