CWTVKS Volume 3

A NOTE ON NARA NARAYANA

The object of this paper is to study in brief the manifestation Nara-Narayana in the form of Sri Krishna and Arjuna.

The first question that arises is, who are Nara and Narayana ? Many are the answers given. The Spiritualists (Vedantins) say that Nara-Narayana are the Jivatma and the Paramatma. Theogonists have it that Indra is Nara and his younger brother Upendra), Vishnu, is Narayana. Historians hold that Nara and Narayana are the two celebrated Rishis who were great tapswin and had acquired legendary fame as “ Ancient Men” in the age of the Mahabharata. To those who are in the know of the mystery of avatars, all these views are not contradictory. They opine: Rishi Nara himself is God Indra. It is he who in course of time was born to Kunti as a portion of Indra. Rishi Narayana is Vishnu himself who is celebrated as Narayana the primal creator. He was born to Devaki by Vasudeva. Even in the Mahabharata it is mentioned in many places that Nara and Narayana are Rishis, eternally together, companions in tapas, born of Divine Element. The very first laudatory verse in the Mahabharata offers obeisance to Nara and Narayana:

Bow to Narayana, bow to Nara the best among men;

Bow to Goddess Sarasvati and read the Jaya.

The suggestion is very happy. At the very beginning of the epic the term Nara-Narayana denoting Indra-Upendra, JivaIshwara, suggests Sri Krishna and Arjuna who are like the main roots of the Tree of Dharma, the chief characters in the story.

A question arises: the manifestation of Vishnu, the primal Doer, as Narayana is for the purpose of uplifting the world. Then what is the purpose of the avatar of the Jiva (or Jishnu) as Nara? The reply is this. Though the divine Supreme Lord is the abode of all Knowledge, Action and Power, still for the purpose of promoting the world of his creation, he carries the burden of activity as the Jiva which is really another nature of his own, himself poised in Knowledge and making the Jiva his eternal portion fronting the world, poised in Activity. The Gita also declares: “Know it to be my higher Nature that has become the Jiva, She by whom is borne this world.’ That is why all the Puranas declare Nara-Narayana to be the Leaders of the world:

The two Naras, leaders of the pinda (microcosm) and brahmanda (macrocosm) are the Jiva and the Ishwara. And because of leading them, even Para Brahmam is called Nara³⁷

Produced from the Waters born of Nara, the brahmanda (universe) is called Nara; he whose abode is this Nara, is the Lord Narayana, etc.³⁸

This from the spiritual standpoint, adhyatmika. Now to consider from the standpoint of the classification of the Gods, adhidaivika.

This Jiva which is an eternal Portion of the Supreme Purusha rules the worlds and is the Lord of all the Gods that are placed as functionaries in the workings of the cosmos. This Portion is what is called Indra in the terminology of the Veda. It is this Jishnu who carries the entire burden of activity, and is ever engaged, that descends into manifestation with Vishnu during periods of Descent. This is the process of the descent of both. Not only that. It is also possible for all the other Gods subservient to Indra to manifest. Of all creations, mobile and immobile, He is the Supreme Lord. “He is the Atma, other Gods are the limbs ",³⁹

It is to be remembered that though it is true that all Gods are one because all the Gods are but forms of the One Atman, still the Gods, have their own personalities and relative capacities corresponding to their functions. Let us leave aside the subject of Indra and Upendra — denoted by the terms Jiva and Ishwara, Nara and Narayana — being manifest in the persons of Sri Krishna and Arjuna. How can it be said that they are Rishis? Even before the times of the Epic of Kauravas and Pandavas, the two Rishis Nara and Narayana were celebrated for their greatness. The Ashrams in the Himalayas were Centres for their tapas. Yudhishthira had been to visit the place which had become famous as a centre of pilgrimage. Those who know the truth of births aver that it is of these two ancient Rishis that Rishi Nara was born as Arjuna and Rishi Narayana as Sri Krishna. So it is said in the Mahabharata, “ Nara whose companion is Narayana shall be the son of Indra’⁴⁰

To take two or three of such truths in illustration:

Creation of the world is by sacrifice; you stand as the entire base in Sacrifice; Yajna is the highest. These truths are common to both the hymns of the Rig Veda and the Gita.

It is declared in the Veda that the Four Classes, varnas e.g. Brahmana etc. came into being through the Head, Arms, Thigh and Feet, limbs of the Cosmic Person signifying specific qualities and actions. The Gita also declares that it is the Lord who created the Four Classes in accordance with the divisions of qualities and activities, guna and karma.

The Rik “All this that is born and to be born is the Purusha himself”, posits all becoming’s in the present, past and future in Him. The utterances of the Lord in many places in the Gita elaborate upon this truth, especially in the chapter of Vishvarupa where things are made still more explicit.

He who sees the Mantra is the Rishi and what is celebrated in the Mantra is the Deity. Thus it is that the Rishi who realised directly the All-ensouling Purusha Deity who revealed Himself to him in a mutual oneness of identity, came to acquire the name of Nara-Narayana, the Supreme Purusha. It is enough to know that just as the Supreme Person came to be known as Vasudeva, son of Vasudeva, similarly, he came to be called by the name of Narayana, the Seer of the Mantra.

We have given the derivation of the word narayana in the way of the Puranas. If we follow the etymological derivation; the succeeding progeny of Rishi Nara may itself be said to be Narayana. Rishi Nara is the Seer of the 2 Riks whose Deity is Indra, in the Sixth Mandala of the Rig Veda. Both were associates doing tapas in the Himalayan ranges. One of them adored Indra, obtained union with him and in course of time was born as Pandava to Kunti. The other one must be presumed to have attained realisation of the Supreme Person, and taken birth as Vasudeva in some subsequent birth. In that case a doubt may arise as to what is the basis for so presuming that the very Rishis who were Seers of the Mantras were born in course of time as Krishna and Arjuna.

Says the Lord: “Many are my births that are past and so too yours’. If once it is admitted that many births of Sri Krishna and Arjuna have passed by, then is it not possible that in one of these past births they were these Vedic Rishis or some other Nara and Narayana ?

This much is clear. The special personality of the Supreme Person that was manifest as Rishi Narayana took incarnation as Sri Krishna in the age of Mahabharata. So too did Rishi Nara incarnate as Arjuna. It is certainly not wrong to predicate many births of the Supreme Person who is imperishable and unborn.

The same individual engaged in a variety of occupations is known by different designations by reason of different relationships, different conditions. So too is Sri Krishna, in keeping with his original Form, the Lord of Universe; an avatara for the purpose of the world-manifestation; a celebrity as the premier of the clan of the Yadus; Rishi Narayana due to relationship across the births.