Tales of Nara and Narayana - The twin brothers
Nara and Narayana - The twin brothers
Nara-Narayana, are revered as twin sage-brothers in vedic tradition in Nepal and elsewhere. They are regarded as a partial incarnation of Lord Vishnu. According to scriptures, Nara and Narayana were born as the sons of Dharma and Murti (Dharma is the son of Lord Bramha and Murti is the daughter of Prajapati Dakshya).
Nara and Narayana performed intense penance high in the Himalayas. The Machapuchhre Himal in Nepal is traditionally believed to be the place where they meditated. Nara had a fair complexion, while Narayana’s was dark. Their severe austerities made them sweat: Nara’s sweat was white and collected to form the river now called the Seti (the “white” river) in Nepal, while Narayana’s dark sweat pooled and became the river known today as the Madi (the “black” river).
Because Nara and Narayana were twin brothers, their rivers are often called the twin rivers. Both flow southward from the Himalayas and finally meet at Damauli in Tanahun District. Their confluence encloses a small island that is highly significant in both historical and puranic traditions. Puranic accounts identify that very island between the Seti and Madi is the birthplace of the divine sage, Maharshi Vedavyasa.


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