Yogesh Kumar Goyal
The image of Narad Muni has been crafted as a mythological character who gossips—carrying tales from one place to another and creating discord—but in reality, his primary objective is consistently seen as conveying the plea of every devotee to God. Wandering from one world to another, he has played the role of an active and meaningful correspondent by performing the task of news gathering. Through communication, he works to unite rather than divide and is the first father figure of journalism. Along with being the sage of the gods, he is the correspondent of the public sphere as the universe’s first divine journalist. He is considered the divine messenger of the gods and a pioneering practitioner of communication. He is regarded as the first such messenger—or journalist—of the universe, who exchanged information while orbiting from one world to another.
It is believed that Devarshi Narad was born on the Pratipada day of the Krishna Paksha of the month of Jyeshtha. Therefore, Narad Jayanti is celebrated every year on this day, which is being observed on May 2nd this year. On this day, Devarshi Narad is worshipped after performing the puja of Lord Vishnu and Mother Lakshmi. Narad, who wanders singing the praises of Lord Vishnu with the sweet melody of his Veena and always chanting “Narayan-Narayan,” is considered the Guru of Maharishi Vyas, Maharishi Valmiki, and the profoundly wise Shukdev. In some scriptures, Narad Muni is also considered Trikaldarshi (knower of the past, present, and future) and an incarnation of Vishnu. According to the Shrimad Bhagwat Purana, Lord Vishnu took his third incarnation in the universe in the form of Devarshi Narad. In some places, he is also described as a disciple of Brihaspati.
According to religious Puranas, Devarshi Narad, who was proficient in many arts and sciences, was taught music by Brahma himself, and Lord Vishnu explained to him the various forms of Maya (illusion). It is believed that Devarshi Narad, by giving sermons to several supreme devotees of Lord Vishnu such as Bhakta Prahlad, Bhakta Ambarish, and Bhakta Dhruv, inclined them toward the path of devotion. He was the one who arranged the marriage of Bhrigu’s daughter Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu. By counseling Indra, the king of gods, he facilitated the marriage of the celestial dancer Urvashi with Pururava. Furthermore, by conveying the accounts of the oppression of the public by many tyrannical demons to God, he became the medium for their destruction. He inspired Maharishi Valmiki to compose the Ramayana. This is why Narad Ji, who has remained worthy of respect across all eras, times, disciplines, and classes, is remembered as a poet who kept information about all worlds, a brilliant strategist, and an influential orator.
How Devarshi Narad, the benefactor of the common people, would become distressed himself upon seeing various creatures in pain on Earth is also mentioned in a mythological tale. According to the story, once Devarshi Narad went to Vaikuntha and requested Lord Vishnu, stating that he was very sad to see people on Earth in distress because there, those walking the path of righteousness do not prosper, while those doing wrong do. Lord Vishnu said, “O Narad! It is not so; everything that is happening is occurring through destiny.” He asked what exactly Narad had seen to make such a claim. Then the Devarshi said that he saw a cow stuck in marshy land in the forest. A thief came there, and even after seeing the cow stuck, instead of helping, he climbed over her to cross the marsh and escape; later, he found a bag full of gold coins. Moments later, an old sage arrived and, after great effort, pulled the cow out of the marsh, but upon going a little further, that same sage fell into a deep pit and was injured. What kind of justice is this? After listening to the Devarshi, Lord Vishnu said that the thief who ran away by stepping on the cow was destined for a great treasure, but due to this sin, he received only a few coins; whereas the sage had to fall into the pit because death was written in his fate, but because of the merit earned by saving the cow, his death was transformed into a minor injury. Lord Vishnu explained to him that a person’s fate is determined by their actions (Karma).
Devarshi Narad, a vast reservoir of virtues and proficient in all scriptures, is described in the scriptures as a “God of the mind” who recognizes any happening or mishap in time. He is considered a connoisseur of the Vedas and Upanishads, an expert in justice and religion, a profound scholar of the scriptures, an expert in history and Puranas, a knower of medicine, a yogi, a master of astrology and music, a leader of the sentiment of devotion, and a knower of the past. He is a mythological character who is complete in elemental knowledge (Tattvagyan). The famous ‘Narad Purana,’ containing twenty-five thousand verses, was composed by the Devarshi himself, in which he presented the discourse on many subjects like salvation, religion, music, Brahma-knowledge, and atonement, along with the glory of devotion to Lord Vishnu. Additionally, there is an excellent text on music titled ‘Narad Samhita.’
(The Author is a senior journalist with 36 years of experience & has authored several books, including “Sagar se Antariksh Tak: Bharat ki Raksha Kranti”) |
