The Definitive Vedic Statement
The Nārāyaṇa Sūkta (from the Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad / Taittirīya Āraṇyaka 10th chapter of the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda) is the Vedic text most directly establishing Nārāyaṇa's identity as the Supreme Brahman. Key declarations:
nārāyaṇaṃ mahājñeyaṃ viśvātmānaṃ parāyaṇam — "Nārāyaṇa is the greatest to be known, the self of the universe, the final refuge."
patim viśvasyātmeśvaraṃ śāśvataṃ śivam acyutam — "The lord of the universe, the self-lord, eternal, auspicious, unfailing."
nārāyaṇaḥ paro'vyaktād aṇḍam avyaktasambhavam — "Nārāyaṇa is beyond the unmanifest (pradhāna), from the unmanifest arose the cosmic egg..."
The Brahman Identification
Rāmānuja's Śrī Bhāṣyam cites the Nārāyaṇa Sūkta as direct Vedic testimony that Brahman = Nārāyaṇa specifically. The text names Nārāyaṇa as the Supreme, the inner self of all beings, and the controller of all gods — making it the strongest Vedic basis for the Viśiṣṭādvaita claim.
In Daily Practice
The Nārāyaṇa Sūkta is recited daily as part of the morning liturgy in Sri Vaishnava homes. Along with the Puruṣa Sūkta and Śrī Sūkta, it forms the triad of essential Vedic texts for Sri Vaishnava worship — establishing the nature of the Lord, his Divine Consort, and their cosmic manifestation.