The Narayan Suktam is a hymn in Yajurveda. This Suktam explains meditation. Before meditation, one has to recite this and envision the meaning, which in turn helps in going into deep meditation.
Narayan is considered as thousand-headed one, thousand-eyed, and thousand-limbed, and this hymn is sung to worship Narayana, the universal Self which is identified with the Trimurti, the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
Initially, the first few lines talk of God’s glory and later it describes where to meditate and how to meditate. It is explained in a step-by-step process about how to direct one’s mind during meditation.
Narayana Suktam Text & Meaning
नारायण सूक्तम् ।।
ॐ ॥ स॒ह॒स्र॒शीर्॑षं दे॒वं॒ वि॒श्वाक्षं॑ वि॒श्वशं॑भुवम् । विश्वं॑ ना॒राय॑णं दे॒व॒म॒क्षरं॑ पर॒मं पदम् ।
This Universe is the Eternal Being Narayana. He is the imperishable, the supreme, and the goal. He is the countless-headed and countless-eyed -omnipresent and omniscient, the resplendent, the source of delight for the whole Universe.
वि॒श्वतः॒ पर॑मान्नि॒त्यं॒ वि॒श्वं ना॑राय॒णग्ं ह॑रिम् । विश्व॑मे॒वेदं पुरु॑ष॒-स्तद्विश्व-मुप॑जीवति ।
This Universe is the Supreme Being (Purusha) alone; hence it subsists on Him. I meditate on this Eternal, Omnipresent God Narayana who destroys all our sins.
पतिं॒ विश्व॑स्या॒त्मेश्व॑र॒ग्ं॒ शाश्व॑तग्ं शि॒व-मच्युतम् । ना॒राय॒णं म॑हाज्ञे॒यं॒ वि॒श्वात्मा॑नं प॒राय॑णम् ।
He is the protector of the Universe, the Lord of all Souls (or Lord over Self), the perpetual one, the auspicious, the indestructible, and the goal of all Creation. He is the Supreme object worthy of being known, the Soul of all beings and the unfailing refuge. I meditate on You O Narayana!
ना॒राय॒णप॑रो ज्यो॒ति॒रा॒त्मा ना॑राय॒णः प॑रः । ना॒राय॒णपरं॑ ब्र॒ह्म॒ तत्त्वं ना॑राय॒णः प॑रः । ना॒राय॒णप॑रो ध्या॒ता॒ ध्या॒नं ना॑राय॒णः प॑रः ।
The Lord Narayana is the Supreme Absolute; Narayana is the Supreme Reality; Narayana is the Supreme Light; Narayana is the Supreme Self; Narayana is the Supreme Meditator; Narayana is the Supreme Meditation.
यच्च॑ कि॒ञ्चिज्जगत्स॒र्वं॒ दृ॒श्यते॓ श्रूय॒तेஉपि॑ वा ॥अन्त॑र्ब॒हिश्च॑ तत्स॒र्वं॒ व्या॒प्य ना॑राय॒णः स्थि॑तः ।
Whatever in this Universe is, -seen or heard of, -pervading all this from inside and outside alike, stands supreme the Eternal Divine Being -Narayana.
अनन्त॒मव्ययं॑ क॒विग्ं स॑मु॒द्रेஉन्तं॑ वि॒श्वशं॑भुवम् । प॒द्म॒को॒श-प्र॑तीका॒श॒ग्ं॒ हृ॒दयं॑ चाप्य॒धोमु॑खम् ।
He is the limitless, imperishable, omniscient, residing in the ocean of the heart, the cause of the happiness of the Universe, the supreme end of all striving. He manifests Himself in the ether of the heart which is comparable to an inverted bud of the lotus flower.
