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{{Short description|Epithet of the Hindu god Vishnu}}
{{about|the term|affiliation of Lord Vishnu see|Nara-Narayana|other uses|Narayan (disambiguation)}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
[[File:Badami Cave Temples 51.jpg|thumb|A depiction of Narayana at the [[Badami Cave Temples]] in [[Karnataka]]]]
{{Vaishnavism}}

'''Narayana''' ([[Sanskrit]]: नारायण, [[IAST]]: ''Nārāyaṇa'') is the one who is in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, referring to the [[masculine]] principle linked with Vishnu according to [[Vaishnavite]] [[Hindu]] belief.{{cn|date=January 2021}} He is also known as [[Purushottama]] and is considered the Supreme being in [[Vaishnavism]].

As per texts like the ''[[Vishnu Purana]], [[Bhagavata Purana]], [[Garuda Purana]] and the [[Padma Purana]]'', Narayana is [[Vishnu]] himself who incarnates in [[Dashavatara|various avatars]].

According to the [[Bhagavad Gita]], he is also the "Guru of the Universe". The Bhagavata Purana declares Narayana as the [[Supreme Personality of Godhead]] who engages in the creation of 14 worlds within the universe [[Brahma]] who is Deity of [[rajas]]-[[guna]], himself sustains, maintains and preserves the universe as [[Vishnu]] by accepting [[sattva]]-[[guna]]. Narayana himself annihilates the universe at the end of ''Maha-Kalpa'' as Kalagni [[Rudra]] who is presiding deity of [[Tamas (philosophy)|tamas]]-[[guna]].

According to the [[Bhagavata Purana]], [[Purusha Sukta]], [[Narayana Sukta]], and [[Narayana Upanishad]] from the Vedas, he is the ultimate soul.

According to [[Madhvacharya]], Narayana is one of the five [[Vyuha]]s of [[Vishnu]], which are cosmic emanations of God in contrast to his incarnate [[avatar]]s. Bryant, Edwin F., Krishna: a Sourcebook. p. 359 "Madhvacharya separates Vishnu's manifestations into two groups: Vishnu's vyuhas (emanations) and His avataras (incarnations). The Vyuhas have their basis in the [[Pancharatra]]s, a sectarian text that was accepted as authoritative by both the [[Vishishtadvaita]] and [[Dvaita]] schools of [[Vedanta]]. They are mechanisms by which the universe is ordered, was created, and evolves. According to [[Madhvacharya]], Vishnu has five vyuhas, named Narayana, Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha, which evolve one after the other in the development of the universe.

== Nomenclature and etymology ==
In the [[Vedas]], Narayana is essentially the supreme force and/or essence of all: ''<nowiki/>'Nārāyaṇa parabrahman tatvam Nārāyaṇa paraha'.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_vishhnu/narayana-sukta.html?lang=sa|title=॥ नारायणसूक्तम् सार्थ ॥ - .. Narayana Sukta .. - Sanskrit Documents|website=sanskritdocuments.org|access-date=21 October 2015}}</ref> Narayan Aiyangar states the meaning of the [[Sanskrit]] word 'Narayana' can be traced back to the [[Manusmriti|Laws of Manu]] (also known as the [[Manusmriti|Manu-smriti]], a [[Dharmaśāstra]] text),<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.217324|title=Essays on Indo Aryan Mythology|last=Narayan Aiyangar|date=1901|pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.217324/page/n196 196]}}</ref> which states:

{{quote|The waters are called narah, (for) the waters are, indeed, the offspring of Nara; as they were his first residence (ayana), he hence is named Narayana.|source=Chapter 1, Verse 10<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/manu/manu01.htm|title=The Laws of Manu I|website=www.sacred-texts.com|access-date=2019-12-07}}</ref>}}

