The Meaning Narayana

This time I would like to introduce the word naaraayana, which is a famous name of Lord Vishnu. Thousands of Hindu devotees repeat this name every day as a part of their daily ritual. The word naaraayana is constituted of two words: naara and ayana. The word naara meaning ‘relating to or proceeding from men, human, mortal, is a derivative of the base word nara which simply means man. The word nara itself is either a modification of the word nr or is derived from it. In both forms the word nara is found used in Sanskrit literature. The word ayana meaning ‘going, course, way, progress, manner, path’ etc., is a verbal noun derived from the root-sound ay which means ‘to go or move’. The word raamaayana is also formed by the combination of this word with raama. Thus raamaayana means the way or life of Rama, or the manner, deeds, course (carita) of Rama.

Any root-sound expressing the sense of movement or going also refer to the place of destination, place where one goes and settles, a resting place, house or dwelling place, or place of refuge etc. So the usual meaning of naaraayana accepted by many is that he who is the place of refuge (ayana) for the mortals (naara), or the path of realization for the mortals.

If we go a little deep into the derivation of the word naara to find some other meanings of it then we can derive a deeper sense of the word naaraayana. The word naara in the Vedas means water. The Sanskrit word niira and Telugu niiru, both meaning water, are similar to the word naara. This shows a deeper connection of the sound na and ra with water. The word naaranga refers to orange which is a juicy fruit. The word naaraacha usually meaning arrow also refers to water-elephant. The word for coconut in Sanskrit is naarikela. We have so many supporting words containing the sounds na and ra which express the sense of water. The base word nr from which we get nara, originally meant strong, swift and active. It is from this sense it came to mean man, the male, the strong and powerful. Water being the source of power, strength and active force needed for creation is also expressed by the word naara which is a derivative of the original word nr.

Manusmriti, 1.10
apo nara iti prokta apo vai narasuunavah |
tad yadasyayanam puurvam tena naaraayanah smrtah ||

The Vedic Rishis considered water as a symbol of a vast reality or eternal existence. More than a symbol they could see with their inner vision a pervasive vastness, an ocean of energy as the divine principle behind the water. Based on this we can very well say that naaraayana means “The all pervasive vastness (naara, the water) on its move (ayana), flowing energetically, always expanding and never static”. The word Vishnu also, in its root-sense, has this meaning of pervasive vastness. It is this vast pervading motion or wide universal movement of Vishnu or Narayana that holds all worlds and leads the sincere aspirants towards the Divine delight.