Gandharva Narad

 

 

 

Once a childless king of Gandharvas who  longed for a brilliant son implored his guru Vasishtha to show him the way to fulfill his wish. The enlightened spiritual master gave him a mantra to please lord Shiv and seek a boon from him. The king sat down to please lord Shiv at Pushkar. Pushkar is a place where great souls have been performing rigorous penance for ages. The divine serpent named Pushkar had pleased lord Shiv here and got the reward of being the ornament of lord Shiv. It was only after the fruition of his penance that the place came to be known as Pushkar. Aware of the hoary past and spiritual energy of the place, the king of gandharvas performed penance to please lord Shiv. In due course he succeeded and lord Shiv appeared before him. As the devotee prostrated and eulogized his lord, the pleased lord officiously said,-“Seek a boon, son!”

“Lord! Please bestow me a vaishnav son, a devotee of Lord SriKrishna.” Said the king and as the bestower of boon heard the specific wish of the seeker, a smile spread over his lips. Being himself, a devotee of lord Krishna, his eyes turned moist and rapture besieged him. “King of Gandharva! One who is devoted to lord SriKrishna is the most capable of all beings. Such a person not only attains Goloka but liberates his kith and kin as well from the cycles of death and rebirth. One longs for a boon so long as one has not experienced the bliss of divine love to lord Srikrishna that liberates the soul forever. I therefore, rarely bestow his divine love to anyone. Better seek anything else!” insinuated lord Shiv.

 The king felt unnerved and became numb. His throat got glued and lips parched out of disappointment. He respectfully bowed and supplicated,-“Lord! All possessions in this world are ephemeral. Even liberation is of no value in comparison to divine love. If you think me worthy of your grace then please bestow me only divine love and a vaishnav son nothing else.”

 Lord Shiv was all the more pleased to see the unflinching love and said,-“Don’t be disheartened son! You will have a son who will live long, will be accomplished and continent and a staunch devotee of Lord Krishna.”

 Thus blessed by lord Shiv, the king felt perfect peace and delight. He then retreated to his palace where in due course he begot a son and named him Upbaharn. The family lived at mount Gandhmadan. As the son grew up, he received a mantra from guru Vasishtha and began to chant it to please lord Krishna. When he grew up he moved to the north in search of the ultimate bliss and wisdom. He began to meditate over lord SriKrishna at the bank of river Gandaki. River Gandaki also known as Narayani had issued from the corporeal form of a great devotee of lord Srikrishna known as Tulasi in the past. She was the chaste wife of a danav named Shankhchood, who having been found invincible to all, was ultimately killed by lord Shiv with his trident only when lord Vishnu desecrated Tulasi after imposing as Shankshchood. As seeker of divine bliss Upbaharn indulged in rigorous penance to please lord Srikrishna, fifty gandharva ladies saw him and found him irresistibly attractive to such extent that they longed to be his wives all the time. Bitten by the intense longing, they also performed penance and soon gave up their bodies. They took rebirth as daughters of gandharva Chitrarath and on attaining puberty married gandharva Upbaharn.

 Narad was thus now a gandharva named Upbaharn who lived with his fifty ever youthful wives who spared him no time to ponder over his lord even for a single moment. They all lived in prosperity and enjoyed all kinds of comforts and sensual pleasures.

 Long time passed. Once in Brahmalok a gathering took place where deities, sages, seers, yogis and gandharva were also invited. Upbaharn was also present in the gathering. Beautiful nymphs of swargalok presented enchanting dances to please the gathering of august spiritual masters and enlightened beings. Rambha, one of the most beautiful celestial dancers showed her best performance to entertain the guests. Her soft figure wrapped in muslin raiment and bejeweled with glittering gold and precious gems, glided so enchantingly that seeing her curves and smiles, Upbaharn lost his mind. Afflicted by the desire to be with her, the gandharva swooned in front of all. All deities began to laugh to see the love bitten gandharva. Brahma, who was the father of Narad, felt ashamed of his son’s such weakness. Not capable of bearing with the ridicule of his guests, father Brahma cursed Upbaharn,-“You will be born to a shudra woman on earth. No one can attain heights without undergoing penance and hardship. Good and bad times occur alternatively everywhere. Go down and reap the reward of your actions….” All guests pitied the poor gandharva but could do nothing as they were enlightened beings who knew well that time makes every one rise and fall in a unique way.

 On regaining wisdom, Upbaharn repented for his weakness. He however, having full faith in lord SriKrishna, accepted the curse of Lord Brahma readily. He withdrew his mind from everything and sensing his end near, began to meditate over lord SriKrishna and after some time embraced death peacefully. One of his most devoted wife named Malavati, having been left heart rent, lamented for him and wailed,-“My Lord! Please get up. I can not live without you. Please get up. Do not torment me thus.” Bemoaning so over his death, she swooned. When she regained consciousness, she prayed to lord Srikrishna and said with unflinching conviction,-“Lord Srikrishna! You alone are the witness of our love and devotion. I have been a chaste wife all through my life. By the power of my quintessential chastity and purity, I dare curse Yam and even Brahma. If you did not revive my husband, I shall curse them right now….” Aware of spiritual powers of Malavati, Lord Brahma began to tremble in awe and prayed to lord Vishnu,-“Lord! Malavati is going to curse us all. Please protect us from her wrath, somehow.” Even lord Shiv cried fearfully,-“Lord! A chaste woman possesses the supreme powers. Please save us all from her curse.” All terrified deities joined hands and prayed to lord Vishnu, lest bereaved Malavati should curse them. As they all prayed fervently, a glorious Brahman boy of short stature, wearing snow-white dress, holding umbrella in one hand and a book in the other hand appeared where Malavati was lamenting beside the corpse of her husband. “What brings Lord Brahma and Lord Shiv with all the deities, here? O Malavati! Whose body is this?” asked the new entrant to the dramatic scenario, purporting to be perfectly unaware and innocent.

