[Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] Narada : The Noble Seer

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna Guruvayurappa !

Dear Vinod,

Fantastic article on Sri Narada. There are several

more wonderful leelas involving Narada Muni which some

of our members can share, I guess.

 

Narada muni has the ultimate good of everyone in

mind. He tries to hasten their meeting with Bhagavan

-whether as a devotee (Prahlada, Dhruva) or as a sworn

enemy (in the case of Hiranyaksha, Kamsa etc) - he

likes to speed up things - to get the person face to

face with the Lord so that he gets bhakti/mukti.

 

He also blessed the sons of Kubera - Nalakuvara &

Manigriva - with a curse that later brought them face

to face with Bhagavan! The sons of Kubera did not

bother when Narada muni arrived in their presence,

because of their intoxication and were cursed by

Narada muni to stand as trees until Lord Krishna would

liberate them. Thus happened the most wonderful leela

of Unni Kannan as Damodara, tied to a grinding

mortar(ural), dragging the mortar along with Him and

pulling down the twin trees & liberating the sons of

Kubera from the curse and conferring on them pure

devotion !! (See what wonders a curse from Narada muni

can do ! Pure devotees of the Lord always bless others

- even their curse is a blessing!)

 

As the article mentions, Narada muni figures in the

three yugas - Satya, Treta, Dwapara. I would like to

draw the attention of all devotees to Sri Narada

Muni's activities in Kali yuga also (!)

 

Saint Tyagaraja (Musical trinity 1767-1847) was a

great devotee of Lord Sri Rama and was a musical

genius too. It is said that Sri Narada is always

playing on his Veena, the sapta swaras (the 7 notes

Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni) - which are in themselves

considered as transcendental and to be used only for

singing transcendental songs. Sri Tyagaraja was

sitting outside his house waiting for any saintly

person to arrive so that he may first feed the guest

before partaking of his own meal. That day, an old

sage arrived at Sri Tyagaraja's house with a small

bundle on his shoulder. Tyagaraja received the guest

with great honour. The guest on his part, kept his

bundle in front of Tyagaraja asking him to take care

of his bundle, while he finishes his bath in the

Kaveri and comes back for lunch. Sri Tyagaraja kindly

followed the instructions of the sage and waited for

him to arrive after bath. But the sage did not arrive

for a long time. Seeing this, Tyagaraja sent his

disciples all over the region to search for the guest

- but nobody could find a trace of the sage. Dejected,

Sri Tyagaraja sat with the bundle in front of him

(without eating or drinking) and as night approached,

dozed off. The sage, on his part, gave darshan to Sri

Tyagaraja in a dream and revealed his true form - as

Narada Muni and said, " Tyagaraja, I am Narada muni. I

personally came to meet you. I have purposely left my

bundle, which is for you - it contains the work on

music called " Swaraarnava " as explained by Lord Siva

to Parvati Devi. Only you are capable to understand

this and assimilate this. Please study this work, and

based on it, compose wonderful songs on Lord Sri

Rama! "

 

Tyagaraja woke up with a start and immediately opened

the bundle. His amazement knew no limits, when he

found the manuscript " Swaraarnava " inside the

bundle!!! He immediately started singing

spontaneously, praising Sri Narada Muni variously in

his songs:

 

Sri Narada Naada(kanada),

Narada guruswami (Durbar).

 

In one of his classic krithis in Raga

Shankarabharanam, (Swara Raga Sudha Rasa yuta bhakti),

Sri Tyagaraja mentions this episode with Narada muni,

thus:

 

" Tyagaraja has been blessed by Narada with a

presentation of a great musical treatise, Svararnava,

which was expounded by Lord Siva to Paravati.

 

Tyagaraja has understood its intracies and has fully

grasped its depth. "

 

No wonder Tyagaraja venerated Sri Narada Muni as his

Guru in six krithis of his.

 

All Glories to Sri Narada Muni !

All Glories to Sri Tyagaraja !

