nArAyAnam

[sarabhanga]

oM namo nArAyaNAya

nA (from nR) is a “man or a hero”, as the gnomon (“one who knows or discerns”, “that which reveals”, “the indicator” ~ the RSi or liÑga), the fixed rod of a sundial, directed to the celestial pole and marking time by its shadow. nAras are “the people or heroes (also gods)”, and the dual form is nArA or nArau.

nara is “a man, person, hero, or gnomon”, and particularly “the primeval man or eternal spirit pervading the universe” (the puruSa) ~ with the dual narau and plural narAs. And nAra is “relating to or proceeding from men”, and thus “human or mortal” (dual nArau and plural nArAs).

nArAyaNa is a patronym derived from nara ~ as the son of nara (man ~ especially the immortal man), the son of nAra (human ~ mortal man), and the son of nArA (the RSI or ‘waters’ twain).

ayana is “going” (indicating the path, progress, circulation) and Ayana is “coming” (indicating the arrival), but in combination the distinction disappears.

And yAna is “leading or conducting”, with yAnI as “the path or course”, while yAnam or yAnA is “the journey or travel” (as the method or vehicle, especially for arriving at knowledge, the means of moksha).

narAyaNa (nara-ayana and nara-Ayana) is the way of nara ~ coming from and going to man (immortal). And narAyaNa (narA-ayana and narA-Ayana) is the way of mankind, and of the waters.

All of these characteristics are inherent in the adjective nArAyaNa (derived from narAyaNa). And nArAyaNa (directly from nAra-ayana and nAra-Ayana) is the way of mortal man; while nArAyaNa (from nArA, the dual case of nR) is the way of the ashvinau, the path of the devau (nara-nArAyaNa), the nArA-yAnam.