nAraNa_n, the tamil word for nArAyaNa (was: Vishnu)

[R Srinivasan]

White, associated with creation, is attributed to Brhma first and then as
the Creator role is given to Narayana, the very Cause of the Creator,
toNarayana as well.

-----Original Message-----
From: Indology [mailto:INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK]On Behalf Of Luis
Gonzalez-Reimann
Sent: Saturday, December 16, 2000 6:03 AM
To: INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK
Subject: Re: nAraNa_n, the tamil word for nArAyaNa (was: Vishnu)


At 12:25 PM 12/13/2000 +0000, N. Ganesan wrote:

>Are there any shlokams from
>Sanskrit texts where Narayana is said to be white?

It is very common in Sanskrit texts to associate NArAyaNa's color with the
different yugas. He is white in KRta and black in Kali. The obvious
implication is that white is the best color and black the worst.
See the MahAbhArata, 3.148.16, 23, 26, 33 and 3.187.31. This is also stated
by BhAsa at the very the beginning of his BAlacarita (where it is said that
NArAyaNa's body was the color of milk or conch in the KRta Yuga
-zaGkha-kSIra-vapus). This idea is then repeated in later PurANas.

Best,

Luis Gonzalez-Reimann
University of California, Berkeley