-sriram

==========

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Sree Seetha Ramo Vijayathe Sada Dear Sri. vinod I am very happy to read this mail, and i want to tell u one thing, one more meaning is there for Narada, that is nAAra -= Water Da = who gives (Danam) So the meaning of NAarada is Who gives water, because when Naarada born that time rain came , so Brahma , I think so, put his name as Naarada I got this from ramakrishna Missions Narada Bakthi Suthram. Narayana is Who laid on the water and one more is there who controlls the ayana(journey) of nara(human) And about the monkey story, narada asks swamin to give Sundara Mukham,(good face) in sanskrit sundara has a lot meaning, one of it is Kapi(Monkey), so bagavan

give him kapimukahm, the same think is happend in Ramayana, The sundarakanda is known as sundarakanda because it is the most beutifulkanta in Ramayana, and it is the best part which gives Hanuman very happy and his power,his ability to prove his power and bakthi. Sree seetharamovijayathe Sada Regards and namaskarams Krishnakumar"PS, Vinod K (GE Infra, Energy)" <vinod.ps wrote: !!

Sri Rama Jayam !! Sage Narada was a Maharishi, a renowned teacher, inspirer of poets, counsellor of kings, a divine messenger, and also a notorious ‘mischief-maker’. The word 'Nara' means knowledge useful to mankind and 'Da' means 'a giver'. So 'Narada' means the one who gives knowledge to mankind and imparts right guidance. Narada with a knotted tuft of hair in the center of an otherwise clean-shaven scalp, usually makes his characteristic entry with a Veena (a stringed musical instrument) in his hand and the name of Lord Narayana on his lips: “Narayana, Narayana”! According to Mahabharata, Narada was the son of Kashyap and his mother was one of the daughters of Daksha. Narada is shown as a wandering seer going from one place to another, traversing the whole universe.

He is reputed to have invented the Veena, the principal stringed musical instrument of India and is deemed to be the chief of all the celestial musicians (Gandharvas). He always loved to sing songs praising the glory of the almighty Lord Vishnu (Narayana). He used to traverse around the universe, preaching to people, his words of wisdom and narrating stories of ethical value through his devotional songs, in praise of the almighty preserver of the world: Lord VishnuNarada as ‘Kalaha-Priya’ or Lover of Quarrels Narada is so famous as a mischief-maker and a quarrel-monger, that in India, a mischievous person who always delights in backbiting and indulges in spreading rumors, is symbolically chided as ‘Narada’. Narada had the habit of disclosing to both gods

and demons, the secrets about each other. Gods and demons, eventually, detested each other. Narada's deeds often created trouble and friction among gods, demons and men, and such friction often led to a war in the end. Hence Narada, being a notorious mischief-maker, acquired the name, Kalaha-Priya or the lover of quarrels. How can we call such a person a saint? Was it right that he set people against one another by spreading gossip? But we must remember that Narada's intention was to espouse a good cause. It was his constant desire that bad people should be punished for their deeds, that the haughty ones should learn their lesson soon, and that the good should live happily ever after. Chanting “Narayana, Narayana,” the divine sage Narada went across the three worlds spreading rumors, causing rifts. In Vaikuntha (Lord Vishnu’s Abode), he would regale the Lord with his merry tales. “I described Ahilya’s beauty to Indra until he began lusting for that married woman…Daksha hates Shiva after I reported how Shiva ridicules him…I made Shreedevi jealous of Bhoodevi…I put the fear of death in Kansa’s mind…I praised the pompous Ravana into believing that he was greater than all Gods…” “Why do you do this, Narada?” asked Vishnu. “Do What?” “Cause so much trouble” “I don’t do anything. I merely test their faith in you. If they were your true devotees, would any of them be lustful, wrathful, greedy, envious, frightened or proud?” Vishnu burst out laughing and

blessed his dearest devotee Narada, who kept chanting, “Narayana, Narayana”.Curse on Narada: "May You Wander Like A Vagabond”The children of Dakshabrahma were once instructed by him: "O my children! Observe penance and you will derive strength and spiritual splendor. Later you must get married and lead a contented life." In response to the command of the father, the children went to the Himalayas and commenced a rigorous penance. Narada happened to go there. "O sons of Dakshabrahma, why at all are you observing such a penance? And get married later? There is no joy in married life. You must develop devotion for the Lord. Your aim must be to escape the sorrows of family life. Must you observe penance only to get trapped in misery? Practice renunciation, aspire for deliverance." Saying thus, Narada went

away, advising Daksha’s sons to choose the path of asceticism and not to lead a worldly life. The advice of Narada made a tremendous impact on the minds of the children of Daksha. They took an oath not to marry. This news upset Daksha. His anger knew no bounds. He said to Narada: "O Narada, it was my heart's desire that my children should marry and lead a happy household life. But you interfered and misled them. Don't you have any other occupation? I am cursing you to remain a vagabond eternally!" Narada was not upset by the curse. "All the better indeed! I shall spend all my time wandering and preaching the people the best" he determined. Thus, Narada is shown as a wandering seer always on a journey, as he was condemned by Daksha to lead a roaming life, not staying at one place. Narada as ‘Kapi-Vaktra’ or

