Narayana Suktam
॥ श्री नारायणसूक्तम् ॥
What is the Narayana Suktam?
Narayana Suktam is a Vedic hymn from the Mahanarayana Upanishad that describes Narayana, the Supreme Being, dwelling as a small golden flame inside the lotus of the human heart.
The Narayana Suktam turns attention inward. Rather than picturing the Supreme Being as something distant, it places Narayana as a small flame of light seated quietly inside every human heart.
Narayana Suktam Lyrics (Sanskrit & English)
Roman transliteration is shown first with the Devanagari beneath. Tap ‘Meaning’ under any verse for a plain-English explanation.
Opening Invocation
oṃ saha nāvavatu | saha nau bhunaktu | saha vīryaṃ karavāvahai |
tejasvināvadhītamastu mā vidviṣāvahai
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ
ॐ सह नाववतु । सह नौ भुनक्तु । सह वीर्यं करवावहै । तेजस्विनावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः
Meaning
Om. May he protect us both, teacher and student together. May he nourish us both. May we gain strength through our shared effort. May our learning together be filled with light. May we never turn against each other in enmity. Om, peace, peace, peace.
sahasraśīrṣaṃ devaṃ viśvākṣaṃ viśvaśaṃbhuvam |
viśvaṃ nārāyaṇaṃ devamakṣaraṃ paramaṃ padam
सहस्रशीर्षं देवं विश्वाक्षं विश्वशंभुवम् ।
विश्वं नारायणं देवमक्षरं परमं पदम्
Meaning
This universe is the Eternal Being, Narayana himself: imperishable, the supreme goal, present in every head and every eye, the source of joy for all creation.
viśvataḥ paramānnityaṃ viśvāṃ nārāyaṇaṃ harim |
viśvamevedaṃ puruṣastadviśvamupajīvati
विश्वतः परमान्नित्यं विश्वं नारायणं हरिम् ।
विश्वमेवेदं पुरुषस्तद्विश्वमुपजीवति
Meaning
This universe is nothing but the Supreme Being, Purusha, and so it lives by depending on that one who is beyond it, the all-pervading Absolute who dissolves every sin.
patiṃ viśvasyātmeśvaragṃ śāśvatagṃ śivamacyutam |
nārāyaṇaṃ mahājñeyaṃ viśvātmānaṃ parāyaṇam
पतिं विश्वस्यात्मेश्वरग्ं शाश्वतग्ं शिवमच्युतम् ।
नारायणं महाज्ञेयं विश्वात्मानं परायणम्
Meaning
He protects the universe as the lord of every soul, eternal, auspicious, unshaken. Narayana is the highest object of true knowledge, the self within every being, the refuge that never fails.
nārāyaṇa paro jyotirātmā nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ |
nārāyaṇa paraṃ brahma tattvaṃ nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ
नारायणपरो ज्योतिरात्मा नारायणः परः ।
नारायणपरं ब्रह्म तत्त्वं नारायणः परः
Meaning
Narayana is the light beyond all lights. Narayana is the Supreme Soul. Narayana is the Supreme Brahman. Narayana is the ultimate reality itself.
nārāyaṇa paro dhyātā dhyānaṃ nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ |
yacca kiṃcijjagatsarvaṃ dṛśyate śrūyate’pi vā
नारायणपरो ध्याता ध्यानं नारायणः परः ।
यच्च किंचिज्जगत्सर्वं दृश्यते श्रूयतेऽपि वा
Meaning
Narayana is both the one who meditates and the meditation itself, the Supreme beyond all else. Whatever exists in this universe, seen or only heard of, all of it, inside and outside alike, is pervaded by Narayana, standing as the imperishable, all-knowing cause of the universe's wellbeing.
antar bahiśca tatsarvaṃ vyāpya nārāyaṇaḥ sthitaḥ |
anantamavyayaṃ kavigṃ samudre’ntaṃ viśvaśaṃbhuvam
अन्तर्बहिश्च तत्सर्वं व्याप्य नारायणः स्थितः ।
अनन्तमव्ययं कविग्ं समुद्रेऽन्तं विश्वशंभुवम्
padmakośapratīkāśagṃ hṛdayaṃ cāpyadhomukham |
adho niṣṭyā vitastyānte nābhyāmupari tiष्ठति
पद्मकोशप्रतीकाशग्ं हृदयं चाप्यधोमुखम् ।
अधो निष्ट्या वितस्त्यान्ते नाभ्यामुपरि तिष्ठति
Meaning
The heart, the seat of meditation, is shaped like an inverted lotus bud. It rests a hand's span below the throat and just above the navel.
