Narayana

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Narayana (नारायण; nārāyaṇa) or Narayan is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu and is in many contemporary vernaculars, a common Indian name. The name is also associated with Brahma and Krishna. He is also identified with, or as the son of, the original man, Purusha.

But at its core, Nara-Narayana is further broken down where Nara means human and Narayana means the Supreme Divinity, or Vishnu. In the concept of Nara-Narayana, the human soul Nara is the eternal companion of the Divine Narayana. Any human being with an awakened consciousness of divinity in him and who works overall for the welfare of humanity is a Nara-Narayana, an incarnation of Vishnu on earth working for the preservation of dharma or righteousness.

Furthermore, the name Narayana is a Sanskrit tatpurusha compound, with the members nara, which means "human, man", and ayana "eternal, without ending (a-yana)". Tradition associates the nara element with another meaning of "water", explaining the name as indicating the all-pervasive nature of Narayana as that of an infinite ocean in which the never-ending movement of birth, life and death of the cosmos occurs. Narayana according to this etymology is the one who moves in the infinite waters and is also the water itself. This close association of Narayana with water explains the frequent depiction of Narayana in Hindu Art as standing or sitting on an ocean.

Another interpretation of Narayana is that "Ayana" also means direction/goal and as previously mentioned "Nara" means human. Hence Narayana refers to the direction of a human (or the one that helps a human to his/her goal) - that towards moksha. Specially so , because moksha is represented by the water element (one of the five elements - pancha bhootam/Tattva) and as previously mentioned Nara referes to the "Water" element.

[edit] Sacred uses

  • Narayana is another name for Vishnu or the Hindu name for God and appears as the 245th name in the Vishnu sahasranama. For more information, see Vaishnava Theology.
  • The book, Sri Ramanuja, His Life, Religion, and Philosophy, published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, India, 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."
  • One of the most famous mantras, "Om Namo Narayana" is chanted by Hindus. This mantra, along with Om Namah Shivāya, and the Gayatri mantra are the most sacred prayers by Hindus.

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." (i.e., Vishnu.) This verse, if proof was necessary, indicates that the Devas are subordinate to Vishnu or God.

[edit] 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, and the Fijian stateswoman Irene Jai Narayan. Prithvi Narayan Shah founded the kingdom of Nepal

It is also a song by the band 'The Prodigy' off their 'The Fat of the Land' album.

In the video game GTA2 from the Grand Theft Auto series, Narayana is the name of a neighborhood occupied by the Hare Krishna street gang.

[edit] External links


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