Monkey-Faced Narada is also known as Kapi-Vaktra or monkey-faced because once Vishnu changed his face into that of a monkey. This episode makes an interesting study of how God curbs the Ahamkar (Pride) of even the best of seers. It mentions that once Narada’s meditation could not be disturbed even by Kamadeva (the God of Lust). At this victory, Narada was overwhelmed by a feeling of immense pride, unbecoming to a seer. Vishnu decided to teach him a lesson by humbling his pride. He asked his consort Lakshmi to re-incarnate herself as a beautiful daughter of Ambarisha (the then ruler of Ayodhya), by the name of Srimati. She was an embodiment of all good qualities. During one of his usual sojourns, Narada reached the kingdom of Ayodhya, and on seeing the beautiful princess

Srimati, fell in love with her, being attracted by her beauty and wanted to marry her. He secretly disclosed to King Ambarisha his heart's desire. Ambarisha was in a fix. How could he disobey the great sage Narada-Muni for the fear of being cursed by him? So he said to him:"O revered sage, you desire the hand of my daughter. How am I to decide? Well, I shall arrange a Swayamvara. Whomsoever Srimati selects, shall be her husband." Narada approached Lord Shiva to seek his advice as to how to attain the beautiful maiden. Lord Shiva said that he should borrow the same visage as that of Vishnu, which the princess could never resist and would surely garland Narada as her husband. So Narada went to Vaikuntha to consult Vishnu. He narrated to him all that had happened and implored

to him: "O Lord, have mercy on me and do me a favor. At the time of the Swayamvara, please make me look as handsome as you. The Lord smilingly assented but played a trick and gave the face of a monkey to Narada. The day of the Swayamvara came. Not knowing what had happened to his face, Narada reached the Palace where the marriage ceremony was to take place. King Ambarisha led his beautiful daughter Srimati to the dais of the Swayamvara. Srimati blushingly stood before all the prospective suitors with garland in her hand. But she was taken aback when she saw Narada. Her hand trembled. She said: "Father, I can see no Rishi here. Instead I find a man, with a monkey's face.” But just beside him, I find an attractive, handsome man with a lovely smile. He has stretched his right hand as if to beckon me." She garlanded the handsome man

standing beside Narada and all at once, they both vanished into oblivion. The handsome man was none other than Lord Vishnu. Narada was astonished and dismayed. He discovered his monkey-face in the reflection of a pool of water and became enraged. He cursed Vishnu then and there, proclaiming that Vishnu, in one of his earthly re-incarnations would have to bear the pangs of his wife’s imposed separation from him and only a monkey would be able to relieve him of his sufferings. Thus, when Vishnu was born as Rama, Hanuman helped him to free Sita from the clutches of Ravana. But wisdom also dawned on Narada and he realized that Lord Vishnu had taught him a lesson for his conceit and pride. He felt ashamed that he should have even thought of marriage. He took an oath that he would remain a bachelor for life. Narada:

Learning should not be only book-based Once Narada was sitting in Lord Shiva’s court on Mount Kailasa. It was attended by illustrious sages and brahmarishis. Just then Durvasa entered the assembly carrying a huge bundle of books. Although Durvasa was a great saint, he was highly irascible and quick-tempered. Ignoring the august assembly, he went and sat beside Lord Shiva. Shiva asked him smilingly: "Sir, how are your studies progressing?" The saint proudly displayed his bundle of books and said, "I have thoroughly studied these books and I know them by heart." Narada stood up and called Durvasa a donkey carrying a burden of books on his back. Durvasa thundered in wrath. Narada retorted, "There you are! You have not been able to get over your passions in spite of your scholarship. You have

