Narayana Suktam
नारायण सूक्तम् in English · English
Origin & Story
Taittiriya Aranyaka (Yajurveda) · Vedic Rishis · 1200-800 BCE
The Narayana Suktam is found in the Taittiriya Aranyaka of the Krishna Yajurveda. It is one of the Pancha Suktams (Five Hymns) chanted daily in Vaishnava tradition. The hymn systematically establishes that Narayana is the ultimate reality — he is the light, the soul, the truth, the meditator, and the meditation itself. Nothing exists apart from Narayana.
✦ As told in scripture
The Narayana Suktam's climactic declaration — 'Antarbahishcha Tatsarvam Vyapya Narayanah Sthitah' (Narayana pervades everything, inside and outside) — is considered one of the most powerful mantric statements in the Vedas. In the Srirangam temple (one of the largest functioning Hindu temples), this suktam has been chanted daily for over 1000 years without a single day's break. The temple's unbroken prosperity across millennia is attributed to this continuous recitation.
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Complete Text with Meaning
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Om saha navavatu, saha nau bhunaktu, saha viryam karavavahai; Tejasvinavadhitamastu ma vidvishavahai. Om shantih shantih shantih.
Meaning:Om. May He protect us both; may He nourish us both; may we work together with vigour; may our study be radiant and effective; may we never hate each other. Om, peace, peace, peace.
Om sahasrashirsham devam vishvaksham vishvashambhuvam; Vishvam Narayanam devamaksharam paramam padam.
Meaning:Om. The Divine One of a thousand heads, the all-eyed, source of all good; Narayana the all-pervading God, the imperishable, the supreme abode.
Vishvatah paramannityam vishvam Narayanam Harim; Vishvamevedam purushastadvishvamupajivati.
Meaning:Ever beyond the universe, eternal, the universe itself is Narayana, Hari; this whole world is the Purusha alone, and upon Him it lives.
Patim vishvasyatmeshvaram shashvatam shivamachyutam; Narayanam mahajneyam vishvatmanam parayanam.
Meaning:The Lord of the universe, ruler of the Self, eternal, auspicious, undecaying; Narayana the supremely-to-be-known, the Self of all, the highest refuge.
Narayanaparo jyotiratma Narayanah parah; Narayanaparam brahma tattvam Narayanah parah.
Meaning:Narayana is the supreme light, the Self is Narayana supreme; Narayana is the supreme Brahman, the Reality that is Narayana supreme.
Narayanaparo dhyata dhyanam Narayanah parah; Yachcha kinchijjagatsarvam drishyate shruyate'pi va.
Meaning:Narayana is the supreme meditator, meditation itself is Narayana supreme; and whatever exists — all this world, whether seen or heard —
Antarbahishcha tatsarvam vyapya Narayanah sthitah; Anantamavyayam kavim samudre'ntam vishvashambhuvam.
Meaning:— within and without, pervading all of it, stands Narayana: infinite, imperishable, the all-seeing seer, whose limit is the ocean, the source of the universe's good.
Padmakoshapratikasham hridayam chapyadhomukham; Adho nishtya vitastyante nabhyamupari tishthati.
Meaning:Like the bud of a lotus is the heart, facing downward; a span below the throat and above the navel it abides.
Jvalamalakulam bhati vishvasyayatanam mahat; Santatam sirabhistu lambatyakoshasannibham.
Meaning:Wreathed in garlands of flame it shines, the great abode of the universe; held continually by the veins, it hangs like a closed bud.
Tasyante sushiram sukshmam tasminsarvam pratishthitam; Tasya madhye mahanagnirvishvarchirvishvatomukhah.
Meaning:At its end is a subtle aperture, and in that all is established; in its midst is the great fire, blazing on every side, facing all directions.
So'grabhugvibhajantishthannaharamajarah kavih; Tiryagurdhvamadhahshayi rashmayastasya santatah.
Meaning:The foremost enjoyer, abiding while apportioning the food, undecaying, the wise one; lying athwart, above and below, his rays are spread without break.
Santapayati svam dehamapadatalamastakah; Tasya madhye vahnishikha aniyordhva vyavasthita.
Meaning:He warms his own body from the soles of the feet to the head. In the midst of that fire abides a tongue of flame, subtlest, pointing upward.
Nilatoyadamadhyasthadvidyullekheva bhasvara; Nivarashukavattanvi pita bhasvatyanupama.
Meaning:Brilliant like a streak of lightning set in the midst of a blue rain-cloud; slender as the awn of a rice-grain, golden, radiant, atom-like.
Tasyah shikhaya madhye paramatma vyavasthitah; Sa brahma sa shivah sa harih sendrah so'ksharah paramah svarat.
Meaning:In the middle of that flame the Supreme Self abides: He is Brahma, He is Shiva, He is Hari, He is Indra; He is the imperishable, the supreme, the self-luminous sovereign.
Ritam satyam param brahma purusham krishnapingalam; Urdhvaretam virupaksham vishvarupaya vai namo namah.
Meaning:The Cosmic Order, the Truth, the supreme Brahman, the Purusha dark-and-tawny, the ever-chaste, the strange-eyed one — to the Universal Form, salutations again and again.
Om Narayanaya vidmahe Vasudevaya dhimahi; Tanno Vishnuh prachodayat. Om shantih shantih shantih.
Meaning:Om. May we know Narayana, may we meditate upon Vasudeva; may that Vishnu impel us. Om, peace, peace, peace.
Word-by-Word Meaning
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Benefits of Chanting नारायण सूक्तम्
One of the most important Vedic hymns establishing Vishnu/Narayana as supreme
Chanted during Vishnu abhishekam in all major temples
'Narayanah Parah' repeated 6 times — creates powerful affirmation
Reveals that Narayana pervades everything — inside and outside
Grants deep peace and connection to the ultimate reality
Essential for Vaishnava (Vishnu devotee) daily practice
How to Chant नारायण सूक्तम्
This suktam is traditionally chanted during Vishnu abhishekam (ritual bathing). Sit quietly and chant with the understanding that Narayana pervades everything. The repetition of 'Narayanah Parah' in verse 4 is particularly powerful — it affirms that the light, the soul, the truth, and reality itself IS Narayana.
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Read the full नारायण सूक्तम् with verse-by-verse meaning, or explore more sacred texts