jvālāmālākulaṃ bhātī viśvasyāyatanaṃ mahat |
santatagṃ śilābhistu lambatyākośasannibham
ज्वालामालाकुलं भाती विश्वस्यायतनं महत् ।
सन्ततग्ं शिलाभिस्तु लम्बत्याकोशसन्निभम्
Meaning
That heart is the vast dwelling place of the universe, glowing and ringed by a garland of flame. It hangs downward like a lotus bud, held by its network of veins.
tasyānte suṣiragṃ sūkṣmaṃ tasminsarvaṃ pratiṣṭhitam |
tasya madhye mahānagnirviśvārcirviśvatomukhaḥ
तस्यान्ते सुषिरग्ं सूक्ष्मं तस्मिन्सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितम् ।
तस्य मध्ये महानग्निविश्वार्चिर्विश्वतोमुखः
Meaning
At its innermost point is a subtle, narrow space, and within that space everything finds its support. At the center of it burns a great fire, its flames reaching out in every direction.
so’grabhugvibhajantiṣṭhannāhāramajaraḥ kaviḥ |
tiryagūrdhvamadhaśśāyī raśmayastasya santatā
सोऽग्रभुग्विभजन्तिष्ठन्नाहारमजरः कविः ।
तिर्यगूर्ध्वमधश्शायी रश्मयस्तस्य सन्तता
Meaning
That fire is the first to receive and digest all food. It never ages and knows all things. Its rays extend on every side.
santapayati svaṃ dehamāpādatalamāstakaḥ |
tasya madhye vahniśikhā aṇīyordhvā vyavasthitā
सन्तापयति स्वं देहमापादतलमास्तकः ।
तस्य मध्ये वह्निशिखा अणीयोर्ध्वा व्यवस्थिता
Meaning
It warms the whole body, from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet. At the center of that fire stands a tongue of flame, exceedingly fine and pointing upward.
nīlatoyadamadhyasthādvidyullekheva bhāsvarā |
nīvarāśūkavattnvī pītā bhāsvatyaṇūpamā
नीलतोयदमध्यस्थाद्विद्युल्लेखेव भास्वरा ।
नीवारशूकवत्तन्वी पीता भास्वत्यणूपमा
Meaning
It shines like a streak of lightning inside a dark monsoon cloud, slender as the awn of a paddy grain, golden in colour, subtle as an atom.
tasyāḥ śikhāyā madhye paramātmā vyavasthitaḥ |
sa brahma sa śivaḥ sa hariḥ sendraḥ so’kṣaraḥ paramaḥ svarāṭ
तस्याः शिखाया मध्ये परमात्मा व्यवस्थिता ।
स ब्रह्म स शिवः स हरिः सेन्द्रः सोऽक्षरः परमः स्वराट्
Meaning
Within that flame the Supreme Self resides. He is Brahma, he is Shiva, he is Hari, he is Indra, the imperishable, the supreme, the self-luminous one.
ṛtaṃ satyaṃ paraṃ brahma puruṣaṃ krishna-piṅgalam |
ūrdhvaretaṃ virūpākṣaṃ viśvarūpāya vai namo namaḥ
ऋतं सत्यं परं ब्रह्म पुरुषं कृष्णपिङ्गलम् ।
ऊर्ध्वरेतं विरूपाक्षं विश्वरूपाय वै नमो नमः
Meaning
He is the eternal law and the ultimate truth, the Supreme Brahman, the being of dark and golden hue, master of the vital forces, whose eyes take in the whole universe. Salutations again and again to him whose form is the universe itself.
Closing Invocation
oṃ nārāyaṇāya vidmahe vāsudevāya dhīmahi |
tanno viṣṇuḥ pracodayāt
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ
ॐ नारायणाय विद्महे वासुदेवाय धीमहि ।
तन्नो विष्णुः प्रचोदयात्
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः
Meaning
The Narayana Gayatri: we meditate on Narayana, on Vasudeva we fix our thought, may Vishnu inspire us. Om, peace, peace, peace.