ignored the assembly and gone and sat by Lord Shiva. What good is scholarship without respect, patience and forgiveness? These books are nothing but the burden of a donkey." Durvasa realized his folly, immersed his books into the sea and went for a long penance to seek atonement and self-realization. The Mystical Maya In Devi Bhagwata Purana, it is mentioned that once Narada asked Vishnu about the secret nature of Maya (Illusion). “What is Maya?” asked Narada. “The world is my Maya. He who accepts this, realizes me,” said Vishnu. “Before I explain, will you fetch me some water?” requested the Lord pointing to a

river. Narada did as he was told. But on his way back, he saw a beautiful woman. Smitten by her beauty, he begged the woman to marry him. She agreed. Narada built a house for his wife on the banks of the river. She bore him many children. Loved by his wife, adored by his sons and daughters, Narada forgot all about his mission to fetch water for Vishnu. In time, Narada’s children had children of their own. Surrounded by his grandchildren, Narada felt happy and secure. Nothing could go wrong. Suddenly, dark clouds enveloped the sky. There was thunder, lightning, and rain. The river overflowed, broke its banks and washed away Narada’s house, drowning everyone he loved, everything he possessed. Narada himself was swept away by the

river. “Help, help. Somebody please help me,” he cried. Vishnu immediately stretched out his hand and pulled Narada out of the water. Back in Vaikuntha, Vishnu asked, “Where is my water?” “How can you be so remorseless? How can you ask me for water when I have lost my entire family?” Vishnu smiled. “Calm down, Narada. Tell me, where did your family come from? From Me. I am the only reality, the only entity in the cosmos that is eternal and unchanging. Everything else is an illusion – a mirage, constantly slipping out of one’s grasp.” “You, my greatest devotee, knew that. Yet, enchanted by the pleasures of worldly life, you forgot all about me. You deluded yourself into

believing that your world and your life were all that mattered and nothing else was of any consequence. As per your perspective, the material world was infallible, invulnerable, perfect. That is Maya.” Thus Vishnu dispelled Narada’s illusion, bringing him back to the realm of reality and making him comprehend the power of Maya over man. Narada: The Noble Seer Narada figures in Mahabharata and Krishna stories as the seer who foretold the death of Kamsa at the hands of Krishna. A holy personage and celestial musician, always facilitating the good of the world; engaged in aiding the pious in times of challenge and in hastening the retribution of evil-doers. "Keep your army as well as the weaponry always in readiness...Be kind to your servants in order

to win their hearts...Always be prompt in paying the wages of the soldiers and servants. Never spend more than what you earn. Build lakes and canals and provide the farmers with all facilities." The above words seem like the advice of a modern political pundit to a senior administrator of a state. Army, weaponry, income-expenditure, farmers, lakes and canals - who is it that gave the above counsel? It was indeed Narada, who addressed the wise words quoted above, to king Yudhishthira, in the epic Mahabharata. Traversing the three worlds, Narada preached the Path of Devotion to the Lord. Figuring in all major epics like the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagwat Purana and in all the three Yugas - Krita, Treta and Dwapara, he led many noble souls to salvation through his religious discourses.

Hare Krishna Hare Rama

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[Guest guest]

!! SRI RAMA JAYAM !!

 

Thank you Shri Krishna Kumar ji.

 

Yes, you are absolutely right that the story of Narada becoming

monkey-faced is also celebrated in Thulasidas's Ramcharitmanasa &

this is one of the events which become a solid cause of Sri

Ramavataram. Infact, the agony filled Narada reach out to Lord at

Vaikuntham & curse the lord for not having fulfilled his wish. The

curse clearly states that the migthy lord himself will have to

depend on the mere apes of jungle to restore his lost prowess. Lord

happily accepts the curse on himself.

 

Narada's greatness is beyond vocabulary. It's he who inspired Sri

Valmiki & Sri Vyasa to write Ramayanam & Bhagavattam - the greatest

assets for Hindus.

 

It is my extreme pleasure to write abt the noblest seer.

