About this stotra
The Narayana Suktam is one of the most revered Vedic hymns, drawn from the Krishna Yajurveda (Taittiriya Aranyaka). Beginning with the Shanti (peace) mantra, it progressively reveals Narayana as the supreme reality — pervading all creation, identified with Brahma, Shiva and Indra, dwelling as the cosmic fire in the lotus of the heart, and ultimately beyond all designation. The hymn culminates in the Narayana Gayatri and concludes with the triple peace invocation. It is an essential part of daily Vaishnava worship and Satyanarayan Puja, and is recited in Vedic rites across traditions.
ॐ स॒ह ना॑ववतु । स॒ह नौ॑ भुनक्तु । स॒ह वी॒र्य॑-ङ्करवावहै ।
ते॒ज॒स्विना॒वधी॑तमस्तु॒ मा वि॑द्विषा॒वहै᳚ ॥
ॐ शान्ति॒-श्शान्ति॒-श्शान्तिः॑ ॥
ōṃ sa̠ha nā̍vavatu । sa̠ha nau̍ bhunaktu । sa̠ha vī̠rya̍-ṅkaravāvahai ।
tē̠ja̠svinā̠vadhī̍tamastu̠ mā vi̍dviṣā̠vahai̎ ॥
ōṃ śānti̠-śśānti̠-śśānti̍ḥ ॥
May we be protected together; may we be nourished together; may we work together with great vigour. May our learning be luminous and free from conflict. Om — peace, peace, peace.
ओम् ॥ स॒ह॒स्र॒शीर्॑ष-न्दे॒वं॒ वि॒श्वाक्षं॑-विँ॒श्वश॑म्भुवम् ।
विश्व॑-न्ना॒राय॑ण-न्दे॒व॒म॒क्षर॑-म्पर॒म-म्प॒दम् ।
ōm ॥ sa̠ha̠sra̠śīr̍ṣa-ndē̠vaṃ̠ vi̠śvākṣa̍ṃ vi̠śvaśa̍mbhuvam ।
viśva̍-nnā̠rāya̍ṇa-ndē̠va̠ma̠kṣara̍-mpara̠ma-mpa̠dam ।
Om — the divine thousand-headed one, all-seeing, the wellspring of all wellbeing for the universe; the divine Narayana, all-pervading universe, the imperishable supreme abode.
वि॒श्वतः॒ पर॑मान्नि॒त्यं॒-विँ॒श्व-न्ना॑राय॒णग्ं ह॑रिम् ।
विश्व॑मे॒वेद-म्पुरु॑ष॒-स्तद्विश्व-मुप॑जीवति ।
vi̠śvata̠ḥ para̍mānni̠tya̠ṃ vi̠śva-nnā̍rāya̠ṇagṃ ha̍rim ।
viśva̍mē̠vēda-mpuru̍ṣa̠-stadviśva-mupa̍jīvati ।
The eternal all-pervading Narayana, Hari, lord of the universe — this very universe is the Purusha; the entire universe lives by him.
पतिं॒-विँश्व॑स्या॒त्मेश्व॑र॒ग्ं॒ शाश्व॑तग्ं शि॒व-म॑च्युतम् ।
ना॒राय॒ण-म्म॑हाज्ञे॒यं॒-विँ॒श्वात्मा॑न-म्प॒राय॑णम् ।
pati̠ṃ viśva̍syā̠tmēśva̍ra̠gṃ̠ śāśva̍tagṃ śi̠va-ma̍chyutam ।
nā̠rāya̠ṇa-mma̍hājñē̠ya̠ṃ vi̠śvātmā̍na-mpa̠rāya̍ṇam ।
Lord of the universe, the inner self of all, the eternal, the auspicious, the imperishable (Achyuta) — Narayana, the greatly to-be-known, the universal self, the supreme goal.
ना॒राय॒णप॑रो ज्यो॒ति॒रा॒त्मा ना॑राय॒णः प॑रः ।
ना॒राय॒णपर॑-म्ब्र॒ह्म॒ तत्त्व-न्ना॑राय॒णः प॑रः ।
nā̠rāya̠ṇapa̍rō jyō̠ti̠rā̠tmā nā̍rāya̠ṇaḥ pa̍raḥ ।
nā̠rāya̠ṇapara̍-mbra̠hma̠ tattva-nnā̍rāya̠ṇaḥ pa̍raḥ ।
Narayana is the supreme light; Narayana is the supreme self. Narayana is the supreme Brahman; Narayana is the supreme truth.
