श्रीमद् नारायणीयम् — दशकम् ८, श्लोक १३
अस्मिन्परात्मन्ननु पाद्मकल्पे
त्वमित्थमुत्थापितपद्मयोनिः ।
अनन्तभूमा मम रोगराशिं
निरुन्धि वातालयवास विष्णो ॥१३॥
Asmin parātman nanu pādmakalpe
tvamitthamutthāpitapadmayoniḥ |
anantabhūmā mama rogarāśiṃ
nirundhi vātālayavāsa viṣṇo ||13||
'O Supreme Self! In this Padma-kalpa You thus caused the lotus-born Brahma to arise. O Lord of infinite greatness, You who dwell in Vatalaya (Guruvayur), O Vishnu — please destroy the whole mass of my diseases.' The verse recalls the cosmic moment when Vishnu, reclining on the waters of dissolution, brought forth Brahma from the lotus of his navel, and on the strength of that boundless creative power, the poet Narayana Bhattathiri prays for complete healing of his own ailments.
The Narayaneeyam is a devotional masterpiece of 1036 verses composed by Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri in the 16th century at the Guruvayur temple in Kerala, condensing the Bhagavata Purana into 100 dashakams (decads) addressed to Lord Guruvayurappa. This single verse — Dashakam 8, Verse 13 — is especially revered as a healing prayer, traditionally recommended by the sages of Kanchi for relief from serious illness when recited with faith 108 times daily over a sustained period.
This sloka is recited above all as a prayer for healing — for freedom from disease and physical suffering — surrendering the body and its ailments to the infinite power of Vishnu who creates and sustains the cosmos. Devotees chant it during illness, before and after treatment, and as a protective daily prayer for health. Its deeper benefit is the cultivation of saranagati (total surrender) and unwavering faith in the Lord's grace.
As a healing prayer to Vishnu, this verse supports the Sun (Surya), the karaka of vitality and health, and is invoked when the 6th house (disease), its lord, or the lagna and its lord are afflicted, signalling chronic ill-health. Vishnu worship also strengthens a weak Jupiter (Guru), the natural benefic of well-being and protection. It is a recommended remedy during difficult dashas affecting health and during recovery from illness.
After bathing, sit before an image of Vishnu or Guruvayurappa and light a lamp. Recite the verse with focused faith, traditionally 108 times using a tulasi mala, ideally for a sustained period (such as 45 days). Offer tulasi leaves and pray for the health of oneself or the ailing person. Concentration and unwavering faith are emphasised as essential.
Recite daily in the early morning after bathing; Ekadashi and Wednesday are especially auspicious for Vishnu worship. For healing intentions, consistent daily recitation over a fixed sankalpa (vow) period is more important than a single occasion.
It was composed by Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri in the 16th century at the Guruvayur temple, as a condensed devotional retelling of the Bhagavata Purana. The text is in the public domain.
In Dashakam 8 the poet, suffering physical ailments, surrenders his diseases to Vishnu's infinite power. The verse has long been recommended by revered teachers as a prayer for relief from illness when chanted with faith.
Tradition recommends reciting it 108 times daily, often for a sustained period such as 45 days, with sincere faith and a clear intention for healing.
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Narayana Bhattathiri's surrender and the tradition of healing through Narayaneeyam
The Narayaneeyam, composed by the Kerala scholar-devotee Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri in the sixteenth century, stands as one of the most extraordinary devotional works in Sanskrit literature — a condensation of the entire Bhagavata Purana into a thousand verses, offered to Guruvayurappan (Vishnu at the Guruvayur temple in Kerala) as an act of surrender during a period of serious illness. The thirteenth verse of the eighth Dasakam has become particularly renowned as a healing prayer, and the tradition of its origin — a great scholar laying aside his learning and crying out to the Lord in helplessness — gives it an emotional power that no theological formulation could replicate. It is a verse born not from strength but from complete surrender.
Devotees recite this verse during illness or in any period of vulnerability, believing that the Lord of Guruvayur remains equally present and responsive today. It is traditionally chanted on Ekadashi and on Saturdays in Kerala's Vishnu temples, and many families include it in daily prayer during difficult times. In the Jyotish tradition, health and recovery are associated with the sixth house and the Sun; devotees believe that sincere devotional surrender to Vishnu, as this verse embodies, supports the inner conditions from which healing flows. Its enduring appeal is its humanity: the prayer of one who found, in exhaustion, the doorway to grace.