BORN STOIC

          

 

Lord Brahma created Narad from his throat. He asked him to marry and expand the lineage. Narad was, however, born reluctant. His heart longed for liberation alone. No mundane temptation lured him and no bond seeming however charming to others, could touch his austere mind. He humbly clasped his both hands before his father and supplicated,-“O Father of all! Let my elder brothers get married first. When elder brothers Sanak, Sanandan, Sanatan and Sanatkumar get married, I shall also step into their shoes….” Lord Brahma threw a stern glance at his son. The gesture of his elder sons who had willfully not allowed their bodies to grow up beyond the age of five and chose to remain celibate all through had caused great displeasure to the father and when Narad also put forth his wish to follow his elder brothers, lord Brahma could not bear with him anymore. The face of the father turned stern. The shadow of disappointment shrouded the glow of his face. Intelligent and astute Narad followed the message in the eyes of his father yet could not help contain himself from expressing the firm faith his heart beheld. Without awaiting verbal decree of his unconvinced father, he bravely put forth his view,-“When my elders have been allowed to perform penance, then why am I being asked to get into this drudgery?”

 Brahma, still did not utter a single word to further the conversation yet the strain at his forehead heightened,  which his wise son Narad could read instantly. He therefore, lost no time and officiously furthered his cause,-“It is strange and so hurting that a father is bestowing boon on some sons and offering bane to another one…..” Brahma found himself not in a position to contain his wrath to this arguing and pleading adamant son and abstained himself from from communicating his opinion.

“Father one who gets involved in mundane affairs gets liberation after billions of kalpas. Lord Sri Krishna alone is worthy of worship as he bestows liberation on the human soul. What sane soul would choose the mundane pleasures, in place of divine bliss, one gets by worshipping lord Sri Krishna? Worldly pleasures are akin to flame of an earthen lamp that only goes on devouring the moths hovering around it. Only a deluded person indulges in sense pleasures. Wise ones know that sense pleasures deprive the soul of spiritual bliss, throwing one into the whirlpool of repeated cycles of birth and death..”. Saying so, he stood still in front of him, patiently yet inquisitively waiting for the response of his progenitor. Lord Brahma had already been upset over his four sons, having been bluntly defied and denied to expand the lineage. They had not allowed even their bodies to attain puberty lest their mind should get enmeshed in sensual pleasures. Having nipped the conjugal temptation in the bud itself, they roamed freely in the creation spreading austerity and spiritual wisdom all around. Narad also longed to step into their shoes. The father had his dreams for this youthful and handsome son who had not been defiant so far.

When this otherwise suave son who had at least accepted to grow up as a capable youth also showed his unwillingness to enter into wedlock, rather flaunting his pedantry to support his decision, the justification given by Narad further added fuel to the fire of anger of  the cogitating father. The very idea that this son also wished to remain a recluse, to please and attain lord Sri Krishna, seemed unpalatable to him. Infuriated by his analogy, taken by the expectant father as a gesture of depravity, lord Brahma raged,-“Narad! I curse you that all your this wisdom will vanish. You will be a beast thriving on sensual pleasures in the company of lewd ladies. You will have fifty ever youthful and ever passionate wives for one lakh years. As a gandharva you will sing and dance with them and your name will be Upbaharna. Thereafter, you will be born on earth as the son of a maid servant. I shall enlighten you only after that. So, now you go down as I say.”

 Disappointed Narad melted into tears. His wrath erupted words of retaliation,-“O Father! Please calm down. You are the lord of the creation. You have unreasonably cursed me. Wise men curse only unfilial and defiant son. How do you consider your pure and filial son deserving a curse? ….Please bestow upon me a boon that in whatever body do I take birth on earth, let my heart remain filled with devotion to lord SriKrishna alone. For, even the son of a father as great as lord Brahma is as good as a pig if he does not practice devotion to lord Sri Krishna. One who worships lord Sri Krishna attains Goloka. Such devotees of lord Sri Krishna purify the earth with their divine radiance. All such relations as put hurdles in the path of devotion to lord Sri Krishna deserve to be denounced. You have cursed me….., the one who is ever a devotee of lord Sri Krishna and is fully innocent. I therefore also curse you back now,-“To the entire world, mantra, stotra and kavach to attain you will remain unknown. No one will worship you till completion of three kalpas. No one will offer you anything in oblations (yajna). Only in swargalok you will be honoured, not on the earth.”

 

 

The nature honours purity of heart of all creatures. The curse given by son Narad to father Brahma also did not go in vain. Brahma has since then been banished from his share in all the sacrifices performed by human beings on the earth.

Thus as cursed by his son, lord Brahma remains deprived of offerings on earth and as cursed by him poor Narad had to go through the cycles of birth and death and after a long time became a pure devotee of Lord Sri Krishna who is immortal and sings glory of lord everywhere in his subtle form.