Nārāyaṇī and Nārāyaṇa: Kālī as Supreme Śakti
Episode 3 of the Kālī–Kṛṣṇa Sahasranāma Series
In the previous episode, we examined a striking point of contact: Kālī is called Kṛṣṇa in the Adya MahaKali Sahasranaama, while Kṛṣṇa is the opening name of the Kṛṣṇa Sahasranāma.
This episode takes the comparison one step further:
Nārāyaṇī and Nārāyaṇa.
Kālī Sahasranāma
In the Adya MahaKali Sahasranaama, Maa Adya Kālī is given the name:
№57 — NĀRĀYAṆĪ
The name Nārāyaṇī is the feminine form associated with Nārāyaṇa. In a Śākta framework, this opens an important theological question: if Nārāyaṇa represents the Supreme Divine, what does it mean for Kālī to be named Nārāyaṇī?
Kṛṣṇa Sahasranāma
Our fixed Kṛṣṇa text contains the corresponding name:
№994 — NĀRĀYAṆA
The name appears near the conclusion of the Sahasranāma:
गोविन्दाय । योगिनां पतये । वसुदेवात्मजाय । … दयानिधये । नारायणाय । यज्ञमूर्तये…
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Thus Nārāyaṇa is №994 in this particular Kṛṣṇa Sahasranāmāvaliḥ.
The Comparison
Adya Kālī SahasranāmaKṛṣṇa SahasranāmaNārāyaṇī — №57Nārāyaṇa — №994Feminine formMasculine formŚākta contextKṛṣṇa/Vaiṣṇava context
The comparison is interesting precisely because the names are not identical in grammatical form.
Nārāyaṇa and Nārāyaṇī can be read as masculine and feminine expressions connected by the same theological root.
For a Śākta interpretation, Nārāyaṇī can point toward the Śakti of Nārāyaṇa. For a Vaiṣṇava interpretation, Nārāyaṇa is a name of the Supreme Divine.
Does this mean that Kālī and Kṛṣṇa are therefore identical?
Not by this name alone.
But it gives us another textual bridge.
The question becomes deeper:
If one tradition names the Supreme Goddess Nārāyaṇī, while another names Kṛṣṇa Nārāyaṇa, could the masculine–feminine distinction be understood as a distinction of divine expression rather than two independent ultimate realities?
That question will remain open as we continue comparing the names.
Primary References
Kālī: Adya MahaKali Sahasranaama
Kṛṣṇa: Śrī Kṛṣṇa Sahasranāmāvaliḥ
🔱 KALIPUTRA MISSION — ADYA SENA
HAR GHAR KALI GHAR GHAR KALI.
🙏🌺 Jai Maa Kālī.
