Narada
Narada is
a Vedic sage who plays a prominent role in a number of Hinduism's earliest
texts, notably the Ramayana and
the Bhagavata Purana.
Narada is arguably ancient India's most traveled sage with the ability to
visit distant worlds and realms (Sanskrit- lokas).
He is depicted carrying a tanpura,
and is generally regarded as one of the great masters of the ancient musical
instrument, which he uses to accompany his singing of hymns, prayers and mantras as an act of devotion to Lord Vishnu. Narada is described as both wise and
mischievous, creating some of Vedic literature's more 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.
Narada is also
said to have orated the maxims of the Nāradasmṛti (100 BC – 400 CE), which
has been called the “juridical text par excellence” and represents the
only Dharmaśāstra text
which deals solely with juridical matters and ignoring those of righteous
conduct and penance.
Tamil cultural
proponents insist that sage Narada was invoked by legendary Carnatic musician Thyagaraja to produce his various
compositions.
The Bhagavata
Purana describes the story of Narada's spiritual enlightenment: He was the
primary source of information among Gods, and is believed to be the first
journalist on Earth. He claimed to have 60 wives. In his previous birth Narada
was a Gandharva (angelic being) who had been
cursed to be born on an earthly planet as a sudra for singing glories to the
demigods instead of the Supreme Lord. He was born as the son of a maid-servant
of some particularly saintly priests (Brahmins). The priests, being pleased with
both his and his mother's service, blessed him by allowing him to eat some of
their food (prasad), previously offered to their lord,
Vishnu.
Gradually Narada
received further blessings from these sages and heard them discussing many
spiritual topics. 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 (yoga), concentrating on
the paramatma form of Vishnu within his
heart as he had been taught by the priests he had served. After some time
Narada experienced a vision wherein Narayan (Vishnu) appeared before him,
smiling, and spoke "that despite having the blessing of seeing him at that
very moment, Narada would not be able to see his (Vishnu's) divine form again
until he died". Narayan further explained that the reason he had been
given a chance to see his form was because his beauty and love would be a
source of inspiration and would fuel his dormant desire to be with the lord
again. After instructing Narada in this manner, Vishnu then disappeared from
his sight. The boy awoke from his meditation both thrilled and disappointed.
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 saktyavesa-avatara or partial-manifestation (avatar) of God, empowered to perform miraculous tasks on
Vishnu's behalf.
Narada's Bhakti Sutras
on devotion:
- Bhakti is intense love for God
- Getting which man becomes perfect, immortal, and satisfied for ever;
- Getting which man desires no more, does not become jealous of anything, does not take pleasure in vanities;
- Knowing which man becomes filled with spirituality, becomes calm, and finds pleasure only in God.
- Sannyasa is giving up both the popular and the scriptural forms of worship.
- Giving up all other refuge, he takes refuge in God.
- There have been many definitions of love, but Narada gives these as the signs of love: When all thoughts, all words, and all deeds are given up unto the Lord, and the least forgetfulness of God makes one intensely miserable, then love has begun.
- This is the highest form of love, because there is no desire of reciprocity, which is in all human love.
Bhakthi Yoga
Bhakthi Yoga, as a
clearly delineated path, did not seem to flourish until the time of
Svethashvatara Upanishad (c. older to sixth century BCE) which mentions Bhakthi
and Sharanagathi (surrender) as modes of worship of the Ultimate in the form of
Shiva. Later, the Bhagavad Gita accorded prominent position to the path of
Bhakthi. Here Bhakthi Yoga emerged as a formal spiritual path and
declared Bhakthi as the ultimate form of religious expression. Sri Krishna declares
in the Gita: he who loves Me with faith and whose inner self is absorbed in Me
, worshipping Me with love - him I deem to be united with Me
in Yoga and is the highest of all.
Mere hearing,
remembering, thinking, and meditating on the Lord were not therefore considered
adequate. It called for an unquestioning faith, devotion and absolute surrender
to God with love. Bhagavan Ramanuja says in his commentary on the Sutras in
Athatho Brahma Jignyasa, Lord himself helps those who are constantly attached
to Him, worship Him with love and surrender to him in devotion, He draws them
to Him because such devotees are very dear to Him.
Bhakthi is seen as
a series of earnest efforts beginning with worship and ending in a
supreme intensity of love for the Ishwara.”One great advantage of Bhakthi is
that it is the easiest and most natural way to reach the Divine. When Bhakthi ripens
and passes into the Supreme (Para) there is no more fear of these hideous
manifestations of fanaticism. The soul overpowered by Bhakthi is too near to
the Love of God to be affected by diffusion of hatred”.
