Shloka 11
आपो नारा इति प्रोक्ता आपो वै नरसूनवः । अयनं तस्य ताः पूर्वं तेन नारायणः स्मृतः
āpo nārā iti proktā āpo vai narasūnavaḥ | ayanaṃ tasya tāḥ pūrvaṃ tena nārāyaṇaḥ smṛtaḥ
“Waters are called ‘nārā’; indeed, the waters are said to be the offspring of Nara. In the beginning they were his resting-place (ayana); therefore he is remembered as Nārāyaṇa.”
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Cosmic Event: primordial waters as first locus (ayana) for the sustaining principle named Nārāyaṇa
FAQs
It explains a cosmological etymology—how the divine name “Nārāyaṇa” is connected with the primordial waters as an abode—while, in the Uma-saṃhitā’s Shaiva frame, such cosmic functions remain within the governance of the Supreme Pati (Śiva) who transcends and regulates creation.
By describing the cosmos (waters and abodes) as structured and named, the text points to an ordered manifestation (saguṇa domain). Liṅga-worship centers the devotee on Śiva as the ultimate ground beyond names and forms, even while honoring other divine names like Nārāyaṇa within the manifested order.
A practical takeaway is contemplative japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while reflecting that all cosmic supports—waters, worlds, and divine abodes—are upheld by Śiva; this cultivates vairāgya and steadiness in Saguna-to-Nirguna devotion.