The special significance of Narada’s birth:
Narada was born from the deliberation of Brahma. Therefore he was able to bestow the ‘Supreme Personality of Godhead’ to whomever he wished. It is not possible to realize the Supreme personality of the Godhead even by acquiring the entire Vedic knowledge or performing various types of penance. But a pure devotee like Narada Muni can bestow ‘Him’ out of his free will. The name ‘Narada’ indicates that he can provide the Supreme Personality of Godhead. ‘Nara’ means ‘the Supreme Personality of Godhead’ and ‘Da’ means ‘One who can bestow’. This does not mean that God is a commodity and can be given to anyone. This implies that Narada Muni can bestow the qualification for loving service to God to anyone who desires to serve God through servitude, friendship, parenthood, or conjugal relationship. Only Narada Muni can lead us to the path of Bhakti which is the only means to attain Bhagavan.
Identity of Narada as the Manasa putra (mind-born child) of Brahma:
At the beginning of creation, Brahma created the Prajāpatis. These Prajāpatis are the ancestors of mankind. The names of these Prajāpatis are found in Manusmriti. They are Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulasta, Pulaha, Kratu, Vasishtha, Prachetas or Daksha, Bhrigu and Narada. Brahma is the creator of the Saptarshis (seven great sages). They help him in the creation of the universe. Jambavana, Bhrigu, Vasishtha, Daksha, Narada, Chitragupta, Chatushkumaras, Himavata, and Shatarupa are also regarded as the mind-born children of Brahma. All of these children were but from his mind, not born from his body. That is why they are called Manasa putra (mind-born child). Lord Brahma is considered their father. Saraswati, Brahma’s wife, is considered their mother.
Advent of Narada:
In Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 3, Chapter 12, verses 21-24, Vidura Maitreya Samvada, sage Maitreya said:
athābhidhyāyataḥ sargaṁ
daśa putrāḥ prajajñire
bhagavac-chakti-yuktasya
loka-santāna-hetavaḥ
Translation: Brahmā, who was empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thought of generating living entities
and begot ten sons for the extension of the generations.
marīcir atry-aṅgirasau
pulastyaḥ pulahaḥ kratuḥ
bhṛgur vasiṣṭho dakṣaś ca
daśamas tatra nāradaḥ
Translation: Marīci, Atri, Aṅgirā, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhṛgu, Vasiṣṭha, Dakṣa, and the tenth son, Nārada, were thus born.
utsaṅgān nārado jajñe
dakṣo ’ṅguṣṭhāt svayambhuvaḥ
prāṇād vasiṣṭhaḥ sañjāto
bhṛgus tvaci karāt kratuḥ
Translation: Nārada was born from the deliberation of Brahmā, which is the best part of the body. Vasiṣṭha was born from his breathing, Dakṣa from a thumb, Bhṛgu from his skin, and Kratu from his hand.
pulaho nābhito jajñe
pulastyaḥ karṇayor ṛṣiḥ
aṅgirā mukhato ’kṣṇo ’trir
marīcir manaso ’bhavat
Translation: Pulastya was generated from his ears, Aṅgirā from his mouth, Atri from his eyes, Marīci from his mind,
and Pulaha from the navel of Brahmā.
Narada takes birth as a Gandharva (heavenly singer):
Brahma and his other mind-born sons entrusted Narada Muni to extend the generation. But Narada Muni contemplated that if he gets engaged in creation, his devotion towards God might be distributed. So he expressed his reluctance to follow this order of Brahma. Brahma became angry and cursed him. Due to his curse, Narada Muni was born as a Gandharva named Upavahana on Gandha Madana mountain. The other Gandharvas respected him greatly. His face was very beautiful and his body structure was beautiful. Adorned with garlands and sandalwood, Narada Muni was very dear to the ladies of the city. As a result, he was bewildered and always lustful. He married 50 daughters of the Gandharva king Chitraratha.
Narada Muni’s birth as a son of maid:
Once a Sankirtana festival was arranged in the assembly of demigods. The Prajapatis invited the Gandharvas and Apsaras to join in the festival. Narada Muni was also invited. But neglected the kirtana and suddenly started glorifying the demigods being surrounded by his beautiful wives. As a result, he committed offense at the lotus feet of Bhagavan. His first offense was that he joined the Sankirtana with his lustful wives. His second offense was that he considered the ordinary singing or the glorification of demigods to be equivalent to Sankirtana. As a result, the Prajapatis, the rulers of the universe, cursed him saying ” You will immediately lose your beauty and be born as a Shudra.” Naradamuni was then born as a Shudra in the womb of a maid called Kalavati. She was engaged in taking care of the sages.