This definition is used throughout Vedic literature such as the [[Mahabharata]] and [[Vishnu Purana]].<ref name="sacred-texts.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03188.htm|title=The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva: Markandeya-Samasya Parva: Section CLXXXVIII|website=www.sacred-texts.com|access-date=2019-12-05}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> 'Narayana' is also defined as the 'son of the [[Purusha|primeval man]]',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://faculty.washington.edu/prem/mw/n.html|title=Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary -- n|website=faculty.washington.edu|access-date=2019-12-05}}</ref> and 'Supreme Being who is the foundation of all men'.<ref>[[Harivansh]], Adhyay 88 shlock 44, also, Manu Smruti 1:10 " The Law Code of Manu", Published by Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0-19-280271-2}}, page 11</ref>

*'''<nowiki/>'Nara'''' (Sanskrit नार) means 'water' and 'man'<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://spokensanskrit.org/index.php?tran_input=nAra&direct=se&script=hk&link=yes&mode=3|title=Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit: 'nara'|website=spokensanskrit.org|access-date=2019-12-05}}</ref>
*'''<nowiki/>'Yana'''' (Sanskrit यान) means 'vehicle', 'vessel', or more loosely, 'abode' or 'home'<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://spokensanskrit.org/index.php?mode=3&script=hk&tran_input=yana&direct=au&anz=100|title=Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit 'yana'|website=spokensanskrit.org|access-date=2019-12-05}}</ref>

==Description==

[[File:Bhagavan Vishnu.jpg|thumb|Lord Vishnu is mainly affiliated to Narayana]] In the [[Vedas]] and [[Puranas]], Narayana is described as having the divine blue colour of water-filled clouds, four-armed, holding a [[Nelumbo nucifera|Padma]] (lotus), [[Kaumodaki]] (mace), [[Panchajanya]] [[Shankha]] (conch) and the [[Sudarshana Chakra]] (discus).

=== Hinduism ===
{{Main|Hinduism}}

As stated in the epic ''[[Itihasa|Itihāsa]],'' the [[Mahabharata]]:

{{quote|<poem>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 am [[Vishnu]], I am [[Brahma]] and I am [[Shiva|Shankar]], the chief of the gods. I am king Vaisravana, and I am Yama, the lord of the deceased spirits. I am [[Shiva|Siva]], I am Soma, and I am [[Kasyapa]] 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.</poem>|source=Mahabharata (translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli, 1883-1896), Book 3, Varna Parva, Chapter CLXXXVIII (188)<ref name="sacred-texts.com" />|sign=}}

In the ''[[Mahabharata]]'', [[Krishna]] is also synonymous with Narayana and [[Arjuna]] is referred to as Nara.<ref>''Vaisnavism Saivism and Minor Religious Systems'', Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar. Published by Asian Educational Services, p.46.</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Hiltebeitel, Alf |author-link=Alf Hiltebeitel |title=The ritual of battle: Krishna in the Mahābhārata |publisher=State University of New York Press |location=Albany, N.Y |year=1990 |isbn=0-7914-0249-5 }} [https://books.google.com/books?id=vwWGX08JAx8C&pg=PA61 p61]</ref>

Narayana is also described in the [[Bhagavad Gita]] as having a universal form (''[[Vishvarupa]]'') which is beyond the ordinary limits of human perception or imagination.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://vedabase.net/bg/11/3/en1 |title = Bhagavad-gita As It Is Chapter 11 Verse 3 |publisher = vedabase.net |access-date = 10 May 2008 |last = Prabhupada |author-link = Prabhupada |first = AC Bhaktivedanta |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080515014652/http://vedabase.net/bg/11/3/en1 |archive-date = 15 May 2008 }} "see the cosmic manifestation"</ref>

Narayana's eternal and supreme abode beyond the material universe is [[Vaikuntha]] which is a realm of bliss and happiness called [[Moksha|Paramapadha]], which means final or highest place for liberated souls, where they enjoy bliss and happiness for eternity in the company of supreme lord. Vaikuntha is situated beyond the material universe and hence, cannot be perceived or measured by material science or logic.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tirumala.org/sapthagiri/062003/vaikuntha.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=21 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070515224306/http://www.tirumala.org/sapthagiri/062003/vaikuntha.htm |archive-date=15 May 2007 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Sometimes, [[Ksheera Sagara]] where Narayana or [[Vishnu]] rests on [[Ananta Shesha]] is also perceived as ''Vaikuntha'' within the material universe.

