[Advaita-l] The word 'NARAYANA' - A COMMON NOUN

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

PraNAms
One does not have to go through all this trouble to know who is Narayana. 
naraanaam ayanam yasya saH naaraayanaH - one who is the shelter for the nara(s). ra implies that which get destroyed and na ra impies that which does not get destroyed - essentially the jeevas - na tve vaaham jaatunaasma....  
ajonityam shaasvatoyam puraaNo na hanyet hanyamaane shareere| 
yat gatvaa na nivartante tat dhaama paramam mama.
Hari Om!Sadananda

 

   On Saturday, February 23, 2019, 2:03:49 AM GMT+5:30, Keshava Mahadeva via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote: 
 
 Hi All,

Below is a link to a blog that gives a wonderful explanation on why
Narayana cannot be a proper noun and can be a COMMON NOUN only according to
the rules of PANINI GRAMMAR. It is a must read for everybody. Check out the
below link for the blog:

https://jagatgurublog.wordpress.com/2018/06/24/is-narayana-actually-only-a-proper-noun/

Also I am providing below references from Upanishads, Puranas and Sastras
where Shiva Shakti are addressed as Narayana:

Linga Purana 18.24-25: Vishnu's praise of Shiva when he was unable to find
the end of the Shiva Linga:

Omkaaraaya Namastubhyam Sarvgnaaya Namo Namahha
Sarvaaya cha Namastubhyam Namo Naraayanaayacha
Namo Hiranya garbhaaya Adi Devaaya tey namaha

Vishnu says:
Obeisance to you of the form of 'OM' and the omnipresent lord, Obeisance to
you identical with all, all-pervader and the primordial lord, NARAYANA,
Hiranyagarbha
and first Deva.

Linga Purana 71.97: Vishnu's praise of Shiva after he meditates on Shiva to
find a way for the destruction of the Tripurasuras:

Maheswaraaya Devaaya Namastey Paramatmaney
Naraayanaaya Sharvaaya Brahmaney Brahmarupiney

Vishnu says:
Obeisance to you, to Lord Maheshvara, Obeisance to the great Atman,
Obeisance to NARAYANA, all-pervader, Brahma, to one having the form of
Brahman.

Varaha Purana Chapter 25: Origin of Skanda

19. Devas say to Lord Shiva: You are the first among of Gods, Purushottama,
Hari, Bhava, Mahesha, Destroyer of Tripuras, the enemy of the demons,
the most ancient, the bull-bannered. O great God, protect us.
27. You are NARAYANA, the source of the universe. Similarly you are the
great Brahma. By the difference in the Gunas and difference in the fires
and by the difference in the yugas you remain threefold.

Padma Purana 5.116.100-103:

King Janaka said to Lord Shiva after having his Darshan:
King Janaka muttered the Satarudriya hymn; with that hymn only he offered
oblations and praised Shiva with the Purusa-sukta hymn. Then the king
saluted him and praised him.
O you, having eight forms O you of a universal form, O you who is the
world, O you who are the Vedas and the Puranas, O you who is sacrifice,
O you who is NARAYANA, O you who are all the deities, O you full of the
three (Vedas), O you the authority on the three (Vedas), O you having eyes
in the
form of the three (Vedas), O you loving the Sama Veda. O you whose feet are
worshipped by the three, viz. Indra, Brahma, Visnu, O you who manifested
the disc
sought for by Visnu and produced from water.

Kurma Purana Canto 1 Chapter 12: Glory of Goddess Bhavani by Himavan

234. I bow unto the form of yours termed as NARAYANA which has a thousand
heads and thousand arms, which is of infinite power, which is the ancient
Purusa
reposing within the cosmic waters.

Shiva Purana Rudra Samhita Section 5 Yuddha Khanda Chapter 6:

Vishnu, Brahma and gods praise Shiva:

Obeisance to you, the great lord, the great soul, NARAYANA, Rudra and
Brahma, obeisance to you in the form of Brahman.

Kurma Purana Canto 2 Chapter 4: Glory of Lord Shiva

21. Lord Shiva says: One of my powers which inheres in all and is identical
with me assumes the form of god Brahma and creates this world which is full
of
variety and diversity.
22. Another immense power of mine becomes NARAYANA, the Lord and the
pervader of the world sustains the universe.
23. The third great Sakti annihilates the entire universe. It is my power
in the form of Rudra.

Kurma Purana Canto 2 Chapter 6: Glory of Lord Shiva

14. Lord Shiva says: He who is called NARAYANA, the infinite one, the
immutable source of all worlds and who is only another form of mine,
performs the duty of protection at my behest.

Kurma Purana Canto 2 Chapter 11: The Path of liberation of the individual
soul from bondage

112-113a. Lord Shiva says: He who is called NARAYANA is my Supreme
personality.

