Overview
Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण, IAST: Nārāyaṇa) is one of the principal forms and epithets of the Hindu deity Vishnu. Within Vaishnava traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Being, also addressed by the title Purushottama, meaning the highest among beings.
In iconography associated with this form, the deity is most often depicted reclining in yogic slumber upon the celestial ocean. This imagery represents the masculine principle of existence and is closely linked to the role of creation in Hindu cosmological thought.
The name Narayana appears across a wide range of Sanskrit texts and is invoked in Vaishnava devotional and philosophical traditions, where it is associated with the supreme, all-pervading reality from which the cosmos unfolds. The form thus combines two ideas: the transcendent source of creation and the meditative, restful aspect of the deity prior to and during the manifestation of the universe.
References
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article on Narayana.