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What Does “Om Namo Narayana” Mean? Unveiling Its Divine Essence
The Om Namo Narayanaya Mantra has its origin in the Narayana Upanishad. The Narayana Upanishad is a part of the Krishna Yajurveda.
The Narayana Upanishad established the Supremacy of Lord Narayana who belongs to the Shuddha Satvik world, beyond the ocean of consciousness called Viraja or the totality of the animate, inanimate, the physical, astral, causal and the ocean of Supreme Peace.
Sriman Narayana lies beyond anything that is imaginable and hence even beyond any type of conception and whose beauty and value is known to the sages who are eternal residents of Vaikuntha Loka and have come to the earthly plane to give his knowledge to seekers of the Absolute.
The Narayana Mantra is an essential mantra in the Vaishnava Parampara system especially the Sri Sampradaya as elucidated by Vaishnava sages such as Sri Ramanujacharya and Sri Vedanta Desikar.
Om Namo Narayanaya means “ I bow down to Sriman Narayana addressing Him with the Pranava salutation of “OM”, which is the Beeja, or the source of all Creation.
The Ancient Origins of “Om Namo Narayana” in Vedic Scriptures
The Vishnu Purana states
नारायणः परोऽव्यक्ताद् अण्डम् अव्यक्त-सम्भवम् ।
अण्डस्यान्तस् त्व् इमे लोकाः सप्त-द्वीपा च मेदिनी
nārāyaṇaḥ paro’vyaktād aṇḍam avyakta-sambhavam |
aṇḍasyāntas tv ime lokāḥ sapta-dvīpā ca medinī
The Above verse is the heart of the Vishnu Purana. The literal meaning of the verse is as follows:
Sriman Narayana is beyond the unmanifest, from which the cosmic egg arises. Within this cosmic egg exist all the worlds, including the Earth with its seven continents.”
In the Narayana Upanishad there is another verse in connection with the Om Namo Narayanaya Mantra which goes like this:
स एकः नारायणः न द्वितियोऽस्ति कश्चित;
यो हवायती ॐ नमो नारायणाय इति, स मोक्षं एव गच्छति।
sa ekaḥ nārāyaṇaḥ na dvitiyo’sti kaścita;
yo havāyatī om namo nārāyaṇāya iti, sa mokṣaṃ eva gacchati|
The meaning of the Above verse is as follows:
He is the one Narayana, and there is no second. Whoever chants ‘Om Namo Narayanaya’ attains liberation.
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Essence of Chanting the Om Namo Narayanaya Mantra
The Om Namo Narayanaya Mantra can bring about a massive change in an individual, especially in a Sadhaka or Bhakta whose goal is Ishwara Prapti also known as “Attaining Love of God”.
When a person takes shelter of an Authentic Guru who has attained Bhagawan, simply taking the Mantra from such a Guru can give wings like the great Devotee King of Birds Garuda and the devotee shall make his way through the sky route easily circumventing the ocean of attachment, suffering, delusions, illusions, trials and tribulations and easily enter the perfect domain, the arena of Vaikuntha.
An interesting trending video about the Om Namo Narayanaya Mantra on our Youtube Channel is Embedded Below
Vaikuntha in Sanskritam means, where “Kuntha” or “trials, worries and confusion” cease to exist. The Om Namo Narayanaya Mantra is one which has the philosophy of Sharanagati and total dependence on Guru and Bhagwan ingrained in it.
So the Guru has to carefully decide as to which student or disciple is capable of handling the sanctity of this great mantra. So a great deal of responsibility hinges on both the Guru and Disciple with regards to the application and worship of Bhagawan through this great Mantra.
How Chanting “Om Namo Narayanaya” Transforms the Mind and Soul
As we have seen earlier, The Om Namo Narayanaya is meant to attach ourselves to Bhagwan, far away from the influence of the material universe. Unless one understands the deeper significance of Chanting this extremely potent Mantra, under the auspices of a completely Surrendered Bhakta or Bhakta Guru, it would simply mean disrespecting this great Mantra.
The Mantra symbolizes the water element. Our body consists of 3 major elements which are fire, water and space. The Om syllable or the Pranava represents the Space element and also represents Brahman, the fundamental building block of the multiverse.
The Space element when summoned through many calls also automatically ignites the air and fire element and can cause tremendous heat in our system and can cause the activation of higher bodily chakras such as the Ajna, Sahasrara and Vishuddhi. It also activates the Manipuraka Chakra.
But then the Narayanaya Nama Mantra activates the water element that exists in the zone of the Swadhisthana chakra thereby balancing the other chakras. Our body is composed of 70% water and hence Chanting this mantra causes cooling of the system due to activation of the Natural Narayana Yantra within our body in the form of the Lord Narayana who exists in a subtle form in the Swadhisthana.
