Narayana Upanishad: Verse 2

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

ॐ अथ नित्यो नारायणः। ब्रह्मा नारायणः। शिवश्च नारायणः। शक्रश्च नारायणः। द्यावापृथिव्यौ च नारायणः। कालश्च नारायणः। दिशश्च नारायणः। ऊर्ध्वश्च नारायणः। अधश्च नारायणः। अन्तर्बहिश्च नारायणः। नारायण एवेदं सर्वं यद्भूतं यच्च भव्यम्। निष्कलो निरञ्जनो निर्विकल्पो निराख्यातः शुद्धो देव एको नारायणः। न द्वितीयोऽस्ति कश्चित्। य एवं वेद। स विष्णुरेव भवति स विष्णुरेव भवति॥ (एतद् यजुर्वेदशिरोऽधीते)॥२॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

ॐ । अथ । नित्यः । नारायणः । ब्रह्मा । नारायणः । शिवः । च । नारायणः । शक्रः । च । नारायणः । द्यावापृथिव्यौ । च । नारायणः । कालः । च । नारायणः । दिशः । च । नारायणः । ऊर्ध्वः । च । नारायणः । अधः । च । नारायणः । अन्तर्-बहिः । च । नारायणः । नारायणः । एव । इदम् । सर्वम् । यत् । भूतम् । यत् । च । भव्यम् । निष्कलः । निरञ्जनः । निर्विकल्पः । निराख्यातः । शुद्धः । देवः । एकः । नारायणः । न । द्वितीयः । अस्ति । कश्चित् । यः । एवम् । वेद । सः । विष्णुः । एव । भवति । सः । विष्णुः । एव । भवति ॥

Recitation with translationNarayana Upanishad 2

IAST Transliteration

oṃ atha nityo nārāyaṇaḥ | brahmā nārāyaṇaḥ | śivaś ca nārāyaṇaḥ | śakraś ca nārāyaṇaḥ | dyāvāpṛthivī ca nārāyaṇaḥ | kālaś ca nārāyaṇaḥ | diśaś ca nārāyaṇaḥ | ūrdhvaś ca nārāyaṇaḥ | adhaś ca nārāyaṇaḥ | antar-bahiś ca nārāyaṇaḥ | nārāyaṇa evedaṃ sarvaṃ yad bhūtaṃ yac ca bhavyam | niṣkalo nirañjano nirvikalpo nirākhyātaḥ śuddho deva eko nārāyaṇaḥ | na dvitīyo 'sti kaścit | ya evaṃ veda | sa viṣṇur eva bhavati sa viṣṇur eva bhavati || (etad yajurvedaśiro 'dhīte) ||2||

Translation

ഓം. ഇനി നാരായണൻ നിത്യൻ. ബ്രഹ്മാവും നാരായണൻ; ശിവനും നാരായണൻ; ശക്രൻ (ഇന്ദ്രൻ) പോലും നാരായണൻ. ദ്യാവാപൃഥിവി നാരായണൻ; കാലവും നാരായണൻ; ദിക്കുകളും നാരായണൻ; മുകളിലുള്ളതും നാരായണൻ; താഴെയുള്ളതും നാരായണൻ; അകത്തും പുറത്തും നാരായണൻ തന്നെ. ഭൂതമായതും ഭവ്യമാകുന്നതും—ഇതെല്ലാം നാരായണൻ മാത്രം. കലാരഹിതൻ, മലരഹിതൻ, വികല്പരഹിതൻ, വിവരണാതീതൻ, ശുദ്ധൻ—ഏകനായ ദേവൻ നാരായണൻ. രണ്ടാമൻ ആരുമില്ല. ഇങ്ങനെ അറിയുന്നവൻ വിഷ്ണുവായി തന്നെ ഭവിക്കുന്നു; വിഷ്ണുവായി തന്നെ ഭവിക്കുന്നു. (ഇത് യജുർവേദശിരസ്സായി പാരായണം ചെയ്യപ്പെടുന്നു.)

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Academic Translation

Om. Now, Nārāyaṇa is eternal. Brahmā is Nārāyaṇa; Śiva too is Nārāyaṇa; Śakra (Indra) too is Nārāyaṇa. Heaven-and-earth are Nārāyaṇa; time too is Nārāyaṇa; the directions too are Nārāyaṇa; what is above is Nārāyaṇa; what is below is Nārāyaṇa; what is within and without is Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa alone is all this—whatever has been and whatever is to be. Partless, stainless, free from conceptual alternatives, indescribable, pure—the one divine Nārāyaṇa. There is no second whatsoever. Whoever thus knows—he becomes Viṣṇu alone; he becomes Viṣṇu alone. (This is recited as the ‘head’ of the Yajurveda.)

Verse Context

• Non-duality (advaya/ekatva) and Brahman’s nirguṇa characterization; sarvātmatva (all is the Self)
• Mahavakya: Directly resonates with ‘ayam ātmā brahma’ and ‘tat tvam asi’ by asserting one reality without a second (na dvitīyaḥ) and universal pervasion; also aligns with ‘prajñānaṃ brahma’ insofar as the one reality is beyond vikalpa and description.
• Yajur
• Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda (Taittirīya tradition; commonly transmitted as a minor Upaniṣad) Shakha
• Chandas: Prose (gadyam)