Narayanam Namaskritya Shlok Meaning

The above audio gives you the meaning of the shlok Narayanam namaskritya in a simple and lucid language.

नारायणं नमस्कृत्य नरं चैव नरोत्तमम्।
देवीं सरस्वतीं व्यासं ततो जयमुदीरयेत्।

naaraayanam namaskri'tya naram chaiva narottamam.
deveem sarasvateem vyaasam tato jayamudeerayet.

This shloka appears at the beginning of the Puranas and also at several places in Mahabharata. Let us look at the meaning of this shloka.

It says - before narrating Jaya, you should offer Namaskaras to Narayana, Nara-Narayana, Saraswati Devi, and Vyasa.

Jaya means the Puranas, and Mahabharata.

Narayana

He is the Lord of the universes. He is beginningless and endless. It is from him the universes are born. It is in him the universes dissolve back. He controls all the universes. Namaskaras to him.

Nara-Narayana

The twin sages famous for their tapas, tyaga, and vairagya. Places like Naimisharanya, and Pushkar became holy tirthas because Nara-Narayana observed tapas there.

Once, Indra sent apsaras to distract them from their tapas. They failed. Nara-Narayana produced a number of apsaras from their own thighs and said: You don't need to send them to us; if we wanted, we can create them on our own. That much is their power. Namaskaras to Nara and Narayana.

Saraswati Devi

Her body is made up of Sanskrit alphabets. Her presence is there whenever words are written or spoken. She is the Goddess of knowledge. Namaskaras to her.

Vyasa

Vyasa is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He is the author of the 18 Mahapuranas, and Mahabharata. Namaskaras to him.

Such salutations at the beginning of holy books are called Mangalacharanam. This is done to ward off obstacles during their narration or reading.

Click below to listen to Hare Krishna Hare Rama Mantra 

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi