Narada: Difference between revisions

| deity_of = ''Devarshi'' 'Sage god' <br> Messenger of Gods

| affiliation = Devotee of [[Vishnu]] <br>(Hinduism)

'''Narada''' ({{lang-sa|नारद}}, {{IAST3|Nārada}}), or '''Narad Muni''', is a god-sage, famous in [[Hinduism|Hindu]] traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of [[Manasputra|mind-created children]] of [[Brahma]], the creator.<ref name="novetzke222">Christian Lee Novetzke (2003), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/375037 Divining an Author: The Idea of Authorship in an Indian Religious Tradition], History of Religions, Vol. 42, No. 3, page 222</ref><ref name="lochtefeld461">{{cite book|author=James G. Lochtefeld|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z|url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc0000loch |url-access=registration|year=2002|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|isbn= 978-0-8239-3180-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc0000loch/page/461 461] }}</ref> He appears in a number of Hindu texts, notably the [[Mahabharata]], telling Yudhishtira the Prahlada story, the [[Ramayana]] as warning Ravan as well as in the [[Puranas]].<ref name=lochtefeld461/>

Once God decided that it was time for Him to descend to earth to set matters right, most lesser Gods came down to like someone or the other to aid and enjoy a ringside view of epochal events. He is also referred to as Rishiraj, meaning the king of all sages or rishis.

He was gifted with the boon of knowledge, past, present and future.

In Indian texts, Narada travels to distant worlds and realms (Sanskrit: ''[[loka]]s''). He is depicted carrying a [[khartal]] (musical instrument) and [[veena]] with the name Mahathi and is generally regarded as one of the great masters of the ancient musical instrument. This instrument is known by the name "mahathi"<ref>{{cite news|last=Guy|first=Randor|title=Bhaktha Naradar 1942|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2010/07/31/stories/2010073151750700.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820051347/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2010/07/31/stories/2010073151750700.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 August 2010|access-date=9 October 2011|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=31 July 2010}}</ref><ref>[http://vedabase.net/sb/1/5/1/en1 Bhag-P 1.5.1] Narada is addressed as 'Veena-panih', meaning "one who carries a veena in his hand"</ref> which he uses to accompany his singing of [[hymn]]s, [[prayer]]s and [[mantra]]s. In the [[Vaishnavism]] tradition of Hinduism, he is presented as a sage with [[bhakti|devotion]] to Lord [[Vishnu]]. Narada is described as both wise and mischievous in some humorous tales. Vaishnav enthusiasts depict him as a pure, elevated soul who glorifies Vishnu through his devotional songs, singing the names ''[[Hari]]'' and ''[[Narayana]]'', and therein demonstrating [[bhakti yoga]]. The [[Narada Bhakti Sutra]] is attributed to him.

He would usually make his entrance vocally chanting Narayana, Narayana before optically appearing in the scene.

Other texts named after Narada include [[Narada Purana]] and the [[Nāradasmṛti]] (pre 6th century CE text), the latter called the "juridical text par excellence" and representing the only [[Dharmaśāstra]] text which deals solely with juridical matters while ignoring those of righteous conduct and penance.<ref>Lariviere 1989: ix</ref>

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: 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 (logic) and the truth of moral science. He is a perfect master in re-conciliatory texts and 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 treaty 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.<ref>The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa Volume 1 Books 1, 2 and 3, Section XII</ref>

[[File: Narada found Vishnu as macroform.jpg|thumb|Narada found Vishnu in his [[Vishvarupa|vishwa swarupa]] form]]

[[File: Sage Sanathkumar teaching Narada muni.jpg|left|thumb|Sage Sanathkumar teaches Brahma vidya to Narada]]

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 hermits and stayed together, they used to recite various deeds of Visnu, 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'.

In the ''Padma Purana'' and some other texts, Narada is transformed into a woman for a time.<ref>Cheever Mackenzie Brown, ''The Triumph of the Goddess: The Canonical Models and Theological Visions of the Devi-Bhagavata Purana'' (1990), page 212</ref><ref>Amara Das Wilhelm, ''Tritiya-Prakriti: People of the Third Sex'' (2004), page 153</ref>

[[Category:Forms of Vishnu]]