The [[Śruti]] texts mention Narayana as the primordial being , who was present even when [[Brahma]] and Ishana ([[Shiva]]) were not present. Thus, He is the Supreme Soul. <ref> https://upanishads.org.in/otherupanishads/47/1 </ref>

===Buddhism===
The ''Mahāsamaya Sutta'' (DN 20) of the [[Pali Canon]] mentions a deity by the name ''Veṇhu'' (Sanskrit: ''Viṣṇu''), though the text suggests that this name may also signify a class of deva. He also appears in the ''Veṇḍu Sutta'' (SN 2.12) as ''Veṇḍu'' where he addresses [[Gautama Buddha]] by celebrating the joy experienced by those who follow the [[Dharma#Buddhism|Dhamma]]. He also makes brief mention of [[Manu (Hinduism)|Manu]].<ref>{{cite web |title=SN 2.12: With Vishnu —Bhikkhu Sujato |url=https://suttacentral.net/sn2.12/en/sujato |website=SuttaCentral |access-date=25 December 2019}}</ref>

[[Mahayana Buddhism]] elaborates on the character of this deity, where is often called ''Nārāyaṇa'' ({{zh|c=那羅延天}}; {{bo|t=མཐུ་བོ་ཆེ།}}) or more rarely, ''[[Narasiṃha]]'' ({{lang|zh|納拉辛哈}}) and ''[[Vāsudeva]]'' ({{lang|zh|婆藪天}}). Literature often depicts him as a [[Vajradhara]] ({{lang|zh|金剛力士}}). He is present in the [[Womb Realm|Womb Realm Mandala]] and is among the twelve guardian devas of the [[Diamond Realm|Diamond Realm Mandala]]. He is associated with [[Shravana|Śrāvaṇa]] in esoteric astrology.<ref>{{cite web |title=那羅延 |url=http://www.buddhism-dict.net/cgi-bin/xpr-ddb.pl?q=%E9%82%A3%E7%BE%85%E5%BB%B6 |website=Digital Dictionary of Buddhism |access-date=25 December 2019 |date=2009}}</ref> His queen consort is Nārāyaṇī.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Giebel |first1=Rolf W. (translator) |title=The Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sūtra |date=2005 |publisher=BDK America, Inc. |url=https://www.bdkamerica.org/system/files/pdf/dBET_T0848_Vairocana_2005_0.pdf?file=1&type=node&id=482}}</ref> He is said to have been born from [[Avalokiteśvara]]'s heart.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Roberts |first1=Peter Alan |last2=Tulku Yeshi |title=The Basket's Display |url=https://read.84000.co/translation/UT22084-051-004.html#title |website=84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha |access-date=25 December 2019 |date=2013}}</ref> The [[Buddha]]s are sometimes described as having a firm body like Nārāyaṇa.

The [[Yogacarabhumi-sastra|Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra]] describes him as having three faces with a greenish-yellow complexion. He holds a wheel in his right hand and rides upon a [[garuḍa]]. Chapter 6 of the [[Yiqiejing Yinyi (Huilin)|Yiqiejing Yinyi]] explains that he belongs to the [[Kāmadhātu]] and is veneration for the acquisition of power. Chapter 41 adds that he has eight arms that wield various "Dharma weapons" (''dharmayuda'') with which he subjugates the [[asura (Buddhism)|asuras]].

He appears as an [[Interlocutor (linguistics)|interlocutor]] in several [[Mahayana sutras]], including the ''[[Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra|Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra]]'', ''Sarvapuṇyasamuccayasamādhi Sūtra'' and the ''Nārāyaṇaparipṛcchā Dhāraṇī''.

He is also mentioned in several places in the [[Lalitavistara Sūtra]], one of the [[Sutras]] that describe the life of [[Gautama Buddha]]. It is said that The Buddha "is endowed with the great strength of Nārāyaṇa, he is called the great Nārāyaṇa himself."