 

Hare Krishna

Hare Rama

 

 

 

 

guruvayur , krishna kumar

<krishnakumartcr wrote:

>

> Sree Seetha Ramo Vijayathe Sada

>

> Dear Sri. vinod

>

> I am very happy to read this mail, and i want to tell u one

thing, one more meaning is there for Narada, that is

>

> nAAra -= Water

>

> Da = who gives (Danam)

>

> So the meaning of NAarada is Who gives water, because when

Naarada born that time rain came , so Brahma , I think so, put his

name as Naarada

>

> I got this from ramakrishna Missions Narada Bakthi Suthram.

>

> Narayana is Who laid on the water

>

> and one more is there

>

> who controlls the ayana(journey) of nara(human)

>

> And about the monkey story, narada asks swamin to give Sundara

Mukham,(good face) in sanskrit sundara has a lot meaning, one of it

is Kapi(Monkey), so bagavan give him kapimukahm, the same think is

happend in Ramayana, The sundarakanda is known as sundarakanda

because it is the most beutifulkanta in Ramayana, and it is the best

part which gives Hanuman very happy and his power,his ability to

prove his power and bakthi.

>

> Sree seetharamovijayathe Sada

> Regards and namaskarams

> Krishnakumar

>

> " PS, Vinod K (GE Infra, Energy) " <vinod.ps wrote:

> !! Sri Rama Jayam !!

> Sage Narada was a Maharishi, a renowned teacher, inspirer of

poets, counsellor of kings, a divine messenger, and also a

notorious `mischief-maker'. The word 'Nara' means knowledge useful

to mankind and 'Da' means 'a giver'. So 'Narada' means the one who

gives knowledge to mankind and imparts right guidance.

> Narada with a knotted tuft of hair in the center of an otherwise

clean-shaven scalp, usually makes his characteristic entry with a

Veena (a stringed musical instrument) in his hand and the name of

Lord Narayana on his lips: " Narayana, Narayana " !

> According to Mahabharata, Narada was the son of Kashyap and his

mother was one of the daughters of Daksha. Narada is shown as a

wandering seer going from one place to another, traversing the whole

universe.

> He is reputed to have invented the Veena, the principal stringed

musical instrument of India and is deemed to be the chief of all the

celestial musicians (Gandharvas). He always loved to sing songs

praising the glory of the almighty Lord Vishnu (Narayana). He used

to traverse around the universe, preaching to people, his words of

wisdom and narrating stories of ethical value through his devotional

songs, in praise of the almighty preserver of the world: Lord Vishnu

>

> Narada as `Kalaha-Priya' or Lover of Quarrels

> Narada is so famous as a mischief-maker and a quarrel-monger,

that in India, a mischievous person who always delights in

backbiting and indulges in spreading rumors, is symbolically chided

as `Narada'.

> Narada had the habit of disclosing to both gods and demons, the

secrets about each other. Gods and demons, eventually, detested each

other. Narada's deeds often created trouble and friction among gods,

demons and men, and such friction often led to a war in the end.

Hence Narada, being a notorious mischief-maker, acquired the name,

Kalaha-Priya or the lover of quarrels.

> How can we call such a person a saint? Was it right that he set

people against one another by spreading gossip? But we must remember

that Narada's intention was to espouse a good cause. It was his

constant desire that bad people should be punished for their deeds,

that the haughty ones should learn their lesson soon, and that the

good should live happily ever after.

> Chanting " Narayana, Narayana, " the divine sage Narada went

across the three worlds spreading rumors, causing rifts.

> In Vaikuntha (Lord Vishnu's Abode), he would regale the Lord

with his merry tales. " I described Ahilya's beauty to Indra until he

began lusting for that married woman…Daksha hates Shiva after I

reported how Shiva ridicules him…I made Shreedevi jealous of

Bhoodevi…I put the fear of death in Kansa's mind…I praised the

pompous Ravana into believing that he was greater than all Gods… "

> " Why do you do this, Narada? " asked Vishnu.

> " Do What? "

> " Cause so much trouble "

> " I don't do anything. I merely test their faith in you. If they

were your true devotees, would any of them be lustful, wrathful,

greedy, envious, frightened or proud? "

> Vishnu burst out laughing and blessed his dearest devotee

Narada, who kept chanting, " Narayana, Narayana " .

>

>

> Curse on Narada: " May You Wander Like A Vagabond "

>

> The children of Dakshabrahma were once instructed by him: " O my

children! Observe penance and you will derive strength and spiritual

splendor. Later you must get married and lead a contented life. " In

response to the command of the father, the children went to the

Himalayas and commenced a rigorous penance.