The Mantra can evoke strong emotions of love in the heart Chakra because of the activation of the higher and lower chakras simultaneously. The sensitivity of emotions can become very powerful and can cause one to experience universal compassion.
Hence it is advisable to perform this mantra after the Guru qualifies an individual and gives Guru Deeksha of this mantra. There are untold spiritual benefits of this mantra. One becomes extremely sharp and poised in one’s mood towards Bhagawan and can start seeing the workings of the Universe.
He shall understand the working of the Guru Tattva also called as “The Principle working of the Guru’s infinite energy patterns”. A person who chants this mantra under the auspices of the Guru shall see the power of Sharanagati and will be able to witness how Brahman manifests, remains and departs effortlessly.
A person chanting this mantra can never find fault with people, things, time or circumstances because the secret of the universe shall open itself bare in front of a true sadhaka of this magnanimous Vishnu Mantra.
Why Chanting “Namo Narayanaya” is recommended
Using OM, without discretion, without due initiation can be harmful. Om is the space element which is the basis of all the other four elements namely Air, Fire, Water and the Earth Element.
If chanted continuously without guidance it can be like a 3 year old playing with fully lit fire-crackers, which has caught flame at the wick and is just a matter of when the explosion shall happen and the child is oblivious of the explosion about to take place. Chanting the Pranava or any Beeja Mantra for that matter such as “Kreem”, “Kleem”, “Ham”, “Hoom” etc. is not promoted by the Scriptures in Sanatana Dharma, owing to the hidden energy that can be quite massive if ignited through regular chanting.
Hence such Beeja Mantras can be only taken from an Authentic Guru who has practiced such mantras under the benign care of His Gurudeva and Guru Parampara. On the other hand when We chant Namo Narayanaya.
It simply means, “I Bow down to Sriman Narayana” , but simply offering Him our heart. The Lord understands our mood and shall accept our mood irrespective of whether we offer Him salutations with or without the Pranava. The Pranava is a special privilege given to advanced Sadhakas by the Guru who have dedicated their life to the complete service of their chosen deity, to the exclusion of all other occupations and depend wholly on Guru and Bhagwan, without any exclusion of mood and intention.
Worshiping a Deity with the Pranava is perhaps the last stage of attaining spiritual maturity. Yet people use Pranava and other Beeja Mantras. This is unfortunate and it is up to Mother Nature as to how things unfold in their lives, since this method is not advised by our authentic Santana Scriptures.
Advisable to Chant Namo Narayanaya Mantra with Clean Food Habits
A mantra represents Bhagwan in full and all creatures represent an amsa or part and parcel of Bhagwan. The Great Lord shall not tolerate violence towards animals and other creatures. It is a different thing that tribes and certain sections of society consume non-vegetarian food.
Owing to the effects of Kaliyuga people have been consuming non-vegetarian food. But a cultured society should naturally shun consumption of flesh, especially if we are serious about sadhana and Bhagawat Prapti.
Bhagawan does not even consider an individual to be “living” if he is consuming eggs, and other living creatures, killing them just for taste, trying to satisfy one’s senses. So avoid all forms of violence towards animals through food. This alone can qualify you as “living” in the eyes of the Supreme.
It is the responsibility of the sadhus and holy men of Bhagawan to educate people on the importance of vegetarianism, especially in connection with spiritual matters. I urge all my readers to stick to a strict vegetarian diet. You are on this blog, I assume, is because you are taking spirituality seriously.
Start By Chanting Namo Narayanaya and Pray for the Advent of Guru
Many times people are often confused about what Mantras can do for them. Fundamentally the goal of all Mantras is to remove ignorance and take a person from a state of Absolute Ignorance to a state of Knowing.
Knowing becomes full blown knowledge only when one accepts a Spiritual master. In the context of the Namo Narayanaya Mantra, one should understand that this special mantra without the Pranava “OM” represents a perfect Nama Mantra, which can be chanted at any time by anyone. Women can chant the Namo Narayanaya Mantra even during their menstrual cycle.
While Bathing, washing, driving, walking etc, one can even carelessly chant the Namo Narayana Mantra, without any rule in place. Chanting the Namo Narayanaya mantra with a Prayer in the heart “Oh Bhagawan kindly guide me to my eternal spiritual master.”
This is a powerful way that can trigger the advent of the Guru into the life of the seeker. Kindly remember that the goal of a genuine Guru is simply to marry the Jeeva or living entity to Bhagwan, where the Guru plays the role of a Priest. The Guru simply blesses and leaves post the culmination of such a holy covenance. The Namo Narayanaya Nama Mantra is simply a portal to make this happen.
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