What Does the Narayana Suktam Mean?
The name Narayana comes from two roots: nara, meaning living beings, and ayana, meaning refuge or resting place. Put together, it points to the one who holds every soul within himself and who himself dwells within every soul. The hymn spends its opening verses establishing this idea in cosmic terms before turning the lens inward.
From verse seven onward the focus shifts from the universe at large to the human body itself. The heart is pictured as an inverted lotus bud, and inside it burns a small, upward pointing flame no bigger than a grain of paddy. This is a striking move for a Vedic text. Instead of asking the listener to imagine something vast and far away, it asks them to look for the divine exactly where they already are, seated in meditation with attention drawn to the chest.
Verse thirteen is often quoted on its own because it settles a question that has occupied Indian thought for centuries. It states plainly that the being seated in that flame is Brahma, is Shiva, is Hari, is Indra, the same imperishable Self wearing different names. Compared with the Purusha Suktam, which paints the Supreme Being as an immense cosmic figure whose body becomes the universe, the Narayana Suktam brings that same being close, small enough to sit quietly inside one chest.
How Do You Chant the Narayana Suktam?
- Sit and settle – find a clean mat facing east or north and sit comfortably before you begin
- Mind the pitch – this is a Vedic hymn, so its swara, the tonal accent, matters. Where possible learn it by listening to a trained Vedic reciter rather than from text alone
- Hold your focus at the heart – as you chant verses seven through thirteen, keep your attention resting at the chest, picturing the small glowing flame the hymn describes
What Are the Benefits of Chanting the Narayana Suktam?
Reciters describe four main gifts from this hymn.
- A doorway into deep meditation: the hymn maps out exactly where and how to hold attention during inward practice, giving beginners a concrete anchor instead of a vague instruction to focus within
- A settled, peaceful mind: its steady rhythm and repeated Narayana refrain are said to quiet mental noise and ease the reciter into a calmer state
- Relief from old wrongdoing: tradition holds that sincere recitation clears away the residue of past mistakes and opens the way toward self-understanding
- An end to seeing things as separate: by naming Brahma, Shiva, Hari and Indra as one and the same, the hymn helps a reciter let go of the habit of ranking one form of the divine above another
Where Does the Narayana Suktam Come From?
The hymn belongs to the Krishna Yajurveda, appearing in the tenth chapter of the Taittiriya Aranyaka, and it also forms a core section of the Mahanarayana Upanishad, one of the later Upanishads attached to that Veda. Unlike hymns that speak of the world’s origin as something that happened outside the listener, this one works in the other direction. It takes the same Supreme Being described everywhere in the universe and locates it inside a single human body, seated in the heart. That shift from outer cosmology to inner experience is part of why the Mahanarayana Upanishad is treated as a bridge text, standing between the ritual hymns of the Veda proper and the more introspective teaching of the Upanishads.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the Purusha Suktam and the Narayana Suktam?
The Purusha Suktam presents the Supreme Being as an immense cosmic figure whose body becomes the universe. The Narayana Suktam takes that same idea and brings it close, describing Narayana's personal presence as a small flame seated inside the human heart.
Does the Narayana Suktam belong to Shaivism or Vaishnavism?
It speaks to both. Verse thirteen states directly that Narayana is Brahma, Shiva, Hari and Indra all at once, treating the distinctions between these traditions as different names for a single Upanishadic reality.
Can anyone chant the Narayana Suktam?
Yes. Anyone who approaches it with sincerity can recite or listen to it. Since it carries Vedic accents, it helps to learn the correct pitch from someone already trained in the recitation.
What does the word Narayana actually mean?
It combines nara, meaning living beings, with ayana, meaning refuge. Together the name describes one who is the ultimate resting place of every soul and who dwells within all of them.
Why is the heart described as an inverted lotus?
The heart is pictured as a lotus bud hanging upside down. Meditation and inner practice are said to turn that lotus right side up so it can open, which the hymn treats as a picture of consciousness waking up.
What is verse 13 of the Narayana Suktam about?
It is the hymn's best known line. It says that the self seated in the heart's flame is Brahma, Shiva, Hari and Indra together, the same imperishable, self-luminous being under different names.
॥ ॐ नमो नारायणाय ॥