> Narada happened to go there. " O sons of Dakshabrahma, why at all

are you observing such a penance? And get married later? There is no

joy in married life. You must develop devotion for the Lord. Your

aim must be to escape the sorrows of family life. Must you observe

penance only to get trapped in misery? Practice renunciation, aspire

for deliverance. " Saying thus, Narada went away, advising Daksha's

sons to choose the path of asceticism and not to lead a worldly life.

> The advice of Narada made a tremendous impact on the minds of

the children of Daksha. They took an oath not to marry. This news

upset Daksha. His anger knew no bounds. He said to Narada: " O

Narada, it was my heart's desire that my children should marry and

lead a happy household life. But you interfered and misled them.

Don't you have any other occupation? I am cursing you to remain a

vagabond eternally! "

> Narada was not upset by the curse. " All the better indeed! I

shall spend all my time wandering and preaching the people the best "

he determined. Thus, Narada is shown as a wandering seer always on a

journey, as he was condemned by Daksha to lead a roaming life, not

staying at one place.

> Narada as `Kapi-Vaktra' or Monkey-Faced

> Narada is also known as Kapi-Vaktra or monkey-faced because once

Vishnu changed his face into that of a monkey. This episode makes an

interesting study of how God curbs the Ahamkar (Pride) of even the

best of seers. It mentions that once Narada's meditation could not

be disturbed even by Kamadeva (the God of Lust). At this victory,

Narada was overwhelmed by a feeling of immense pride, unbecoming to

a seer.

> Vishnu decided to teach him a lesson by humbling his pride. He

asked his consort Lakshmi to re-incarnate herself as a beautiful

daughter of Ambarisha (the then ruler of Ayodhya), by the name of

Srimati. She was an embodiment of all good qualities.

> During one of his usual sojourns, Narada reached the kingdom of

Ayodhya, and on seeing the beautiful princess Srimati, fell in love

with her, being attracted by her beauty and wanted to marry her. He

secretly disclosed to King Ambarisha his heart's desire.

> Ambarisha was in a fix. How could he disobey the great sage

Narada-Muni for the fear of being cursed by him? So he said to him:

>

> " O revered sage, you desire the hand of my daughter. How am I to

decide? Well, I shall arrange a Swayamvara. Whomsoever Srimati

selects, shall be her husband. "

> Narada approached Lord Shiva to seek his advice as to how to

attain the beautiful maiden. Lord Shiva said that he should borrow

the same visage as that of Vishnu, which the princess could never

resist and would surely garland Narada as her husband.

> So Narada went to Vaikuntha to consult Vishnu. He narrated to

him all that had happened and implored to him: " O Lord, have mercy

on me and do me a favor. At the time of the Swayamvara, please make

me look as handsome as you. The Lord smilingly assented but played a

trick and gave the face of a monkey to Narada.

> The day of the Swayamvara came. Not knowing what had happened to

his face, Narada reached the Palace where the marriage ceremony was

to take place. King Ambarisha led his beautiful daughter Srimati to

the dais of the Swayamvara. Srimati blushingly stood before all the

prospective suitors with garland in her hand. But she was taken

aback when she saw Narada. Her hand trembled. She said: " Father, I

can see no Rishi here. Instead I find a man, with a monkey's face. "

But just beside him, I find an attractive, handsome man with a

lovely smile. He has stretched his right hand as if to beckon me. "

> She garlanded the handsome man standing beside Narada and all at

once, they both vanished into oblivion. The handsome man was none

other than Lord Vishnu.

> Narada was astonished and dismayed. He discovered his monkey-

face in the reflection of a pool of water and became enraged. He

cursed Vishnu then and there, proclaiming that Vishnu, in one of his

earthly re-incarnations would have to bear the pangs of his wife's

imposed separation from him and only a monkey would be able to

relieve him of his sufferings. Thus, when Vishnu was born as Rama,

Hanuman helped him to free Sita from the clutches of Ravana.

> But wisdom also dawned on Narada and he realized that Lord

Vishnu had taught him a lesson for his conceit and pride. He felt

ashamed that he should have even thought of marriage. He took an

oath that he would remain a bachelor for life.