A lesson from the travels of Narada Muni
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The Cobbler and The Brahman
One day Narada Muni-a famous, pure devotee of the Lord who has the power to travel at will anywhere within the material and spiritual worlds-was on his way to see the Supreme Person face to face in His kingdom. Before he left for God's kingdom, he came upon a mystic yogi who had been undergoing severe austerities and penances for many years, trying to achieve perfection in mystic yoga. Upon seeing Narada Muni, the yogi sensed that he was a great spiritual person, and asked Narada who he was. Narada Muni replied, "I am Narada Muni. I am on my way to see the Supreme Person" The yogi paid his respects and then asked Narada Muni, "Could you please do something for me? When you see the Lord, could you ask Him when I will be liberated from the wheel of birth and death?" Narada Muni agreed and went on his way.
He then came upon a humble cobbler who lived under a tree. As soon as the cobbler saw Narada Muni, he stood up to pay his respects. He then asked Narada Muni, "You seem like a saintly person. Who are you? What is your business?" Narada Muni replied, "I am Narada Muni and I am on my way to see the Supreme Lord." The cobbler was very excited to hear this, and he asked Narada Muni, "Could you please do a favor for me? Could you ask Him when I will be liberated from the wheel of birth and death?" Narada Muni consented and went on his way.
Narada Muni saw the Supreme Lord, and when he was just about ready to leave said, "Oh, yes, one more thing. There is a mystic yogi and there is a cobbler. Both of them want to know when they will be liberated." The Supreme Lord said, "You can tell the yogi that he will be liberated only after one hundred lifetimes. And you can tell the cobbler that his present body will be his last. He will be liberated because he is My pure devotee."
Feeling very happy, Narada Muni was about to leave when the Lord said, "Oh, yes, one more thing-they will both ask you what I was doing when you saw Me. Tell them that I was threading elephants through the eye of a needle."
Narada Muni then returned to the material world and first came upon the mystic yogi. The mystic yogi immediately asked Narada, "Did you see the Supreme Lord, and did He say when I would be liberated from this miserable material world? I've been engaging in so many penances and austerities. Obviously I deserve to be liberated quite soon. After all, I'm a very advanced yogi now. I'm a great mystic." Narada Muni replied, "The Supreme Lord stated that you are very fortunate and you will be liberated after one hundred lifetimes." The mystic yogi, extremely angered, expressed his doubt that this could be possible, saying, "I can't believe you.
I don't even know if you really are the great Narada Muni. Tell me, if you really saw the Supreme Lord, what was He doing when you saw Him?" Narada Muni said, "He was threading elephants through the eye of a needle." The yogi then laughed, saying, "That's ridiculous. Now I know for sure that you are simply a charlatan, you never saw the Supreme Lord at all. No one can thread elephants through the eye of a needle. I should have known you weren't really Narada Muni."
Narada Muni continued on his journey and came upon the cobbler, who very humbly, respectfully, and expectantly greeted Narada Muni. "Did you see the Lord? Did you see the Lord? When did He say I would be able to come to Him?" Narada replied, "The Supreme Lord said that this body will be your last. Upon leaving this body, you will go to Him. You will not have to take on any more material births because you are His pure devotee. Your love for Him is unflinching."
The cobbler was very happy upon hearing this, and out of sincere inquiry, wanting to hear about the activity of the Person whom he loves, asked Narada, "When you saw my Lord, what was He doing?" Narada Muni replied, "He was threading elephants through the eye of a needle." Upon hearing this, the cobbler jumped with joy and began dancing and chanting the names of the Lord, crying tears of love, sometimes falling on the ground, sometimes dancing.
Astonished, Narada Muni asked him, "My dear friend, do you not consider that it is inconceivable that the Lord could be putting elephants through the eye of a needle?" And the cobbler, who lived under a banyan tree, picked a fruit off the ground, opened it, and said to Narada Muni, "My dear Narada, there are countless thousands of these little fruits that fall off this banyan tree. And in each of these fruits you will find there are hundreds and hundreds of little seeds. And in each of these little seeds the Supreme Lord has placed a giant banyan tree. For the Supreme Lord, nothing is inconceivable. He is truly wonderful."
Bhakti Movement
The ideal of
devotion and establishing a close and a dear relationship with the God became
the theme of a whole cultural movement and came to be known as Bhakthi Marga
the path of devotion. Bhakthi became one of the constant themes of our sages.
This movement flourished in the period 800 to 1100 AD.It advocated surrender to
the will of God, dedication, worship, service and absorption in God. It was
clearly the way of the heart and not much of the intellect.
Two aphoristic
works in Sanskrit codifying the features and recommendations of the Bhakthi
Marga viz. Bhakthi Sutra of Narada and the Bhakthi Sutra of Shandilya were
among the significant products of these times.
Characterstoics of the Liberated
He who attains Para_bhakthi, the liberated person, is ever in the presence of God and blissful. He is free from cravings and attachments. He is not affected by dualities of loss or gain. He is content for ever. He is full of love and free from hatred.
