In2-MeC

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
9 June 2004

Narayana Upanisad

om atha puruso ha vai narayano �kamayata prajah srjeyeti
narayanat prano jayate
manah sarvendriyani ca kham vayur jyotir apah
prthivi visvasya dharini narayanad brahma jayate
narayanad rudro jayate
narayanad indro jayate
narayanad prajapatih prajayante
narayanad dvadasaditya rudra vasavah sarvani
chandagmsi
narayanad eva samutpadyante
narayanad pravartante
narayane praliyante
ya evam veda
ity upanisat etad rg-veda-siro 'dhite // 1 //

Narayana is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He desired, �I shall create children�. From Narayana the life breath, mind, all the senses, ether, air, fire, water, and earth, which maintains the universe, were born. From Narayana Brahma was born. From Narayana Siva was born. From Narayana Indra was born. From Narayana Prajapati was born. From Narayana the twelve Adityas, the Rudras, the Vasus, and all the Vedic hymns were born. From Narayana they were manifested. Into Narayana they again enter, says the Upanisad. This is the crown of the Rg Veda.

om atha nityo narayanah
brahma narayanah
sivas ca narayanah
sakras ca narayanah
kalas ca narayanah
disas ca narayanah
vidisas ca narayanah
urdhvas ca narayanah
adhas ca narayanah
antar bahis ca narayanah
narayana evedag sarvam
yad bhutam yac ca bhavyam
niskalanko niranjano nirvikalpo nirakhyatah
suddho deva eko narayanah
na dvitiyo �sti kascit(e)
sa visnur eva bhavati sa visnur eva bhavati
ya evam veda
ity upanisat
etad yajur-veda-siro 'dhite // 2 //

Narayana is eternal. Narayana is Brahma. Narayana is the universe. Narayana is Indra. Narayana is time. Narayana is the primary directions. Narayana is the secondary directions. Naryana is above. Narayana is below. Narayana is within and without. Narayana is everything, whatever was and whatever will be. Narayana is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one without a second, free of all impurity, untouched by matter, liberated, pure, beyond the power of material words to describe. One who understands Him in this way becomes like Lord Visnu. He becomes like Lord Visnu, says the Upanisad. This is the crown of the Yajur Veda.

om ity agre vyaharet(e)
nama iti pascat(e)
narayanayety uparistat(e)
om ity ekaksaram
nama iti dve aksare
narayanayeti pancaksarani
etad vai narayanasayastaksaram padam
yo ha vai narayanasyastaksaram padam adhyeti
anapabruvah sarvam ayureti
vindate prajapatyagm rayas posam gaupatyam
tato �mrtatvam asnute tato �mrtatva asnuta iti
ya evam veda
ity upanisat
etat sama-veda-siro 'dhite // 3 //

First one pronounces the letter �Om�. Then one pronounces the word �namah�, then one pronounces the word �Narayanaya�. �Om� has one syllable. �Namah� has two syllables. �Narayanaya� has five syllables. This is the eight syllable mantra of Lord Narayana. One who respectfully recites this eight syllable mantra of Lord Narayana attains long life. He has good children, royal opulence, and wealth of many cows, he becomes immortal, says the Upanisad. This is the crown of the Sama Veda.

om pratyag anandam brahma purusam pranava svarupam
akara ukara makara iti
tanekadha sametad om iti
yam uktva mucyate yogi
janma samsara bandhanat(e)
om namo narayanayeti mantropasakah
vaikuntha bhuvanam gamisyati
tad idam pundarikam vijnana ghanam
tasmad tadidabha matram
brahmanyo devakiputro
brahmanyo madhusudanah
brahmanyo pundarikakso
brahmanyo visnur acyuteti
sarvabhutastham ekam narayanam
karana rupam akaranam param brahma om
etad atharva-veda-siro 'dhite// 4 //

The blissful Supreme Personality of Godhead appears as the sacred syllable Om, which consists of three letters: a, u and m. A yogi who once recites this sacred syllable Om is released from the bondage of repeated birth and death. A person who worships the Lord by reciting the mantra �Om namo narayanaya" will go to the spiritual world of Vaikuntha. Vaikuntha is a great lotus flower. It is filled with spiritual knowledge. It is splendid like a lightning flash. In that Vaikuntha resides the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the son of Devaki and the killer of the Madhu demon. Lord Narayana is the one Supreme Person who resides in the hearts of all living beings. He is the source of the purusa-avataras. No one is the source of Him. He is the Supreme. He appears as the sacred syllable Om. This is the crown of the Atharva Veda.

om pratar adhiyano ratrikrtam papam nasayati
sayam adiyano divasa-krtam papam nasayati
madhyahna dinam adityabhimukho �dhiyanah
panca maha patakopapatakat pramucyate
sarva veda parayana punyam labhate
narayana-sayujyam avapnoti
narayana-sayujyam avapnoti
ya evam veda
ity upanisat(e) // 5 //

One who studies this Upanisad in the morning destroys the sins he committed in the previous night. One who studies this Upanisad in the evening destroys the sins he committed in the previous day. When one studies this Upanisad in the morning and evening his sins are sins no longer. One who faces the sun and studies this Upanisad at midday becomes free from the five great and petty sins. He attains the piety of following all the Vedas. He attains the liberation of meeting Lord Narayana. He attains the liberation of meeting Lord Narayana. In this way it is understood. Thus says the Upanisad.

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