Shloka 3
अध्याय १९० — वामदेव-वाम्य-वृत्तान्तः
The Vāmadeva Horses Episode and the Ethics of Promise
अपां नारा इति पुरा संज्ञाकर्म कृतं मया | तेन नारायणो&प्युक्तो मम तत् त्वयनं सदा,पूर्वकालमें मैंने ही जलका “नारा” नाम रखा था। वह “नारा' मेरा सदा अयन (वासस्थान) है, इसलिये मैं “नारायण' नामसे विख्यात हूँ
apāṁ nārā iti purā saṁjñākarma kṛtaṁ mayā | tena nārāyaṇo 'py ukto mama tat tvayanaṁ sadā ||
The Deity said: “In ancient times I myself assigned the name ‘Nārā’ to the waters. Because those ‘Nārā’ are ever my resting-place and abode (ayana), I am therefore also known as ‘Nārāyaṇa’.”
देव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse explains a traditional etymology of the divine name ‘Nārāyaṇa’: since ‘Nārā’ denotes the waters and they are described as the deity’s eternal abode, the deity is called ‘Nārāyaṇa’—highlighting how sacred names encode theological meaning.
A divine speaker clarifies the origin of the term ‘Nārāyaṇa’ by stating that he once designated the waters as ‘Nārā’ and, because those waters are his perpetual dwelling-place (ayana), he is known by the compounded name ‘Nārāyaṇa’.