Some Aspects of the Worship of Nārāyaṇa (II)

Summary

This is the second instalment of a study of the worship of Nārāyaṇa, the supreme deity of the Vaiṣṇava tradition. Building on the first part’s survey of early scriptural references, the author here turns to ritual practice and iconography. The article opens by analysing Vedic and Brāhmaṇical passages in which the epithet “Nārāyaṇa” denotes the cosmic person and explores how those passages informed later devotional theology. It then examines Purāṇic narratives that identify Nārāyaṇa with Viṣṇu and describe his avatāras. Special attention is paid to texts celebrating Nārāyaṇa as the refuge of devotees and the source of liberation, such as the Nārāyaṇīya section of the Mahābhārata and the Pāñcarātra Āgamas. The middle sections of the paper discuss ritual observances. The author describes the elaborate pūjā performed in Vaiṣṇava temples, including the bathing, dressing and feeding of the image, and the recitation of mantras like the eight‑syllabled oṁ namo nārāyaṇāya. He contrasts these temple rites with the simpler household worship practised by lay devotees. Attention is also given to the role of pilgrimage to sacred sites associated with Nārāyaṇa, particularly the Himalayan shrine of Badrinath and the temples of South India. The article notes that many of these practices incorporate elements from older non‑Vaiṣṇava cults, illustrating the syncretic nature of devotional religion. In its concluding section the paper explores philosophical interpretations of Nārāyaṇa in the Bhakti and Viśiṣṭādvaita traditions, underscoring how the worship of a personal god coexists with sophisticated metaphysics. Overall, the article portrays Nārāyaṇa worship as a living tradition that combines ritual, myth and theology in a dynamic synthesis.