Maa Kali dressed with lights, flowers, and the scythe of the shrine.

Sacred Learning

Oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya

Aṣṭākṣarī; public Vaiṣṇava nāma.

Aṣṭākṣarī; public Vaiṣṇava nāma.

Canonical source text

ॐ नमो नारायणाय

IAST transliteration

oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya

Close translation

Oṃ. Salutation to Nārāyaṇa.

Reader-friendly meaning

Eight syllables of bowing to the one who rests on the waters and in the human heart.

Meenananda editorial explanation

A public Vaiṣṇava nāma. Initiation-mantras of a sampradāya remain with that lineage; this page keeps the open eight syllables.

Practice context

Recite as household Vaiṣṇava custom allows.

Word meanings

  • नारायणाय — to Nārāyaṇa

Public aṣṭākṣarī; Sanskrit public domain. Sanskrit: public domain. Foundation translations: CC BY-SA 4.0.