n of him called Nara-Narayana, and images of the pair may
still be seen in Vishnuite temples. They are said to have revealed the
true doctrine to Narada and are invoked at the beginning of each book
of the Mahabharata.[490] One of the main theses of the Narayaniya[491]
is the identity of Narayana and Vasudeva, the former being a Brahmanic,
the latter a non-Brahmanic name for the Deity.

The celebrated Bhagavad-gita[492] which is still held in such respect
that, like the New Testament or Koran, it is used in law courts for
the administration of oaths, is an early scripture of the Bhagavata
sect. In it the doctrines of Krishna's divinity, the power of faith
and the efficacy of grace are fully established. It is declared to be
too hard for flesh and blood to find by meditation their way to the
eternal imperceptible spirit, whereas Krishna comes straightway to
those who make him their sole desire. "Set thy heart on me, become my
devotee, sacrifice to me and worship thou me. Then shalt thou come to
me. Truly I declare to thee thou art dear to me. Leave all (other)
religious duties and come to me as thy sole refuge. I will deliver
thee from thy sins. Sorrow not." But the evolution of Sankarshana,
etc., is not mentioned. The poem has perhaps been re-edited and
interpolated several times but the strata can hardly be distinguished,
for the whole work, if not exactly paradoxical, is eclectic and
continually argues that what is apparently highest is not best for a
particular person. The Hindus generally regard the contemplative life
as the highest, but the Bhagavad-gita is insistent in enjoining
unselfish action: it admits that the supreme reality cannot be grasped
by the mind or expressed in speech, but it recommends the worship of a
personal deity. Even the older parts of the poem appear to be
considerably later than Buddhism. But its mythology, if not Vedic, is
also hardly Puranic and it knows nothing of the legends about the
pastoral Krishna. It presupposes the Sankhya and Yoga, though in
what stage of development it is hard to say, and in many respects its
style resembles the later Upanishads. I should suppose that it assumed
its present form about the time of the Christian era, rather before
than after, and I do not think it owes anything to direct Christian
influence. In its original form it may have been considerably older.

The Bhagavad-gita identifies Krishna with Vasudeva and with Vishnu
but does not mention Narayana a