Philosophy of Narayaniyam: (Study, Text and Sloka Index)

Narayaniyam of Narayana Bhattatiri is a household name in Kerala. Even in Kerala where the book is so popular it is considered as a bhakti-kavya mainly. At first it appears to be a mere description mainly of Lord Krsna and His Lilas and a work of bhakti towards the Lord of Guruvayur. The more you read, the philosophy behind each expression dawns on you. This has been beautifully brought out by Dr. Dharma. She has done a thorough study of this book and has brought out in her work the concepts of Brahman, Jiva, Jatat, Maya etc. as depicted by the author Narayana Bhattatiri with a comparative study of these concepts in the Vedas, Upanisads, and later philosophical works, mainly Advaitic works. She has also dealt in details with the concept of Bhakti in earlier texts and compared it with the Bhakti depicted in Narayaniyam.

That the Narayaniya text is published along with this study is very commendable as it provides ready reference to the original text and also helps the reader to appreciate the beauty of the text.

About the Author:

Dr. (Mrs.) Dharma, born on 3.1.1945 at Khairpur (Ghaziabad) in Uttar Pradesh. She started her education in the rural background of the village. Daughter of a farmer, Late Shri Raghunandan Prasad Sharma eager to graduate her only child. She finished her primary Education in Khairpur. Later, she was brought to Delhi for further education . She did her Sanskrit from Indra-Prastha College, University of Delhi in 1967 and 1970 respectively. She did her Ph.D. in 1983 from University of Delhi. Throughout a scholar-ship holder, she has to her credit a number of published articles in Sanskrit, Hindi and English. She has participated in various seminars. Presently, Reader in the Department of Sanskrit, Lakshmibai College, she has been teaching there for the last twenty five years.