> Narada: Learning should not be only book-based

> Once Narada was sitting in Lord Shiva's court on Mount Kailasa.

It was attended by illustrious sages and brahmarishis. Just then

Durvasa entered the assembly carrying a huge bundle of books.

Although Durvasa was a great saint, he was highly irascible and

quick-tempered. Ignoring the august assembly, he went and sat beside

Lord Shiva. Shiva asked him smilingly: " Sir, how are your studies

progressing? " The saint proudly displayed his bundle of books and

said, " I have thoroughly studied these books and I know them by

heart. "

> Narada stood up and called Durvasa a donkey carrying a burden of

books on his back. Durvasa thundered in wrath.

> Narada retorted, " There you are! You have not been able to get

over your passions in spite of your scholarship. You have ignored

the assembly and gone and sat by Lord Shiva. What good is

scholarship without respect, patience and forgiveness? These books

are nothing but the burden of a donkey. "

> Durvasa realized his folly, immersed his books into the sea and

went for a long penance to seek atonement and self-realization.

> The Mystical Maya

> In Devi Bhagwata Purana, it is mentioned that once Narada asked

Vishnu about the secret nature of Maya (Illusion).

> " What is Maya? " asked Narada.

> " The world is my Maya. He who accepts this, realizes me, " said

Vishnu.

> " Before I explain, will you fetch me some water? " requested the

Lord pointing to a river.

> Narada did as he was told. But on his way back, he saw a

beautiful woman. Smitten by her beauty, he begged the woman to marry

him. She agreed.

> Narada built a house for his wife on the banks of the river. She

bore him many children. Loved by his wife, adored by his sons and

daughters, Narada forgot all about his mission to fetch water for

Vishnu.

> In time, Narada's children had children of their own. Surrounded

by his grandchildren, Narada felt happy and secure. Nothing could go

wrong.

> Suddenly, dark clouds enveloped the sky. There was thunder,

lightning, and rain. The river overflowed, broke its banks and

washed away Narada's house, drowning everyone he loved, everything

he possessed. Narada himself was swept away by the river.

> " Help, help. Somebody please help me, " he cried. Vishnu

immediately stretched out his hand and pulled Narada out of the

water.

> Back in Vaikuntha, Vishnu asked, " Where is my water? "

> " How can you be so remorseless? How can you ask me for water

when I have lost my entire family? "

> Vishnu smiled. " Calm down, Narada. Tell me, where did your

family come from? From Me. I am the only reality, the only entity in

the cosmos that is eternal and unchanging. Everything else is an

illusion – a mirage, constantly slipping out of one's grasp. "

> " You, my greatest devotee, knew that. Yet, enchanted by the

pleasures of worldly life, you forgot all about me. You deluded

yourself into believing that your world and your life were all that

mattered and nothing else was of any consequence. As per your

perspective, the material world was infallible, invulnerable,

perfect. That is Maya. "

> Thus Vishnu dispelled Narada's illusion, bringing him back to

the realm of reality and making him comprehend the power of Maya

over man.

> Narada: The Noble Seer

> Narada figures in Mahabharata and Krishna stories as the seer

who foretold the death of Kamsa at the hands of Krishna. A holy

personage and celestial musician, always facilitating the good of

the world; engaged in aiding the pious in times of challenge and in

hastening the retribution of evil-doers.

> " Keep your army as well as the weaponry always in readiness...Be

kind to your servants in order to win their hearts...Always be

prompt in paying the wages of the soldiers and servants. Never spend

more than what you earn. Build lakes and canals and provide the

farmers with all facilities. "

> The above words seem like the advice of a modern political

pundit to a senior administrator of a state. Army, weaponry, income-

expenditure, farmers, lakes and canals - who is it that gave the

above counsel?

> It was indeed Narada, who addressed the wise words quoted above,

to king Yudhishthira, in the epic Mahabharata.

> Traversing the three worlds, Narada preached the Path of

Devotion to the Lord. Figuring in all major epics like the Ramayana,

Mahabharata and Bhagwat Purana and in all the three Yugas - Krita,

Treta and Dwapara, he led many noble souls to salvation through his

religious discourses.

>

> Hare Krishna

> Hare Rama

 

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