The Narayaneeyam, a great Sanskrit epic, is a brilliant condensation in 1036 shlokams of the great epic Bhaagavatham composed by Vyaasa.

The central theme of Narayaneeyam is Bhakti (devotion). In literary merit, the Narayaneeyam holds pride of place in Sanskrit poetry.

According to legend, Bhattathiri acquired the dreaded condition of paralysis, voluntarily, by praying to the Lord Krishna, for transferring the disease to him from his teacher of Sanskrit grammar, Achyuta Pisharoty, who had been suffering from it, thereby relieving his Guru from the ailment. Subsequently, Bhattathiri had himself carried to the temple of Lord Krishna at Guruvayur, and lying prostrate before the Lord, he sought shelter and relief at the Lord's Lotus-Feet.