Story of Devarshi Narad

Once Devarshi Narad was talking to Maharshi Vedbyas when he told the story of his previous birth. As depicted by him he was the son of a maidservant of some Brahmin scholars in a brahmin locality. The Brahmins were well versed in Veda and other religious scriptures and very devoted to austerity. Once they were performing austerity for four months when Narad was engaged to serve them and cater to their needs. At that time Narad was at a tender age. He was very punctual and attentive in his duty. He used to serve the scholars silently without disturbing them. He loved to serve the scholars. Narad was attentively listening to the discourses and discussions of the scholars. During this period he learned the glory of Lord Krishna and felt very elated. Gradually he became a devotee of the Lord. Out of the effect of listening to the various narratives about Lord Srihari for four months, the divine feeling Bhakti(devotion,भक्ति) emanated from his heart. Seeing his devotion the scholars gave him the deep knowledge of spirituality, illusion (माया), the transitory nature of the body and the greatness of the lord and left the place for a long pilgrimage. After their departure, Narad felt a vacuum inside himself. Although he was five years old,his interest in the material world had lessened with the company of the scholars. Still, he was very affectionate towards her mother and was unable to leave her alone. One day while she was going to milk the cows in the evening, a snake bit her and she died. After the death of his mother, Narad left the village and moved towards the north. He crossed many villages,developed states,underdeveloped states, cities, forests, rivers etc on his way. He didn't have any destination in his mind. He just kept on walking. He was taking shelter in temples,dharamshala to feed himself. Most of the time he was managing with fruits from the forests and water. One day he was passing through a very deep forest with huge trees. There were ponds with sweet water. He saw many types of animals there. Still he was not afraid of them. He liked the forest and decided to meditate there. His aim was to realize the omnipresent and omniscient Lord Narayan. So he sat down under a Pipal tree and started meditating. His thoughts focused on the glory and kindness of the Lord. He meditated for months together and gradually concentration deepened on the lotus feet of the Lord. Slowly a divine calmness and bliss developed inside him. His was thrilled and tears of joy flowed from his eyes. Suddenly the bright form of the Lord with Sankha, Chakra,Gada & Padma (conch,disc,mace, lotus) appeared in his inner vision. He was feeling such an euphoria that his body trembled with divine joy. But the Lord disappeared from his vision within seconds. Loosing the blissful vision of the Lord, Narad felt restless and couldn't sober himself and to get the vision again he restarted his meditation. But he failed to concentrate. At that time he heard the voice of the Lord which explained to him that he could not regain the vision in this birth. It was only for his services and company of the scholar saints he could be able to get that opportunity. He instructed Narad to live this life maintaining celibacy and austerity to purify himself and make him eligible for liberation. He also allotted Narad, a permanent place near him in his abode Baikunth, to live forever. He bestowed him with the divine power to disappear and go anywhere in the universe on his will. After getting the instructions from the Lord,he left the forest and roamed like a wanderer chanting the divine name of Lord Narayan continuously. When the proper time came,Narad relinquished his gross body and got a divine body as per the wish of the Lord. From then on he is popularly known as Devarshi Narad whose only job is to chant ''Narayan Narayan'' and propagate the glory of the Lord. He is said to be an immortal saint. Even in this twenty-first century he is roaming the world invisibly and blessing the people. He is famous for his one pointed devotion for Lord Narayan.

Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapuran