ನಾರಾಯಣಂ ನಮಸ್ಕೃತ್ಯ – ಅರ್ಥ – Meaning

1. Shloka in Kannada

ನಾರಾಯಣಂ ನಮಸ್ಕೃತ್ಯ ನರಂ ಚೈವ ನರೋತ್ತಮಮ್ ।
ದೇವೀಂ ಸರಸ್ವತೀಂ ವ್ಯಾಸಂ ತತೋ ಜಯ-ಮುದೀರಯೇತ್ ॥

2. Shloka in Devanagari

नारायणं नमस्कृत्य नरं चैव नरोत्तमम् ।
देवीं सरस्वतीं व्यासं ततः जयमुदीरयेत् ॥

3. Shloka in IAST Format

nārāyaṇaṃ namaskṛtya naraṃ caiva narottamam ।
devīṃ sarasvatīṃ vyāsaṃ tato jaya-mudīrayet ॥

4. Word-by-Word Meanings

• ನಾರಾಯಣಂ (नारायणम्, nārāyaṇam) = ನಾರಾಯಣ (Narayana, the Supreme Being, Lord Vishnu)
• ನಮಸ್ಕೃತ್ಯ (नमस्कृत्य, namaskṛtya) = ನಮನ ಮಾಡಿ (Having saluted or bowed to)
• ನರಂ (नरम्, naram) = ನರ (Nara, the sage, representing the ideal human)
• ಚೈವ (चैव, caiva) = ಹಾಗೂ (And also)
• ನರೋತ್ತಮಮ್ (नरोत्तमम्, narottamam) = ನರರಲ್ಲಿ ಉತ್ತಮನು (the best among humans, often referring to Arjuna)
• ದೇವೀಂ (देवीं, devīm) = ದೇವಿ (the goddess, here referring to Saraswati)
• ಸರಸ್ವತೀಂ (सरस्वतीम्, sarasvatīm) = ಸರಸ್ವತಿ (Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom)
• ವ್ಯಾಸಂ (व्यासम्, vyāsam) = ವ್ಯಾಸ (Vyasa, the sage who composed the Mahabharata and the Vishnu Sahasranama)
• ತತೋ (ततः, tataḥ) = ನಂತರ (Then)
• ಜಯ-ಮುದೀರಯೇತ್ (जयमुदीरयेत्, jaya-mudīrayet) = ಜಯ (ಮಹಾಭಾರತ) ವನ್ನು ಪಠಿಸಬೇಕು (One should recite Jaya – the other name for Mahabharata in which Vishnu Sahasranama appears)

5. Full Kannada Meaning

ನಾರಾಯಣ, ನರ, ನರೋತ್ತಮ, ದೇವಿ ಸರಸ್ವತಿ ಮತ್ತು ವ್ಯಾಸರಿಗೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ ಮಾಡಿ, ನಂತರ ಜಯವನ್ನು ಪಠಿಸಬೇಕು. “ಜಯ” ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಮಹಾಭಾರತದ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಹೆಸರು.

6. Full Meaning in Simple English

Having bowed to Narayana, Nara (the great sage), the best among humans, the goddess Saraswati, and Vyasa, one should then begin to recite the Mahabharata.

Additional Notes:

This shloka is traditionally recited at the beginning of the Vishnu Sahasranama or the Mahabharata to invoke divine blessings and guidance. It acknowledges and pays respect to the deities and sages integral to the creation and understanding of these sacred texts.

This shloka appears in: Vishnu Sahasranama