'Jalashaayee Narayana' is Paramarthika Nirguna Brahman - Brahma and Markandeya Purana

[V Subrahmanian]

ब्रह्मपुराणम्/अध्यायः १८०

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ज्ञानस्वरूपमत्यन्तं निर्मलं परमार्थतः।

तमेवार्थस्वरूपेण भ्रान्तिदर्शनतः स्थितम्।। १८०.११ ।।

This Supreme Lord is pure and pristine Consciousness from the ultimate transcendental point of view. It is that Consciousness that the ignorant see as the world due to delusion.

[This verse is also found in the Vishnu Purana:

विष्णुपुराणम्/प्रथमांशः/अध्यायः २

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ज्ञानस्वरूपमत्यन्तनिर्मलं परमार्थतः ।

तमेवार्थस्वरूपेण भ्रान्तिदर्शनतः स्थितम् ॥६॥ ]

येन सृष्टिं समुद्दिश्य धर्माद्याः प्रकटीकृताः।

आपो नारा इति प्रोक्ता मुनिभिस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः।। १८०.१६ ।।

Who is that Narayana for the purpose of creation by whom Dharma, etc, were manifested?

Water is called 'Naara' by sages who are Seers of the Truth.

अयनं तस्य ताः पूर्वं तेन नारायणः स्मृतः।

स देवो भगवान्सर्वं व्याप्य नारायणो विभुः।। १८०.१७ ।।

This water is the adhisthana/aadhar, support/abode/locus for that Lord. Hence he is known as 'Narayana'.

चतुर्धा संस्थितो ब्रह्मा सगुणो निर्गुणस्तथा।

एका मूर्तिरनुद्देश्या शुक्लां पश्यन्ति तां बुधाः।। १८०.१८ ।।

This Brahmna is Saguna in four forms (Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha) and Nirguna in Paramarthika rupa. Wise people see all these four as one Abhinna Murti, undifferentiated One.

वासुदेवाभिधानाऽसौ निर्ममत्वेन दृश्यते।
रूपवर्णादयस्तस्या न भावाः कल्पनामयाः।। १८०.२० ।।

Form, complexion, etc. are not real for that Vasudeva Murti; they are all imagined.

The mnemonic for Narayana as 'Jalashaayee' is given above in this same Purana. There are many places, even in the Manu smriti, where there is an etymological verse for the term 'Narayana'

Sayanacharya quotes this verse in his commentary on the well-known Narayana Sukta of the Mahanarayana Upanishad of the Taittiriya Aranyaka of the Krishna Yajurveda. He says that this Narayana is not any formed deity. This view corresponds to the Brahma purana mentioned above. A portion of this commentary is given below. (See the images).

So Veda Vyasa has accepted the Advaitic view alone that 'Jalashaayee Narayana' is Nirguna Brahman. This is very detrimental to other schools.

In this Upanishad (Sukta) Narayana is stated to be 'Param Brahma'. Therefore, Sayanacharya has expressed the opinion of Veda Vyasa that it is not a formed deity because it is not a-para Brahman (as distinct from the Para Brahman which is Nirguna Brahman.)

Some verses from the Brahma Purana are also found in the Markandeya Purana:

मार्कण्डेयपुराणम्/अध्यायः ००१‌-००५

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Om

Sayana bhashya for Narayana sukta: