Narayana Upanishad
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| Narayana Upanishad | |
|---|---|
 Narayana with his consort Lakshmi | |
| Devanagari | नारायण उपनिषद् |
| IAST | Nārāyaṇa Upaniṣad |
| Title means | The Upanishad addressed to Narayana |
| Type | Vaishnava |
| Linked Veda | Krishna Yajurveda |
| Chapters | 5 |
| Part of a series on |
| Vaishnavism |
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The Narayana Upanishad (Sanskrit: नारायण उपनिषद्) is one of the minor Upanishads, listed as number 18 in the extended anthology of 108 Upanishads recited by Rama to Hanuman in Hindu literature. It is listed as number 33 in the early 19th-century Henry Thomas Colebrooke anthology.[1] It is written in the Sanskrit language, attached to the Krishna (Black) Yajurveda.[2] It is one of the 14 Vaishnava Upanishads,[3] and it recommends the bhakti of Narayana (Vishnu).[4]
The Upanishad is, states Paul Deussen, among those that can be described as "cult of formula", where meditation shifts from objects and philosophy to that of a specific formula.[5] The Narayana Upanishad posits, "Om Namo Narayanaya", an eight-syllabled mantra, as a means of reaching salvation, which is communion with Vishnu.[6] The text is classified as one of the Mantra Upanishads.[2]
The Narayana Upanishad asserts that "all gods, all rishis, and all beings are born from Narayana, and merge into Narayana".[7] The text, suggests Deussen, is probably compiled from passages from different era and texts.[5]
