Narayana Suktam, vs. 1-3

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Sri Naarayana Sooktam

 

Shaanti Paatha

 

sahanaavavatu | sahanau bhunaktu | saha veeryam karavaavahai |

tejasvinaavadheetamasatu maa vidvishaavahai ||

om shaanti: shaanti: shaanti: ||

 

avatu (may He protect) saha (both) nau (of us, Teacher and Taught) ;

bhunaktu (may He

nourish) saha (both) nau (of us) ; saha (together) karavaavahai (may we

act) veeryam (with

potency). (may) nau (our) adheetam (adhyayana, recital) astu (be) tejasvi

(radiant). maa

(Nor) vi-dvishaavahai ( may enmity come between us). Om. (shaanti: shaanti:

shaanti:)

May the three-fold peace be.

 

This is a traditional prayer recited by Guru (Teacher) and Sishya (the

Taught) at the

beginning of learning. The prayer entreats the infinite Bramhan to protect

and nourish both

teacher and taught through the learning process. The reference to veerya,

potency, is

metaphorical with the 'fruits of knowledge' as a result of this potency.

Learning is

obliquely referred to as an act of creation. Also, the bramhachari,

embarking on his voyage

of learning with the upanayana initiation ceremony, is thenceforth held to

be dvija - twice

born. With a fruitful effort, radiant in its practice and recital of the

Veda, both begin the

journey to truth, steadfast that no enmity (dvesha) shall come between

them (for traditional Indian learning, truth is a land with many tracks).

Instead, peace of thought, word and deed shall prevail.

 

 

Sri Naarayana Sooktam

 

 

1. sahasrasheerSHam devam vishvaaksham vishvashambhuvam |

vishvam naarayaNam deva-maksharam paramam padam ||

 

devam (the Divine One ) sahasra-seerSHam (with a thousand heads),

vishva-aksham (who

is the eyes of this world) vishva sham-bhuvam (who creates the good in this

world),

vishvam (who is this world), a-ksharam (who is without destruction)

narayaNam devam

(that divine Narayana) paramam padam (the highest of all ends.. I meditate

on him)

 

This first verse is an invocation of Sriman Narayana, echoing the

sentiments of vastness

and viSHNu-tva, or all-pervading-ness, for want of a better word, that are

so often used in

regard to Him. "sahasra sheerSHaa puruSHa: sahasraaksha: sahasrapaat" -

says the

Purusha Suktam (PS) - A thousand heads has the Purusha, a Thousand eyes and a

Thousand feet. The Vishnu Sahasraaamam (VS) echoes this closely -

"sahasramoordhaa

vishvaatmaa sahasraaksha sahasrapaat". For just one close parallel in

thamizh, consider

Andal's "Ongi ulagaLanda uttaman".

 

The akshara purusha is the jivasaakshi - witness to all life, Lord who

lives in our hearts.

Compare the Gita's "kshara: sarvaaNi bhootani kootasto akshara ucyete

(15.16)".

 

"vishvam" of course, is the first, all encompassing name Sriman Narayana is

adored with

in the Vishnu Sahasranaamam, as in " vishvam viSHNur vaSHatkaaro...". In

the Bhattar

Bhaashyam (BB), this name is given special treatment. "Who pervades

everything, who

permeates everything, who by his nature is always the embodiment of

"mangaLa" - the

essence of well being, who has no bound to His excellence, who is form of

the divine

soul, who is the complete embodiment of divine auspiciousness, greatness

and all good

qualities, he is called "poorNa" - the complete one, by this name. All

other names enrich

this name of Sriman Narayana. Since he is full of unmeasurable great power

(vibhooti), we

need to say this first, and this is why this name is first of all".

 

One explanation given for the name "naaraayaNa" is "he who resides in the

waters".

Another is that he is the ayana (refuge) of naaraNi ( all beings that are

created from soul

(aatmaa, which is called nara)". Both the Shankara Bhaashyam (SB) and the

BB are agreed

in this interpretation. With a thousand heads, he sees all as the eyes of

this world, causes

all the good (sham) and IS the world itself. His divine nature is without

destruction, and he

is the highest of all goals, and all ends. Compare the VS - " eko naika

sava: ka: kim yattat

padamanuttamam" - of which the last word is translated by Shankara as "Who

has nothing

above Himself, and is the goal that all mumukshu-s try to reach".