अधो॑ नि॒ष्ट्या वि॑तस्या॒न्ते॒ ना॒भ्यामु॑परि॒ तिष्ठ॑ति । ज्वा॒ल॒मा॒लाकु॑लं भा॒ती॒ वि॒श्वस्याय॑त॒नं म॑हत् ।
Below Adam's apple, at a distance of a span, and above the navel is the heart which is the relative seat of the manifestation of Pure Consciousness in the human being. It effulgent the Great Abode of the Universe, as if adorned with garlands of flames.
सन्तत॑ग्ं शि॒लाभि॑स्तु॒ लम्ब॒त्याकोश॒सन्नि॑भम् । तस्यान्ते॑ सुषि॒रग्ं सू॒क्ष्मं तस्मिन्॓ स॒र्वं प्रति॑ष्ठितम् ।
Surrounded by nerve-currents (or arteries), suspends the lotus-bud of the heart in an inverted position. It is in a subtle space (a narrow aperture, the Sushumna-Nadi), and there it is to be found the Substratum of all things.
तस्य॒ मध्ये॑ म॒हान॑ग्निर्-वि॒श्वार्चि॑र्-वि॒श्वतो॑मुखः । सोஉग्र॑भु॒ग्विभ॑जन्ति॒ष्ठ॒-न्नाहा॑रमज॒रः क॒विः ।
In that space within the heart resides the great flame of fire, undecaying, all-knowing, with tongues spread out in all directions, with faces turned everywhere, consuming food presented before it, and assimilating it unto itself.
ति॒र्य॒गू॒र्ध्वम॑धश्शा॒यी॒ र॒श्मय॑स्तस्य॒ सन्त॑ता । स॒न्ता॒पय॑ति स्वं दे॒हमापा॑दतल॒मस्त॑कः । तस्य॒मध्ये॒ वह्नि॑शिखा अ॒णीयो॓र्ध्वा व्य॒वस्थि॑तः ।
His rays, spreading all around, sideways as well as above and below, warm up the whole body from head to foot. In the center of that Flame abides the Tongue of Fire as the topmost of all subtle things.
नी॒लतो॑-यद॑मध्य॒स्था॒द्-वि॒ध्युल्ले॑खेव॒ भास्व॑रा । नी॒वार॒शूक॑वत्त॒न्वी॒ पी॒ता भा॓स्वत्य॒णूप॑मा ।
Slender like the dawn of paddy grain, yellow (like gold) in color, in subtlety comparable to the minute atom, this Tongue of Fire grows splendidly brilliant like a streak of lightning set in the midst of the blue rain-bearing clouds.
तस्या॓ः शिखा॒या म॑ध्ये प॒रमा॓त्मा व्य॒वस्थि॑तः । स ब्रह्म॒ स शिवः॒ स हरिः॒ सेन्द्रः॒ सोஉक्ष॑रः पर॒मः स्व॒राट् ॥
In the Middle of That Flame, the Supreme Self dwells. This (Self) is Brahma (the Creator), Siva (the Destroyer), Hari (the Protector), Indra (the Ruler), the Imperishable, the Absolute, the Autonomous Being. Prostrations again and again to the Omni-Formed Being.
ऋतग्ं स॒त्यं प॑रं ब्र॒ह्म॒ पु॒रुषं॑ कृष्ण॒पिङ्ग॑लम् । ऊ॒र्ध्वरे॑तं वि॑रूपा॑क्षं॒ वि॒श्वरू॑पाय॒ वै नमो॒ नमः॑ ॥
Prostrations again and again to the Omni-Formed Being, the Truth, the Law, the Supreme Absolute, the Purusha of blue-decked yellow hue. He is the Centralised-Force, Power, the All-Seeing One.
ॐ ना॒रा॒य॒णाय॑ वि॒द्महे॑ वासुदे॒वाय॑ धीमहि । तन्नो॑ विष्णुः प्रचो॒दया॓त् ॥
We commune ourselves with Narayana, and meditate on Vasudeva, may Vishnu direct us (to the Great Goal).
ॐ शान्तिः॒ शान्तिः॒ शान्तिः॑ ॥
May there be peace to the body, mind, and Soul.