When he is awake he loves to listens to the words about God, he thinks of God and meets others devoted to God, shedding tears of joy.
When he is engaged in worldly or religious activities to help, guide others; he does it with detachment as a service to God and is never away from presence of God.
He is beyond the pale of the society and its restrictions. He does not differentiate his fellow beings on the basis of caste or wealth or high and low. He sees the presence of God in all beings.
The place he resides is holy. Gods dance with joy when he is happy.
“A musician, a poet, and a very beautiful man, Narada, who always, even while moving, continued to play on a very simple musical instrument -- and remember, the more simple the instrument the more difficult it is to create great music out of it. He used to carry a simple instrument, an ektara -- a one-stringed sitar. It is easy when there are many strings to create music, because you can create different notes on different strings. The ektara has only one string -- that is the meaning of ektara. Ek means one; tara means string. It has become almost the symbol of Narada. You will not find a statue or a painting of him without his ektara. - OSHO
Bhakti Sutras:
- One who wants this Bhakti must give up sense-enjoyments and even the company of people.
- Day and night he must think about Bhakti and nothing else.
- He gets across Maya who gives up all attachment, serves the great ones, lives alone, cuts the bondages of the world, goes beyond the qualities of nature, and depends upon the Lord even for his living.
- He who gives up the fruits of work, he who gives up all work and the dualism of joy and misery, who gives up even the scriptures, gets that unbroken love for God;
- The nature of love is inexpressible.
- Beyond all qualities, all desires, ever increasing, unbroken, the finest perception is love.
- When a man gets this love, he sees love everywhere, he hears love everywhere, he talks love everywhere, he thinks love everywhere.
- Bhakti never seeks to injure anyone or anything, not even the popular modes of worship.
- Egotism, pride, etc must be given up.
- Giving up all desires of pleasure and pain, gain and loss, worship God day and night. Not a moment is to be spent in vain.
- Ahimsa (non-killing), truthfulness, purity, mercy and godliness are always to be kept.
The Narada Bhakti Sutras (aphorisms of Divine Love) were first expounded by Devarishi Narada, thousands of years ago, on request from Maharishi Ved Vyas in Badrikashrama. Maharishi Ved Vyas asked Narada, “Man seeks freedom. This seeking without devotion is dry. Many paths lead to freedom but they have importance only in so far as they are auxiliary to devotion. I, therefore humbly ask you to me the virtue of devotion.”
In reply Sage Narada explained all aspects of the Path of Divine Love through 84 sutras (aphorisms). These aphorisms are referred to as ‘Narada Bhakti Sutras’. The Bhakti Sutras of Sage Narada, considered to be the best guide on the path of devotion, stand out for their clarity, simplicity and internal coherence.
The Bhakti Sutras of Narad and the Bhakti Mimansa of Shandilya are the most authoritative treatises among the ancient Sanskrit texts on Bhakti literature. These texts outlive the philosophy and the classical authority of the concept of Bhakti. The ancient form of Sutra literature in Sanskrit is often very terse and its meaning is obscure and is liable to various interpretations. There is always room for different and often clarity is lacking. Fortunately, the Bhakti Sutras of Narad stand out their clarity, simplicity and internal coherence. Among ancient texts such clarity and simplicity is very rare. The Narad Bhakti Sutra is a very ancient and authoritative scripture. Seers and Scholars of ancient as well as modern times have written their commentaries on it. Adi Shankaracharya (A.D. 788-820) has written a commentary on Narad’s Bhakti Sutra.
Narad is credited with the compilation of four treatises. These are Bhakti Sutras of Narad. Narad Smiriti Nardiyashiksha and Sangeetmakarand. Besides Naradparabrajakopnishad, Nardiyapurana and Naradpancharatna are said to be inspired by him. Whether these works are by the same person of there were different persons named Nard’s, we cannot ascertain. A careful study of the Sutras makes it clear that these are the conclusions reached by some one who is a realised soul like the divine sage Narad.
Narad is a divine sage. He is mentioned in ancient scripture and Puranas quite frequently. The personality of Narad, as depicted in these Puranas, is such that we can accept that these Sutras are based on his experiences. Narad finds mention in Rigveda as a seer of Mantra. Two more mantras of Rigveda are said to be composed by Narad, jointly with sage Parnata. Samaveda also makes a mention of Narad. In the Puranas Narad is shown as the divine minstrel and he is also given credit as the inventor of Veena. Narad is mention as the son of Brahma and also an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He is the third incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Narad is a yogi’s yogi, a Gyani’s gyani and the foremost among the devotees, (Bhaktas). He has a unique combination of Yoga, Gyana and Bhakti. But he finds the path of Bhakti as the easiest and open to all. Ultimately all the path of Yoga, Gyana and Bhakti merge into one, as they lead to the same goal. But the path of Bhakti is easiest in the beginning. The path of Narad is that of devotion.