Kurma Purana Canto 2 Chapter 46: Dissolution and Subsidiary Creation

31-38:
Vishnu says to the Devas: In all the Yajnas it is he (Lord Shiva) who is
worshipped by the Brahmanas, the expounder of the Vedas. It is heard in the
Vedas that
Rudra is the bestower of all desires. Among the Saktis of the great Atman
the deities of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshvara are remembered as the most
important.

It is sung that the Lord, the eternal great Atman, the Atman that wields
all Mayas, the trident bearing Maheshvara is beyond these three. Some speak
of the
trident bearing Maheshvara as Agni, others call him NARAYANA. Some speak of
him as Indra. Others speak of him as Prana and still others speak of him as
Brahma.
Brahma, Vishnu, Agni, Varuna and all Devas as well as sages are glorified
as the variants of the same single entity i.e. Rudra.

Shiva bestows benefits after assuming respectively those forms by resorting
to which they worship Parameshvara. Hence by resorting to one eternal form,
one
should propitiate Mahadeva. One attains thereby the greatest region.

Vamana Purana 2.26.60:
Vena said to Lord Shiva: I see Chandra, Agni, Varuna, NARAYANA, Surya,
Brahma and Brihaspati in your body.

146: O Sankara, neither Brahma, nor Govinda, nor the primeval sages are
able to know your peculiear virtue exactly.

Also there are 2 Shiva Sahasranamas in Mahabharata & Linga Purana.
Both the Shiva Sahasranama address Shiva with the name of Narayana
(Jaleshaya Namah).

Shiva Upanishad calls Shiva: Samudrashaayin (one who lies in the waters)

http://www.kamakotimandali.com/stotra/shivopanishat.pdf

There are various references in the Sastras to say that Lakshmi originated
from Shiva. Lord Vishnu himself calls Shiva as Lakshmi Pati and Bhu Pati.
Shiva being the originator of Lakshmi is mentioned even in an Upanishad and
also the Puranas. Moreover Lakshmi in general means splendour. It can also
refer to
AMBAL. AMBAL is often referred to as Sri Devi in the Puranas. Also Durga
Ashtottara refers to AMBAL with names like Lakshmi and Sri.

Pancha Brahma Upanishad describes Shiva is the cause of Lakshmi:

gopyAdgopyataram loke yadyasti shruNu shAkala
sadyo jAtaM mahI pUShA ramA brahmaH trivR^itsvaraH

Sadyojata is the cause of earth, Sun, Lakshmi, Brahma, the letter OM, Rig
Veda, Garhapathyagni, mantras, Saptha Swaras and yellow in colour.

The following two references from the Puranas describes Shiva actually to
be the lord of Lakshmi by Brahma and Vishnu:

Linga Purana Canto 1 Chapter 21 Verse 24:
Lord Brahma and Vishnu say as follows to Lord Shiva:
Obeisance to the lord of the waters; the lord of refulgence; the lord of
Lakshmi and the lord of earth.

Vayu Purana Canto 1 Chapter 24 Verse 109:
Lord Brahma and Vishnu say as follows to Lord Shiva:
Obeisance to the lord of Lakshmi endowed with glory and bashful modesty, to
the congeries of the weak and the strong and to the agitator of the
unagitable.

The following two references from the Puranas describes Shiva to be the
cause of Lakshmi and other Devis as described in the Pancha Brahma
Upanishad:

Vayu Purana Canto 1 Chapter 55 Verse 42-43:
Lord Brahma and Vishnu say as follows to Lord Shiva:
Uma, Sita, Siniivaali, Kuhuu, Gayatri, Lakshmi Kirti, Dhrti, Medha, Lajjaa,
Kshanti, Vapus, Svadhaa, Pushti, Kriya, Sarasvathi, the goddess of speech,
Sandhya
and Ratri too are born of you, O Lord of Devas.

Brahmanda Purana Canto 1 Section 2 Chapter 26 Verse 44, 45:
Lord Brahma and Vishnu say as follows to Lord Shiva:
O Lord of Devas, Uma, Sita, Siniivaali, Kuhuu, Gayatri, Lakshmi Kirti,
Dhrti, Medha, Lajjaa, Kshanti, Vapus, Svadhaa, Pushti, Kriya, Sarasvathi,
the goddess of speech, Sandhya and Ratri are born of you.

Parashara Upa Purana Chapter 16 Verse 15,16:

Vishnu attained Lakshmi by performing Shiva Linga Puja:

roudram lingam mahavishnur bhaktyaa shudham shilaamayam
chaaruchitram samabhyarchya labhdhavaan paramam padam
yaa cha lakshmih samaakhyaathaa mahavishnoshcha vallabhaa

Thanks & Regards
Keshava Mahadeva
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