As a deity name
Name 961 of the Gopal Sahasranāma — Sammohana Tantra, as taught by Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvati
Name 794 of the Krishna Sahasranāma — Mahabharata / Padma Purana, as taught by Sages and Devotees
Name 994 of the Krishna Sahasranāma — Mahabharata / Padma Purana, as taught by Sages and Devotees
Name 284 of the Rama Sahasranāma — Padma Purana / Skanda Purana, as taught by Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvati
As a Hindi name
No reading on this path — this spelling has no entry in our Hindi sources, and no near neighbour is attested there either. We say so rather than invent one.
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
Nom. Ā. ˚yate, to be or act like Nārāyaṇa
Scripturally attested Verified derivationMultiple readings (3)Why this matches what you typed
M1 · same meaning "nārāyaṇāya" is the dative of "nārāyaṇa" — the same word in a different grammatical case.
Dictionary citations
nārāyaṇāya Nom. Ā. ˚yate, to be or act like Nārāyaṇa, Pañc.
nārāyaṇa m. (patr. fr. nara, q.v.) the son of the original Man (with whom he is generally associated, e.g. Mn. i, 10; he is identified with Brahmā, ib. 11 with Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, TĀr.; MBh. &c.; the Apsaras Urvaśī is said to have sprung from his thigh, Hariv. 4601; elsewhere he is regarded as a Kaśyapa or Aṅgirasa, also as chief of the Sādhyas, and with Jainas as the 8th of the 9 black Vāsudevas)
the Puruṣa-hymn (RV. x, 90, said to have been composed by N˚), ŚBr.; ŚāṅkhŚr.
Alternative readings
More than one analysis survives full verification. That ambiguity is real, so we show every reading rather than pick one silently.
Caveats
Sources contain errors and engines have limits; every claim above carries its citation so you can verify it. This is guidance about names and their sources — not religious or astrological consultation. How we work · Our sources