ना॒राय॒णप॑रो ध्या॒ता॒ ध्या॒न-न्ना॑राय॒णः प॑रः ।
यच्च॑ कि॒ञ्चिज्ज॑गत्स॒र्व॒-न्दृ॒श्यते᳚ श्रूय॒ते-ऽपि॑ वा ॥
nā̠rāya̠ṇapa̍rō dhyā̠tā̠ dhyā̠na-nnā̍rāya̠ṇaḥ pa̍raḥ ।
yachcha̍ ki̠ñchijja̍gatsa̠rva̠-ndṛ̠śyatē̎ śrūya̠tē-'pi̍ vā ॥
Narayana is the supreme meditator; Narayana is the supreme object of meditation. Whatever is seen or heard in this universe — all of it is pervaded by Narayana.
अन्त॑र्ब॒हिश्च॑ तत्स॒र्वं॒-व्याँ॒प्य ना॑राय॒ण-स्स्थि॑तः ।
अनन्त॒मव्यय॑-ङ्क॒विग्ं स॑मु॒द्रें-ऽतं॑-विँ॒श्वश॑म्भुवम् ।
anta̍rba̠hiścha̍ tatsa̠rva̠ṃ vyā̠pya nā̍rāya̠ṇa-ssthi̍taḥ ।
ananta̠mavyaya̍-ṅka̠vigṃ sa̍mu̠drēṃ-'ta̍ṃ vi̠śvaśa̍mbhuvam ।
Within and without, Narayana stands pervading all of this. The endless, the inexhaustible, the all-knowing, the ocean in whose heart lies the entire universe — the wellbeing of all worlds.
प॒द्म॒को॒श-प्र॑तीका॒श॒ग्ं॒ हृ॒दय॑-ञ्चाप्य॒धोमु॑खम् ।
अधो॑ नि॒ष्ट्या वि॑तस्या॒न्ते॒ ना॒भ्यामु॑परि॒ तिष्ठ॑ति ।
pa̠dma̠kō̠śa-pra̍tīkā̠śa̠g̠ṃ hṛ̠daya̍-ñchāpya̠dhōmu̍kham ।
adhō̍ ni̠ṣṭyā vi̍tasyā̠ntē̠ nā̠bhyāmu̍pari̠ tiṣṭha̍ti ।
The heart is like a lotus bud facing downward, about a span above the navel. At its centre, with a small opening, all this universe is established.
ज्वा॒ल॒मा॒लाकु॑ल-म्भा॒ती॒ वि॒श्वस्या॑यत॒न-म्म॑हत् ।
सन्त॑तग्ं शि॒लाभि॑स्तु॒ लम्ब॑त्याकोश॒सन्नि॑भम् ।
jvā̠la̠mā̠lāku̍la-mbhā̠tī̠ vi̠śvasyā̍yata̠na-mma̍hat ।
santa̍tagṃ śi̠lābhi̍stu̠ lamba̍tyākōśa̠sanni̍bham ।
The great flame blazes there, brilliant with tongues of light, the great abode of the universe, hanging like a downward lotus pod.
तस्यान्ते॑ सुषि॒रग्ं सू॒क्ष्म-न्तस्मिन्᳚ स॒र्व-म्प्रति॑ष्ठितम् ।
तस्य॒ मध्ये॑ म॒हान॑ग्नि-र्वि॒श्वार्चि॑-र्वि॒श्वतो॑मुखः ।
tasyāntē̍ suṣi̠ragṃ sū̠kṣma-ntasmin̎ sa̠rva-mprati̍ṣṭhitam ।
tasya̠ madhyē̍ ma̠hāna̍gni-rvi̠śvārchi̍-rvi̠śvatō̍mukhaḥ ।
Within its deep recess is a subtle space in which everything is established. In its centre burns a great fire, the flame of the cosmic self, facing all directions.