 

God, all pervading, all seeing,

Fount of all Good, and the All,

Narayana, endless,

Of all Ends is He the highest.

 

 

2. vishvata: paramaan-nityam vishvam naarayaNam harim |

vishvamedevam puruSHas-tadvishvam upajeevati ||

 

paramaan (He is greater) vishvata: (than this world), nityam (eternal),

vishvam (is the

world), harim (who destroys his devotees sins), naaraayaNam (I invoke that

Narayana).

idam Vishvam (this world) puruSHa: eva (is verily the purusha). vishvam

(this world) tad

upa-jeevati (because of Him being does it live).

 

"vishvamedevam puruSHa: " declares this verse, echoing the aazhvaar's

"nirpadellam

nedumaal". The Vishnu Puraana gives us : "deva manuSHyaa: pashava: pakshee

vrkshasaree srupaa roopametad anantasya viSHNor bhinnam iva sthitam" - The

Gods,

humans, animals, birds, insects, trees, all of these are but Vishnu's

endless form, that

appear different. It goes on to resoundingly declare "etad vijaanataa

sarvam jagat

sthaavara-jangamam | draSHtavyam aatmavat viSHNor yatho-ayam vishvaroopadrk

|| "

All in this world that moves and is still, all is vishnu's vishva-roopa, or

literally world-

form. Who knows this sees all as the (param)aaatma's manifestations. "evam

gnyaate sa

bhagavaan anaadi parameshvara: | praseedat-ya acyuto yasmin prasanne klesha

samkshya:"

- If known thus, Achyutha, who is without beginning an is Lord of all,

will bless (the

knower), and by his pleasure will all sorrows be utterly destroyed.

 

Hari is derived sometimes as " harim vai paapaam gnyaanayor-hartaaram" -

who destroys

sins and their results, rebirths, along with their causes. In a simpler

way, in line with the

swet "pachchai maamalai pol meni", it may also be translated as the green

hued-one.

 

Hari, eternal, greater than worlds,

Narayana, who is the world,

Who causes the worlds to live by

Being..

I invoke him.

 

3. patim vishvasya aatmeshvaram shaashvatam shivam acyutam |

naaraayaNam mahaagnyeyam vishvaatmaanam paraayaNam ||

 

patim (Lord) vishvasya (of the worlds), aatma-eeshvaaram (Lord of Souls)

shaashvatam

(eternal) shivam (the embodiment of auspiciousness), acyutam (who slips not),

naarayaNam (That Narayana) mahaa aagnyeyam (greatest of instructions, worth

knowing

well), vishva aatmaanam (who is the soul of all in this wolrd), paraayaNam

(is the best

refuge).

 

Not only is Sriman Narayana ishvara for all souls, he is the soul, the

inner light of the

world. Sri Krishna declares in the Gita (10.20) "aham aatma gudaakesha

sarva bhoota

cayasthita " - I am the soul, O Gudaakesha (arjuna) of all beings. He is

called acyuta,

because he slips not - svaroopa saamartyaan na cyute, ca cyavate na

cyavishyate iti acyuta -

says Shankara. He slips not from his position, nor from our hearts, nor

lets his devotees

slip. Bhattar gives us " He never leaves those who have reached him, nor

lets them slip

away". That Narayana is the best refuge, is the knowledge every bhakta

carries securely in

his or her heart.

 

While the SB has " Who is pure because of the absence of the three guNas"

for Shiva, this

interpretation is not concordant with the Srivaishnava view of Sriman

Narayana as the

repository of all the kalyanagunagana-s. The BB has "Who causes Good for

all beings".

Again, he is called "vishvaatmaa" - the soul of all (SB), who is manifest

as all the world

because of gnyaanashakti, the power of his knowing (BB).

 

Keeper of the Worlds, Lord of Souls,

Auspicious, Soul of the worlds,

Acyuta, Narayana, Of all Refuges the Best.

 

- Sundar