Narayaniyam Dashaka 100

Overview

Narayaniyam Dashaka 100 is the concluding ten-verse section of the Narayaniyam, composed by Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri in the 16th century CE. This dashaka, titled "Bhagavatah Keshadipada Varnanam" (Description of the Lord from Head to Foot), offers a detailed meditative description of Lord Narayana's divine form as worshipped at Guruvayur, guiding the devotee through each aspect of the deity's appearance. As the final dashaka of the complete 1,000-verse work, it serves as both a culmination of the Narayaniyam's devotional narrative and a meditation text for visualization practice.

What are the benefits of chanting Narayaniyam Dashaka 100?

• Supports visualization and meditation on the full divine form of Lord Narayana
• Purifies the mind and deepens devotional concentration
• Marks the completion of a full recitation of the Narayaniyam
• Is associated with the grace of Lord Guruvayurappan for healing and liberation

When is the best time to recite this?

The dashaka is recited in the morning and evening. It is particularly significant on Guruvayur Ekadashi and during the annual Narayaniyam recitation festivals. Devotees who complete the full 100-dashaka recitation often conclude with this section.

What is the historical and traditional background?

Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri completed the Narayaniyam at the Guruvayur temple in Kerala, with this final dashaka representing the culmination of the 100-day composition. The work as a whole condenses the Srimad Bhagavatam into 1,000 Sanskrit verses while maintaining Advaita Vedanta philosophical principles. The concluding dashaka's head-to-foot description of the deity follows a long tradition of divyanga varnanam (description of the divine form) in Sanskrit devotional poetry. The text continues to be recited daily at the Guruvayur temple.

Available scripts

This text is available in 14 scripts: devanagari, tamil, telugu, kannada, malayalam, gujarati, bengali, iast, gurmukhi, oriya, assamese, sinhala, itrans, hk. Use the script selector above to switch between them.

Related Texts

• Narayaniyam Dashaka 1 — the opening dashaka of the same work that introduces the nature of Brahman and frames the devotional project of the Narayaniyam
• Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram — the thousand-name hymn that shares the same tradition of enumerating the divine qualities of Lord Vishnu-Narayana