Birth According to the
Vamana Purana, Nara-Narayana were sons of
Dharma, the son of
Brahma and his wife Murti (daughter of
Daksha), or Ahimsa. They helped defeat the demons in the
Churning of the Milky Ocean and Nara was given the elixir for safeguarding by
Indra. They lived in
Badrinath, where they performed
tapas for a thousand years. Once, the sages Nara-Narayana were meditating in the holy shrine of Badrinath situated in the
Himalayas. Their penances and austerities alarmed the devas, and so
Indra, the King of the
devas, sent
Kamadeva,
Rati,
Vasanta (spring), and various
apsaras (nymphs) such as
Menaka and
Rambha to inspire them with erotic passion, and disturb their devotions. The sage Narayana took a flower and placed it on his thigh. Immediately, a beautiful nymph sprang forth. whose charms far excelled those of the apsaras, causing them to return to
heaven filled with shame and vexation. Narayana sent this nymph to Indra with the apsaras. Since she been produced from the thigh (Ūru in
Sanskrit) of the sage, she was called
Urvashi. Having sent back the apsaras, the divine sages continued to meditate.
Conflict with Shiva According to the
Mahabharata,
Shiva's
trishula, after laying waste to
Daksha's yajna, travelled to the
Badarikāśrama, where it pierced the chest of Narayana, who had been engaged in a penance. By the force of the utterance of the sound 'Hum', produced by Narayana, the trident was subsequently ejected from his chest and returned to Shiva, who was then determined to slay the sages. Nara is stated to have plucked a blade of grass from the earth, which became an axe, and discharged it towards the destroyer deity. Shiva is described to have broken this axe. In
Shaiva tradition, the sage Narayana performed great penances at the holy spot of Badarikāśrama, propitiating Shiva, and becoming invincible.
Badrinath According to the
Bhagavata Purana, "There in Badrikashram (
Badrinath) the Personality of Godhead (
Vishnu), in his incarnation as the sages Nara and Narayana, had been undergoing great penance since time immemorial for the welfare of all living entities." (3.4.22). It is mentioned in the Mahabharata and Puranas that Nara, representing the human soul, and Narayana, the divine lord, performed austerities on Mount Gandhamadana, in Badrinath. Two mountains in the Himalayas near Badrinath are named Nara and Narayana. In
Badrinath Temple's sanctorum, Nara and Narayana are next to Badri-Narayana.
Arjuna-Krishna ,
Arjuna at
Kurukshetra. Krishna gives the discourse of the
Bhagavad Gita. 18-19th century painting. Freer Sackler Gallery.
Arjuna and
Krishna are often referred to as Nara-Narayana in the
Mahabharata, and are also considered reincarnations of Nara and Narayana respectively, according to the
Devi Bhagavata Purana. According to Bhandarkar, the deities of Nara-Narayana must have been very popular at the time of the composition of the
Mahabharata, since in the opening stanzas of various
parvas (constituent books) of the epic, obeisance is made to these two devas. In
Vana Parva (12. 46, 47), Krishna says to Arjuna, "O invincible one, you are Nara and I am Hari Narayana, and we, the sages Nara-Narayana, have come to this world at the proper time.." In the same Parva, chapter 40 (verse 1);
Shiva says to Arjuna — "In former birth you were Nara and with Narayana as your companion, performed austerities for thousands of years at Badari". The Mahabharata suggests that by saluting Krishna (the omniscient Narayana), his friend and the highest of all male beings Arjuna,
Saraswati, and
Vyasa, the orator, and destroying demonic possessions, and conquering the conscience, one should recite the epic Mahabharata. ==Veneration==