नारद

Narada
(Shiv Purana)

Narada is considered as the highest among all the devotees. Narada once decided to perform intense Yoga in order to control all his emotions and desires. Upon seating himself in the conducive setting of the great hermitage, Narada began his yogic practice. He sat for days in silence in the remembrance of God, after freeing his mind from impure thoughts. The throne of Indra started shaking due to the heat generated by Narada’s intense Yoga. Therefore, Indra sent a few beautiful angels to disrupt the Yogic practice of Narada but Narada remained unmoved.
After realising that he had gained complete control over his emotions and desires, Narada ended his Yoga and left the hermitage. Puffed up by the pride of his ascetic achievements, Narada set off to meet the Trimurti Gods (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) for narrating them about his newly acquired achievements. When Narada was coming back after meeting the Trimurti Gods, the deities decided to take a test of Narada’s ascetic achievements. They constructed a city more beautiful than the heaven on Narada’s path as he made his way back to earth from heaven. Narada developed a desire to visit the city and started walking on the royal path. The king of the city was preparing to hold Swayamvar (husband choosing ceremony) for his daughter Lakshmi. When the king came to know of the visit of the great sage, Narada, he invited him to the palace and requested him to bless his daughter. When Lakshmi came to Narada to take his blessings, he was so deeply impressed by the princess’s beauty that he took the vow of marrying her.
Soon after Narada ran to Vaikunth, the heavenly abode of Srihari (Vishnu). He told Vishnu that he wanted to marry Lakshmi Devi and requested him to bestow his godly form to him so that the bride would choose him only in the next day’s Swayamvar. Vishnu blessed the sage with his Godly form with the face of Hari (Hari has two meanings, one is another name of Vishnu which means ‘charming’ and the second meaning is ‘monkey’). So, Vishnu just used the gimmickry of words. The sage Narada set off to the Swayamvar ceremony with the body of God and the face of a monkey. Narada hurried to the palace where the ceremony was to take place. Many princes had assembled for the ceremony and they were all anxious to be chosen by the beautiful Lakshmi. Not knowing his actual appearance, Narada was quite confident about his selection since he was in Vishnu’s form. Sri Hari (Vishnu) was also present in the ceremony. Lakshmi Devi, with a garland in her hand, was passing through each one of them one by one having a close look at them. When she approached Narada, she was shocked to see the monkey face. Meanwhile, Narada was thinking that she was now going to put the garland in his neck only. But the princess calmly passed on to Sri Hari (Vishnu) and selected him as her husband.
Feeling worried and insulted on his way back, Narada was thinking as to what made the Lakshmi to choose Sri Hari instead of him? What was the difference between him and Sri Hari? Thinking so, Narada stopped for a while at a lake, where he could see his face in the water. He was extremely surprised to seed the face of a monkey on him. Narada understood now why he was not selected. Narada could also understand that he was yet to achieve the stage of completion.

Spiritual Significance: – Shiv Baba teaches us the highest knowledge and makes us worthy to reach the highest status of Sri Lakshmi and Sri Narayan. Whenever Baba asks us whether we would like to have the highest status of Lakshmi Narayan in Sat Yuga or the status of Sri Rama and Sita of Treta Yuga. We all say that we want to take the highest status of Sri Lakshmi and Sri Narayan. But Baba says that simply setting a high aim in the mind of becoming Sri Lakshmi and Sri Narayan is not sufficient, , it is also necessary to have a high character. Narada who went to marry Lakshmi could not succeed because of his monkey face. Similarly if we also have monkey like qualities such as fickleness, unstable mind and no control over emotions, we cannot become worthy of attaining the status of Sri Lakshmi and Sri Narayan. Our continuous effort in the four subjects of “Knowledge, Rajyoga, inculcation of divine virtues and Godly service” can only make us worthy. The knowledge given by Baba acts like a mirror which helps us to know the status of our mind. Hence, with the help of this mirror, we should continue to check the effort that we are making on the spiritual path vis-à-vis the progress made, from time to time.