 Malavati being fully focused on supreme force, lifted her head and having sensed the presence of the supreme wizard, said,-“I salute you, O lord who has appeared before me as a Vipra (Brahman who chants mantra). Scriptures stand testimony of love of a chaste wife to her soul mate. See, cursed by lord Brahma, my husband has lost his life untimely. I can not bear with this tragic separation. If you did not revive my husband, then I will surely curse back lord Brahma along with all his supporting deities.” Her staunch determination radiated all around.

Lord Brahma who stood there with a head hung in shame and repentance tried to persuade her,-“Malavati! Even deities can’t give reward of actions immediately. Things happen only at the appropriate time. No one can attain anything without undergoing due course of penance. Better focus on Lord Srikrishna and attain liberation from all bondages. Such a devotee never hankers for anything else and surely attains Goloka after mortal death.”

 The chaste lady was however, not consolable even by such enlightening counsel of the progenitor of the world. The Vipra who had appeared to unravel the mystery, showered sympathy over her and affectionately asked,-“Mother! Tell me what disease killed your husband? I am a physician and can cure all bodily ailments.”

Malavati, pleased by his demeanor, opened out her heart and said,-“How soothing is your speech! Indeed you can surely resurrect my husband. But lord! As you seem to be so capable, please call Yam and Mrityukanya here, I want to have a dialogue with them.”

In no time, she found both of them standing in front of her, as the Vipra made the impossible, possible in an eyewink. Yamraj stood like a rock with no mercy on his face and Mrityukanya, draped in a red attire looked horribly dark complexioned. Even though appearing intensely repulsive, she was accompanied by her husband Kaal who appeared endowed with matching sternness and might. The couple were surrounded by their sixty-four sons who rule over various afflictions of body and mind that eat into the mortal coils in various ways in preparation for death.

 Yamaraj took the command and said to Malavati,-“O chaste lady! Please listen, no one dies before one’s due moment of death. Life span is decided by God. I take away life of anyone only when Mrityukanya recommends me to do so. Better seek her explanation about the death of your husband.”

Malavati turned to Mrityukanya and querried,-“Mrityukanya! You are a lady. Being a lady you can appreciate the anguish of a lady whose husband dies in front of her. How could you take away the life of my husband even though I am alive?’ Mrityu replied,-“Malavati! Lord Brahma has appointed me to do this task. I and my sons who control various diseases do this as ordained by Kaal. Please seek his clarification about it.”

Malavati turned to Kaal and asked,-“O Kaal! I salute you! Being an incarnation of lord Narayan, you are the supreme entity.  Please let me know as to how and why are you taking away the life of my husband?”

Kaalpurush replied,-“Who am I? Who is Mrityukanya and her sixty-four sons? We are all subordinate to Lord SriKrishna. You also better meditate over him. He alone is capable of giving back your husband to you, not any of us.”

 Thus having got nothing worthwhile and soothing, Malavati turned her face to the Vipra who appeared to her miraculously capable.

The Vipra appeared calm and most convincing. He had made Yam, Mrityu and Kaal justify their stance to pacify the languishing lady. He threw a soothing glance at Malavati and said,-“Malavati! You have heard all. Tell me what more clarification do you seek?” Malavati pondered and said,-“Please enlighten me as to how can one avoid being victimized by various ailments and diseases?”  Vipra said,-“I salute first Lord Srikrishna and then say that sixty-four ailments afflict the mortal body due to imbalance of vat-pitt-cough.One who practices austerity, eightfold path of yoga and devotion to lord Srikrishna is not touched by any ailment.” The Vipra explained to all in detail the science of ayurvijnan that dispelled the darkness from the mind of all and all felt convinced that each individual reaps the reward of one’s own follies and ignorance alone, with the passage of time. One should therefore, mend one’s own ways to be victorious over weaknesses.  Pleased by the patience and faith of Malavati the Vipra said,-“Malavati! Tell me now what disease killed your husband. I shall surely revive him now.”

 Malavati was relieved and said,-“My husband died out of sheer shame for having been smitten by the charm of nymph. He gave up life by practicing yoga. I feel now all the more blessed having heard your enlightening discussion. Please give me back my husband.” The Vipra who was lord SriKrishna himself, then turned to deities and said,-“Lords! Please tell me how should I revive the husband of Malavati?”

 The deities were so impressed with the Vipra that without losing a moment, Lord Brahma sprinkled water over the corpse of Upbaharn to revive him. Lord Shiv bestowed wisdom over him. Lord Krishna entered his body as his soul and the gandharva got up as if coming back from a detour to a holy abode.  All deities showered flowers over the couple. They worshipped lord SriKrishna and lived happily after that, blessed by all.