Brahma and Rudra share the name ‘Narayana’ with Vishnu
The name ‘Narayana’ is found in the scriptural literature to be referring to Brahma too directly and Shiva indirectly.
Here is a reference to the name ‘Narayana’ in the Monier Williams Dictionary:
| nārāyaṇa [L=24154] [p= 0479-a] | Nārāyaṇa, as, m. (fr. nara, q. v.; sometimes de- rived fr. nāra + ayana), ‘son of Nara or the original man,’ patronymic of the personified Purusha or first living being, author of the Purusha hymn; he is often associated with Nara or the original man, and identified with Brahmā (in Manu I. 9, 11) and with Vishṇu or Kṛshṇa; in Hari-vaṉśa 4601 |
It can be seen that the name is associated with Brahmā, the four-faced too: first living being.
The Vishnu Purana has at least two instances where the name is directly referring to Brahma:
नारायणाख्यो भगवान्ब्रह्मा लोकपितामाहः ॥ १,३.३ ॥
उत्पन्नः प्रोच्यते विद्वन्नित्यमेवोपचारतः ॥ १,३.४ ॥
Sridhara Swamin comments:’If Brahma is verily Narayana, even by name, narayanakhya, how is it that by the shruti ‘हिरण्यगर्भः समवर्तताग्रे…’ (Hiranyagarbha originated…) his origination is spoken of? Reply: The birth is only figurative as taking a form by mere will is similar to origination – स्वेच्छया आविर्भावस्यापि उत्पत्तिसादृश्यात् – Thus, even the idea that Brahma is a separate entity is denied by the Vishnu Purana and Sridhara Swamin. In fact Sridhara Swamin has also commented there that Shiva and Brahma are avataras of Vishnu, the Parabrahman. it is well known that an avatara is non-different from the moolarupa.
The Kurma Purana too says this:
तदा समभवद्ब्रह्मा सहस्त्राक्षः सहस्त्रपात् ॥ १,६.२ ॥
सहस्त्रशीर्षा पुरुषो रुक्मवर्णस्त्वतीन्द्रियः ।
ब्रह्मा नारायणाख्यस्तु सुष्वाप सलिले तदा ॥ १,६.३ ॥
इमं चोदाहरन्त्यत्र श्लोकं नारायणं प्रति ।
The Manu smriti 1.11 to 16 too says the name Narayana applies to Brahma:
तदण्डमभवद्धैमं सहस्रांशुसमप्रभम् ।तस्मिञ्जज्ञे स्वयं ब्रह्मा सर्वलोकपितामहः ॥ ॥ आपो नारा इति प्रोक्ता आपो वै नरसूनवः । ता यदस्यायनं पूर्वं तेन नारायणः स्मृतः ॥
While there are these references, Shankara has cited a verse in the Vishnu Sahasra Nama bhashyam:
Harivamṣa 3.88. 61, 61, 62 which are addressed by Maheśwara during the Kailāsa yātra episode:
नामानि तव गोविन्द यानि लोके महान्ति च ।
तान्येव मम नामानि नात्र कार्या विचारणा ॥
[O Govinda, your esteemed names alone are mine as well; no doubt need to be had in this regard] There Veda Vyasa, through Shiva, conveys that all the names of Viṣṇu, including the name ‘Nārāyaṇa’ are that of Śiva. Thus the thousand names of Viṣṇu are also those of Śiva since there is no difference in name and sense between the pair Hari and Hara.
त्वदुपासा जगन्नाथ सैवास्तु मम गोपते ।
यश्च त्वां द्वेष्टि भो देव स मां द्वेष्टि न संशयः ॥
[The worship/meditation of You, O Gopati, let that be meditation on me too. He who hates you O Deva, hates me too, undoubtedly.]
Thus, those who worship Narayana are worshiping Rudra too by default, whether they like it or not, and vice versa. The names of Narayana are that of Shiva too, says Veda Vyasa which Shankara cites. Thus for Shankara, the name Narayana is not exclusively that of Vishnu.
Since the above verse says ‘Your upasana is mine’, the specific suktas, hymns, verses in the epics and puranas referring to the name Narayana are all by default applicable to Shiva too. This is because, the name itself is etymologically derived and shown to be referring to the jagatkaaranam and not to a finite person. Sayanacharya has in the commentary to the Narayana suktam said clearly that: narayana is not a murtivishesha and gone on to cited the Brahmasutra to show that it refers to nirguna chaitanyam.
Brahmananda, in the commentary to the Advaita siddhi, says that in the vedic passage ‘eko narayana AsIt…’, the reference is to ‘maayaavacchinna-chinmatra vastu’ which is avyakta svarupam, not referring to any formed entity for that is impossible in that pralaya state.
A scholar has pointed out: Since Parvati is called ‘Narayani’ (being the sister of Narayana), her consort too gets the name ‘Narayana’.
There is a paper titled ‘शिवपरनारायणशब्द्णत्वसाधनम्’ written in 1925 by a scholar from Andhra which was located and published by Vidwan Sripada Subrahmanyam, of Hyedrabad and shared with me.
On the basis of ‘यच्च किञ्चित् जगत् सर्वं व्याप्य नारायणः स्थितः’ , the pervading, vyaapti, in Advaita is being non-different from the vyaapya, every single object, animate and inanimate is Narayana and also gets that name.
Hence, there are innumerable instances to prove that the name ‘narayana’ is not exclusive and limited to Vishnu.
Om Tat Sat