These sages possessed all Vedic knowledge. When those sages lived together during the four months of monsoon, Narada was engaged in their service. Since those great sages had no bias, they blessed Narada. Although he was a small boy, he had no interest in childish games. He was self-controlled. Moreover, he was quiet and did not talk excessively. Once he took the food remnants of these sages with their permission. By doing so all of his sins were at once eradicated. His heart became very purified. At that time the very nature of the transcendentalist became attractive to him. Those sages would regularly chant the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. And by their grace, he would listen to them. As a result of attentive listening, his taste for hearing the glories of the Lord increased gradually at every step. His tendency began to flow towards God. He had subjugated the senses and strictly followed their instructions with his body and mind. When those kind-hearted sages were leaving, they gave him the most confidential divine knowledge propounded by Bhagavan Himself. By that confidential knowledge, he could understand clearly the influence of the energy of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the creator, maintainer and annihilator of everything.
By Krishna’s grace, Mother passed away and he left home:
When Narada Muni was only five years old, he lived in the school of Brahmins. His only refuge was his loving mother. But the Lord wanted to make him dependent upon Him. Therefore He removed his mother from the world. When his mother was going out one night to milk a cow, she was bitten on the leg by a serpent, influenced by supreme time. He considered this as a special mercy of Bhagavan, who always desires to give benedictions to His devotees and so thinking, he left that place and started for the north all alone. He passed through many flourishing metropolises, towns, villages, animal farms, mines, agricultural lands, valleys, flower gardens, nursery gardens, and natural forests. He passed through hills and mountains full of reservoirs of various minerals like gold, silver, and copper, and through tracts of land with reservoirs of water filled with beautiful lotus flowers, fit for the denizens of heaven, decorated with bewildered bees and singing birds. He then passed along through many forests of bushes, bamboo, reeds, sharp grass, weeds, and caves, which were very difficult to go through alone. He visited deep, dark, and dangerously fearful forests, which were the play yards of snakes, owls, and jackals. Thus traveling, he felt tired, both bodily and mentally, and he was both thirsty and hungry. So he took a bath in a river lake and also drank water. By contacting water, he got relief from his exhaustion.
Krishna appears before Narada:
Then under the shadow of a banyan tree in a secluded forest, he began to meditate upon the Supersoul situated within his heart, using his intelligence, as he had learned from liberated souls. As soon as he began to meditate upon the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind filled with transcendental love. Tears rolled down his eyes. Without delay, the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, appeared on the lotus of his heart. At that time, being exceedingly overpowered by the feelings of happiness, every part of his body became enlivened. Being absorbed in an ocean of ecstasy, he could see neither himself nor the Lord. The transcendental form of the Lord, as it is, satisfies the mind’s desire and at once erases all mental incongruities. Not seeing that form anymore, he suddenly got up, being perturbed, as is usual when one loses that which is desirable. He desired to see that transcendental form of the Lord again, but despite his attempts to concentrate upon the heart with eagerness to view His form again, he could not see Him anymore, and thus dissatisfied, he was very much aggrieved. Seeing his attempts in that lonely place, the Personality of Godhead, who is transcendental to all mundane descriptions, spoke to him with gravity and pleasing words, to mitigate his grief. The Lord said, “O Nārada, I regret that during this lifetime you will not be able to see Me anymore. Those who are incomplete in service and who are not completely free from all material taints can hardly see Me. O virtuous one, you have only once seen My transcendental form, and this is just to increase your desire for Me. Because the more you hanker for Me, the more you will be freed from all material desires. By service of the advanced devotees, even for a few days, one attains firm and fixed intelligence in Me. Consequently, he goes on to become My associate in the transcendental world after giving up the present deplorable material worlds. Intelligence engaged in My devotion cannot be thwarted at any time. Even at the time of creation, as well as at the time of annihilation, your remembrance will continue by My mercy.”
Then the shabda-brahman (the manifestation of Brahman as sound) stopped. Feeling a sense of gratitude, he offered his obeisances unto Him, bowing his head. Thus he began chanting the holy name of the Lord by repeated recitation, ignoring all the formalities of the material world. In so doing, he traveled all over the earth, fully satisfied, humble, and non-envious. Being completely freed from all material taints, he met with death. This is a symptom of an advanced devotee. He left his material body and attained a transcendental form as lightning and illumination occur simultaneously.
Appearance as Narada:
Narada was promised by the Lord to obtain a transcendental body befitting an associate of the Personality of Godhead. As per the promise, Narada had been awarded a transcendental form as soon as he quit his material body. As iron gets heated by the touch of fire, the material body of a pure devotee like Narada Muni becomes transcendental due to his intense devotion. At the end of the millennium, when Lord Nārāyaṇa, laid down in the causal ocean, Brahmā entered into Him along with all creative elements through His breathing. After 4,300,000,000 solar years, when Brahmā awoke to create again by the will of the Lord, all the ṛṣis like Marīci, Aṅgirā, Atri, and so on were created from his transcendental body, Narada Muni also appeared from the mind of Brahmā. Since then, by the grace of the almighty Viṣṇu, he has been traveling everywhere. He plays the Veena (named Devadutta) gifted by the Lord Himself and continuously sings His glories which is Swara Brahma. He can travel everywhere in the transcendental world without restriction.