सो-ऽग्र॑भु॒ग्विभ॑जन्ति॒ष्ठ॒-न्नाहा॑रमज॒रः क॒विः ।
ति॒र्य॒गू॒र्ध्वम॑धश्शा॒यी॒ र॒श्मय॑स्तस्य॒ सन्त॑ता ।
sō-'gra̍bhu̠gvibha̍janti̠ṣṭha̠-nnāhā̍ramaja̠raḥ ka̠viḥ ।
ti̠rya̠gū̠rdhvama̍dhaśśā̠yī̠ ra̠śmaya̍stasya̠ santa̍tā ।
This fire, ageless and all-knowing, consumes the food that sustains all, spreading in all directions — sideways, upward, downward — its rays extend everywhere.
स॒न्ता॒पय॑ति स्व-न्दे॒हमापा॑दतल॒मस्त॑कः ।
तस्य॒ मध्ये॒ वह्नि॑शिखा अ॒णीयो᳚र्ध्वा व्य॒वस्थि॑तः ।
sa̠ntā̠paya̍ti sva-ndē̠hamāpā̍datala̠masta̍kaḥ ।
tasya̠ madhyē̠ vahni̍śikhā a̠ṇīyō̎rdhvā vya̠vasthi̍taḥ ।
It warms the body from head to foot. At the centre of this fire stands a flame — fine as a reed-tip, upward-pointing.
नी॒लतो॑-यद॑मध्य॒स्था॒-द्वि॒ध्युल्ले॑खेव॒ भास्व॑रा ।
नी॒वार॒शूक॑वत्त॒न्वी॒ पी॒ता भा᳚स्वत्य॒णूप॑मा ।
nī̠latō̍-yada̍madhya̠sthā̠-dvi̠dhyullē̍khēva̠ bhāsva̍rā ।
nī̠vāra̠śūka̍vatta̠nvī̠ pī̠tā bhā̎svatya̠ṇūpa̍mā ।
Like a lightning bolt in the midst of dark-blue rain clouds, like the slender yellow stalk of the nivarashuka grass — minute, radiant, shining.
तस्या᳚-श्शिखा॒या म॑ध्ये प॒रमा᳚त्मा व्य॒वस्थि॑तः ।
स ब्रह्म॒ स शिव॒-स्स हरि॒-स्सेन्द्र॒-स्सो-ऽक्ष॑रः पर॒म-स्स्व॒राट् ॥
tasyā̎-śśikhā̠yā ma̍dhyē pa̠ramā̎tmā vya̠vasthi̍taḥ ।
sa brahma̠ sa śiva̠-ssa hari̠-ssēndra̠-ssō-'kṣa̍raḥ para̠ma-ssva̠rāṭ ॥
In the centre of that flame dwells the supreme Self (Paramatma). He is Brahma, he is Shiva, he is Hari (Vishnu), he is Indra, he is the imperishable, the supreme, the self-luminous sovereign.
ऋतग्ं स॒त्य-म्प॑र-म्ब्र॒ह्म॒ पु॒रुष॑-ङ्कृष्ण॒पिङ्ग॑लम् ।
ऊ॒र्ध्वरे॑तं-विँ॑रूपा॒क्षं॒-विँ॒श्वरू॑पाय॒ वै नमो॒ नमः॑ ॥
ṛtagṃ sa̠tya-mpa̍ra-mbra̠hma̠ pu̠ruṣa̍-ṅkṛṣṇa̠piṅga̍lam ।
ū̠rdhvarē̍taṃ vi̍rūpā̠kṣa̠ṃ vi̠śvarū̍pāya̠ vai namō̠ nama̍ḥ ॥
Truth, the supreme Brahman, the Purusha — dark and tawny in hue; the upward-semen, the formless-eyed, the universal-formed — salutations, salutations to him.
ओ-न्ना॒रा॒य॒णाय॑ वि॒द्महे॑ वासुदे॒वाय॑ धीमहि ।
तन्नो॑ विष्णुः प्रचो॒दया᳚त् ॥
ō-nnā̠rā̠ya̠ṇāya̍ vi̠dmahē̍ vāsudē̠vāya̍ dhīmahi ।
tannō̍ viṣṇuḥ prachō̠dayā̎t ॥
We meditate on Narayana; we contemplate Vasudeva. May Vishnu inspire and illuminate us.
ॐ शान्ति॒-श्शान्ति॒-श्शान्तिः॑ ॥
ōṃ śānti̠-śśānti̠-śśānti̍ḥ ॥
Om — peace, peace, peace.
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