=== Jainism ===
{{Main|Jainism}}

[[Balabhadra]] and ''Narayana'' are mighty half brothers, who appear nine times in each half of the time cycles of the [[Jain cosmology]] and jointly rule half the earth as half-chakravarti. Ultimately ''Prati-naryana'' is killed by ''Narayana'' 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 Jain Mahabharta, there is a friendly duel between cousin brothers [[Neminatha]] (Tirthankara) and Krishna (Naryana) in which Neminath defeats Krishna without any effort at all. There is also a story of Neminath lifting Conch of Krishna and blowing it without any effort. In Jain Mahabharat, the main fight between Krishna and Jarasandha is described, who is killed by Krishna.

==Ancient Texts==

Narayana is hailed in certain parts of [[Vedas]] like, Narayana Suktam and Vishnu Suktam.
Lord Narayana is also hailed in selective Vaishnava [[Upanishads]] like, [[Narayana Upanishad]], Maha Narayana Upanishad and Narasimha Tapani Upanishad.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Narayanastra – Defending Vaishnavism as the supreme Vedic position|url = http://narayanastra.blogspot.in/|website = narayanastra.blogspot.in|access-date = 21 October 2015}}</ref>

<br />
{{gallery|mode=packed
|File:Narayan Temple on Narayanhiti palace premises 01.jpg|Narayan Temple on Narayanhiti palace premises, Kathmandu, Nepal
|File:Sridhar Narayan statue.jpg|Oldest Sridhar Narayan statue at Naksaal, Kathmandu
|image:Royal Barges National Museum - 2014-02-25 - 004.jpg|The bow of [[Royal Barge Procession|Royal Barge Narai Song Suban]] HM [[Rama IX]] of Thailand, it carved a image of Narayana ride a [[Garuda]]
|file:Bangkok National Museum - 2017-04-22 (43).jpg|Idol of Narayana around 14/15th century, found at the [[Devasathan]], inner Bangkok, Thailand
|image:Garudabkkholidayinn0609.jpg|Idol of Narayana ride a Garuda built in Khmer art style in front of InterContinental Bangkok, [[Phloen Chit Road]], it is one of the most respected Hindu shrines in the [[Ratchaprasong]] neighbourhood alike [[Erawan Shrine]]
|image:Indian - The Recumbent Vishnu and the Creation of Brahma - Walters W906.jpg|Drawing of sleeping Narayana on [[Sheshanaga]] while the four-headed [[Brahma]] springs from his navel
|file:Bangkok Airport 06.JPG|Statue of Narayana in [[Thai art]] style stands on [[Mount Mandara]] within [[Suvarnabhumi Airport]], Samut Prakan, Thailand
|file:Bangkok National Museum - 2017-04-22 (016).jpg|Khmer lintel depicting Narayana sleeping upon the Sheshanaga in the middle of [[Kshir Sagar|Milky Ocean]], [[Bangkok National Museum]]
|title=}}

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*[[Adam Kadmon]]
*[[Bhagavan]]
*[[Bhakti]]
*[[Garbhodaksayi Vishnu]]
*[[Hari]]
*[[Hiranyagarbha]]
*[[Jagannath]]
*[[Kshirodakasayi Vishnu]]
*[[Mahavishnu]]
*[[Narayana sukta]]
*[[Pangu]]
*[[Parabrahman]]
*[[Paramatma]]
*[[Pausha]]

*[[Ranganatha]]

*[[Sankarshana]]
*[[Vaikunta]]
*[[Vishnu]]
*[[World egg]]
*[[Salakapurusa]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Sheshasayi Vishnu}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060514020114/http://www.chennaionline.com/festivalsnreligion/religion/religion33.asp Name of Narayana even at the time of death can save a great sinner, Ajamila.]
* http://www.ayurvedacollege.com/articles/drhalpern/om_namo_narayanaya Om Namo Narayana and Ayurveda
{{HinduAvatars}}
{{Burmese nats}}

[[Category:Forms of Vishnu]]
[[Category:Commerce gods]]
[[Category:Hindu gods]]

[[ja:那羅延天]]

Narayana - Revision history

Shayne2017: updated intro after review

ImportMaster: robot: Create/update articles in Category:Hindu gods.

imported>AgniKalpa: Added a few wikilink(s)