Narada
| Narada | |
|---|---|
| |
 Sage Narada | |
| Devanagari | नारद |
| Affiliation | Vaishnavism |
| Abode |
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| Mantra | Om Naradaya Namah |
| Symbols | |
| Personal information | |
| Parents |
|
Narada (
Hinduism
In Indian texts, Narada travels to distant worlds and realms (Sanskrit:
| Part of a series on |
| Vaishnavism |
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Other texts named after Narada include the
The name "Narada," referring to many different persons, appears in many
Mahabharata
In the Mahabharata, Narada is portrayed as being conversant with the Vedas and the Upanishads and as acquainted with history and Puranas. He has a mastery of the six Angas (limbs of knowledge): pronunciation, grammar, prosody, terms, religious rites and astronomy. All celestial beings worship him for his knowledge - he is supposed to be well-versed in all that occurred in ancient kalpas (time cycles) and is termed to be conversant with Nyaya (justice) and the truth of moral science. He is a perfect master in reconciliatory texts and good at differentiating in applying general principles to particular cases. He can swiftly interpret contraries by references to differences in situations. He is eloquent, resolute, intelligent and a possessor of powerful memory. He knows the science of morals, politics; he is skilled in drawing inferences from evidence and very proficient in distinguishing inferior things from superior ones. He is competent in judging the correctness and incorrectness of complex syllogistic statements consisting of 5 proponents. He is capable of arriving at definite conclusions about religion, wealth, pleasure and salvation. He possesses knowledge of this whole universe and everything surrounding it. He is capable of successfully answering Brihaspati himself while arguing. He is a master of the Sankhya and Yoga systems of philosophy, conversant with sciences of war and treaties and proficient in drawing conclusions by judging things, not within direct knowledge. He knows about the six sciences of a treaty, war, military campaigns, maintenance of posts against the enemy and strategies of ambushes and reserves. He is a thorough master of every branch of learning. He is fond of war and music and incapable of being repulsed by any science or any course of action.[12]
Puranas
The
Gradually, he received further blessings from these sages and heard them discussing many spiritual topics. During the four months of rainy seasons when the sages did not leave their hermitage and stayed together, they used to recite various deeds of Vishnu, and from there Narada used to hear these stories. After his mother died, he decided to roam the forest in search of enlightenment in understanding the 'Supreme Absolute Truth'.
Reaching a tranquil forest location, after quenching his thirst from a nearby stream, he sat under a tree in meditation (
For the rest of his life, Narada focused on his devotion, meditation upon and worship to Vishnu. After his death, Vishnu then blessed him with the spiritual form of "Narada" as he eventually became known. In many Hindu scriptures, Narada is considered a shaktyavesha-avatara or partial-manifestation (avatar) of God, empowered to perform miraculous tasks on Vishnu's behalf.
The Shiva Purana describes a legend in which Narada's penance alarmed Indra, who sent Kamadeva to disturb his austerities. Due to the fact that the sage was meditating in the Himalayas and under Shiva's favour, he was protected by the deity's maya (illusory power) and hence remained undisturbed. When Narada learnt of this, still confounded by Shiva's maya, he falsely attributed this event to his own mental prowess and grew proud of his achievement. Heeding Shiva's suggestion to break the pride of the sage, Vishnu praised the qualities of Narada, but also warned him to not be delusional. The sage turned a deaf ear to this warning. Vishnu extended Shiva's maya to create a great and prosperous city in Narada's path. The king of the city, Shilanidhi, introduced his beautiful daughter, Shrimati (an incarnation of Lakshmi), to the sage, who grew desirous of marrying her. He travelled to Vaikuntha, requesting Vishnu to grant him the deity's form so that Shrimati would choose the sage as her husband during her svayamvara ceremony. Vishnu promised to grant Narada what would be beneficial for him, granting him his own form, but the face of a monkey. Believing his wish had been granted, Narada grew assured that Shrimati would choose him, but soon realised what had transpired. Vishnu attended the ceremony in the form of a king, and Shrimati chose him as her husband instead. Enraged, Narada cursed Vishnu to also be separated from the woman he loved and would only be saved by one with a monkey-face. When his maya was dispelled, Narada begged forgiveness from Vishnu. The deity instructed the sage to visit the abodes and praise the qualities of Shiva, and the latter journeyed to the deity's abode in Kashi.[14][15]
In the Devi Bhagavata Purana and some other texts, Narada enquired Vishnu about the nature and greatness of maya. The deity guided him towards a lake, in which the sage took a bath. The sage was transformed into a woman. She married a king named Taladhvaja and was a mother to his many sons. After some time, Vishnu dispelled the illusion and restored Narada to his true male form. Narada came to understand the concept better, but concluded it was still mysterious to him.[16][17]
Worship
Narada temples are few, most prominent being Sri Narada Muni Temple at Chigateri, Karnataka.[18]
Some adherents believe that it was Narada who was reborn as Purandara Dasa as a Haridasa (servant of Vishnu). He emphasised his works on Vithala, another form of Vishnu and the presiding deity of the temple in Pandharpur.[19][20]
Jainism
In Jainism, there are a total of 9 Naradas in every cycle of
See also
- Bhaktha Naradar
- Bhagavata Purana
- Narada Bhakti Sutra
- Nāradasmṛti
- Sangita Makarandha
- Four Kumaras
References
Citations
- ISBN 9780595377701.
- S2CID 144687005.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8239-3180-4.
- ^ Guy, Randor (31 July 2010). "Bhaktha Naradar 1942". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ "Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.1". Bhaktivedanta VedaBase. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2023. Narada is addressed as 'Veena-panih', meaning "one who carries a veena in his hand"
- ISBN 978-0-19-569917-3.
- ^ Lariviere 1989: ix
- ISBN 978-0-89281-807-5.
- ISBN 978-81-8475-034-8.
- ISBN 978-1-135-79052-3.
- ISBN 978-81-208-1376-2.
- ^ The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa Volume 1 Books 1, 2 and 3, Section XII
- ^ Srimad Bhagavatam 7.15.72
- ISBN 978-93-5708-072-9.
- ISBN 978-81-7182-069-6.
- ISBN 978-0-89281-354-4.
- ISBN 978-0-7914-0364-8.
- ^ Hindu Gods and Goddesses
- ^ Cheever Mackenzie Brown, The Triumph of the Goddess: The Canonical Models and Theological Visions of the Devi-Bhagavata Purana (1990), page 212
- ^ Amara Das Wilhelm, Tritiya-Prakriti: People of the Third Sex (2004), page 153
- ^ Doniger 1999, p. 550.
Sources
- ISBN 0-87779-044-2
- Translation by Richard W. Lariviere (1989). The Nāradasmr̥ti. University of Philadelphia.
External links
- Narada's Instructions on Srimad-Bhagavatam for Vyasadeva
- References to Narada in Gaudiya Vaishnava texts
- Ruesi Narot - Narada in Buddhist Thailand Archived 4 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- Narada’s Aphorisms on Bhakti (Ed. Sarma, Y Subrahmanya)
- Nārada Bhakti Sūtras (Tr. Bhuteshananda, Swami)
- Nārada-Bhakti-Sūtra: The Secrets of Transcendental Love (Tr. Prabhupāda, A C Bhaktivedanta Swami et al.) Archived 17 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- Narada Jayanti Janm Vishesh
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1 The list of the "ten avatars" varies regionally. Two substitutions[clarification needed] involve Balarama, Krishna, and Buddha. Krishna is almost always included; in exceptions, he is considered the source of all avatars. | ||
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