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In the wiki article, it was stated as follows:

In terms of theology, Ramanujacharya puts forth the view that both the Supreme Goddess Lakshmi and Supreme God Narayana together constitute Brahman - the Absolute. Sri Lakshmi is the female personification of Brahman and Narayana is the male personification of Brahman, but they are both inseparable, co-eternal, co-absolute and are always substantially one. Thus, in reference to these dual aspects of Brahman, the Supreme is referred to in the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya as Sriman Narayana.


My question is - Where were Lakshmi & Narayana mentioned separately or together, as God Heads, in the Rig Veda ?

Note

I am not expecting answers referring to The Khilāni hymns, or Appendices to Rig Veda

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Since you're asking strictly for Rig Veda, the answer would be in the negative. The word "Narayana" does not even occur in Rig Veda Samhita. The word "Lakshmi" occurs once:

RV 10.71.2:

सक्तुमिव तितउना पुनन्तो यत्र धीरा मनसा वाचमक्रत ।
अत्रा सखायः सख्यानि जानते भद्रैषां लक्ष्मीर्निहिताधि वाचि ॥

Where the wise created Speech with intent focus (or meditation), just like cleaning flour with a sieve, there friends (i.e. wise people) recognized the signs of friendship, in that Speech there is hidden an auspicious meaning (i.e. sign).

The word "Lakshmi" is defined by Yāska as (Niruktam 4.10):

लक्ष्मीर्लाभाद्वा । लक्षणाद्वा । लप्स्यनाद्वा । लाञ्छनाद्वा । लषतेर्वा स्यात्प्रेप्साकर्मणः । लग्यतेर्वा स्यादाश्लेषकर्मणः । लज्जतेर्वा स्यादश्लाघाकर्मणः ।

Lakshmi is called so because of gaining, or because of being a definition, or because of wanting to obtain, or because of being a symbol, or because of desiring, or because of clinging, or because of shyness due to not wanting to praise.

So in an applied meaning combining all of the above, it is possible to see that Lakshmi would be the representative of all the manifested gunas of Narayana.

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    Whatever it may contain, please remove the content from Purana. I asked answer from Rig Veda Aug 15, 2020 at 2:48
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    As far as I understood, the word Narayana does not appear in Rig Veda, except the mention of Rishi Narayana at Purusha Sukta. The word Narayana appears in Taittiriya Aranyaka only. So please don't relate Lakshmi with Narayana. Please remove that portion unless you have something otherwise Aug 15, 2020 at 2:54
  • Purana part is unnecessary/not required. You may want to remove that.
    – TheLittleNaruto
    Aug 15, 2020 at 4:04
  • @SrimannarayanaKV How does additional information hurt? :) I answered your question, and added more information.
    – RamAbloh
    Aug 15, 2020 at 16:08
  • 1
    Thanks. Up voted your answer Aug 15, 2020 at 16:13
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Rig Veda is the source for all subsequent literature, viz, brAhmanAs, Upanishads, EPICs, Puranas, etc, in Spiritual domain in India.

The word Narayana does not appear in Rig Veda, except the mention of Rishi Narayana, in anukramani (p.165 of flipbook), at Purusha Sukta.

The word Narayana appears in Taittiriya Aranyaka (10-1-6) only.

नारायणाय विद्महे, वासुदेवाय धीमहि, तन्नो विष्णु प्रचोदयात् ।।

Vishnu did appear in Rig Veda, but it was used as an epithet to indicate the pervasiveness of the Almighty. The other epithets Indra, Rudra, etc, also used to indicate the same Almighty.

However, the epithet Vishnu is different from the deified Vishnu/Narayana of Puranas.


As indicated in another answer, the word Lakshmi appears in Rig Veda ( 10.71.2), but it indicates quality only but not deified consort of Maha Vishnu in Puranas.

However, Sri Suktam appears in Rg-Veda-Khilani, in which deified Lakshmi was eulogised. As Khilani (appendix) is not a part of Rig Veda, but later date addition, it cannot be accepted as from Rig Veda.


Hence, eulogisation of both Lakshmi and Narayana, as Supreme Goddesss and God and thus concluding that they together constitute Brahman - the Absolute, by Sri Ramanujacharya is wrong.

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  • In India? Or Sanatana Dharma? Could you correct that?
    – TheLittleNaruto
    Aug 16, 2020 at 2:13
  • @TheLittleNaruto: The Veda and all subsequent literature, viz, brAhmanAs, Upanishads, EPICs, Puranas, etc, were composed in India only, though Sanatana Dharma spread the entire world. Aug 16, 2020 at 2:16

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