Narayana is an important Sanskrit name for Lord Vishnu. The word Narayana means `he whose place of abiding was the deep.`

The waters are called Nara, because they were the offspring of Nara, the supreme spirit. According as in them his first, Ayana, progressed in the character of Brahma he took the place and then he is named as Narayana.

Narayana is also recognized as the original man, Purusha. In the Puranas there is a different view on Narayana. In the Kumara Purana he is celebrated with Brahman and Krishna-Vishnu. On the other hand in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana Narayana is considered different from Krishna and also considered part of Krishna.

In the epic Mahabharata, Krishna is often referred to as Narayana and Arjuna as Nara. Both are said to be the incarnation of Vishnu and are termed as Nara-Narayana.

Narayana is also a name of a sage who was the son of Dharma and Murtti.

Again, Narayana is the name of a prince. He is said to be the son of Bhumimitra, of the Kanwa dynasty.

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