21 - The daily routine of the child born in the Sudra family 

Sauti said—In due course of time the child became five years old and he always remembered the happenings of the past births and started the reciting of the mantras. 

He continued reciting the glory of the lord Krishna. Sometimes, he cried and sometimes he became emotional. 

He used to stop at any place wherever there was the recitation of the glory of lord Krishna.

With his entire body covered with dust he used to make the images of the lord in mud and offered him the Naivedya also of the dust performing his puja. 

О sage, when the mother called him in the morning for eating, he used to reply to her that he was busy with the adoration of the lord. 

Saunaka said—What was the name given to the child in his new birth? You kindly tell us all that in detail. 

Sauti said—It was a time of draught when this boy was born. With his birth the rain fell on earth and because of the rains he was given the name of Narada. 

That child was illustrious, intellectual and used to impart knowledge to the other boys of the place; therefore, he was given the name of Narada. О sage, he was also given the name of Narada because he was born from the semen of the great sage. 

Saunaka said—I have come to know of the appropriate name of the boy but how did his father also came to be known by the name of Narada?

Sauti said—Sage Nara who was the son of Dharma gave to Kashyapa a son who had no son and was childless. Therefore, because a son was given to him by Nara, he was also known by the name of Narada. 

Saunaka said—О son of Suta, I have now come to know the genesis of the name of that child. Now you tell me how he was known as Narada when he was the combination of a Brahmana and a Stidra. 

Sauti said—At the end of kalpa many Naras were bom out of the neck of Brahma; his neck gave charity to Narayana and that is why he was called Narada. 

The same child was bom out of the neck and as such Brahma gave him the name of Narada.

I am now speaking about the story of that child, you listen to me attentively. By knowing the secret about the birth of Narada what purpose is going to be served, you listen to me”? 

The son of the Gopika went on growing in the house of a Brahmana, who took good care of him together with his daughter and the Gopika. 

In the meantime, some glorious Brahmanas arrived in the house of that Brahmana who looked like children of five years age. 

They wore a lustre on their body which excelled the lustre of the sun of the summer season at noon. The house-holder Brahmana welcomed them offering curd with honey. Thereafter all the four Brahmana boys accepted the offering of fruits, roots and other eatables by the house holder. The left-overs were consumed by that child. 

The fourth Brahmana was pleased with the boy and gave him the mantra of Krishna. With the permission of his mother, they took up the boy to serve them as an attendant. 

Once the mother of that boy was leaguing the house at midnight and was bitten by a snake on the way, as a result of which she left for heavenly abode, reciting the name of the lord. The chaste cowherdesses mounted on the divine chariot of lord Vishnu, reached his place called Vaikuntha in an instant. 

In the morning the child came out of the house of Brahmana and accompanied the Brahmana ascetics. The compassionate Brahmana imparted the knowledge of tattvas to the child. 

Thereafter those Brahmana-ascetics left the child and went for a bath and the intelligent child started residing at the bank of the Ganga. 

Taking a bath there, he started reciting the mantra given to him by the Brahmana ascetics, which relieves one of hunger thirst, ailments and grief and was difficult to get pronounced in the Vedas. 

In the thick and dangerous forest, the boy sat in meditation under a Pipala tree for a long time. 

Saunaka said—What was the mantra given to the boy by the intelligent Sanat Kumaras, you kindly tell us? 

Sauti said—In the ancient times, lord Krishna had given to Brahma in the Goloka a mantra of twenty-two letters which is difficult to get even in the Vedas. The same mantra was given by Brahma to the intelligent Sanat Kumaras taking into consideration their devotion. О Brahmana Sanat-kumaras gave away the mantra to a Brahmana boy.

The mantra goes like this: — This is the wishfulfilling-tree and should be accompanied by the kavacha and the stotra of Mahapurusha, which would be quite useful. 

The yogis meditate upon him who is having the glory of crores of Suryas and is illustrious in outlook who is beyond description having the eternal shine. The siddhas and the gods adore him who could get their desire fulfilled. The Vaishnava people adore him in their heart with great devotion. He is extremely beautiful, beyond description and quite charming. He has the complexion of the new clouds; his eyes are like the lotuses of winter season. His face bears the lustre of the full moon of the winter season. The lips resemble the ripe bimba fruit; he has beautifully shining teeth which look like lines of gems. He wears a serene smile on his face and holds a flute in his hands. His beauty excels crores of gods of love he has a fine glory and his lustre exceeds lakhs of moons. He has a well developed body. 

He appears in tribhanga pose, he has two arms. His arms are adorned with armlets. He is clad in yellow garments and also wears wristlets and anklets studded with gems. He has gems studded Kundalas adorning the ears, while a feather of the peacock serves as a mukuta. The gems-studded necklaces are worn around the neck. He wears a long garland of forest flowers; his entire body is plastered with sandal-wood paste. He is the one who is compassionate to his devotees. 

The beautiful kaustubha gem appear on his chest. The cowherdesses look at him in shyness continuously. 

The youthful cowherdesses adorned with all the ornaments surround him always. He is enSrined in the heart of Radha. 

The gods like Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva adore him, offer prayers to him, praising him at the same time. He is of tender age and is the lord of Radha, is quite peaceful and is beyond the reach of all. He remains uninvolved and has a definite form, he is beyond the invisible nature. One should always adore the great soul who is the lord of all. 

О sage, I have explained to you the Dhyanam, stotra, kavacha and the mantra which is like the wish-fulfilling-tree. 

О Saunaka, that child continued his meditation for a thousand divine years while tasting. He became quite lean and thin in meditation. Inspite of that, but because of the influence of the said mantra, he remain quite hail and hearty. While in meditation, the boy visualised a small child seated over a gems-studded lion-throne. He was adorned with all the ornaments studded with gems and was of tender age, dark complexioned and was clad in the garments of cowherd. He had a smiling face. He was surrounded by the cowherds and cowherdesses and was wearing a yellow lower garment, having two hands and a flute held in both of them. All his limbs were plastered with the sandal-paste; he was being adored by the gods like Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Looking at such a cowherd the peaceful child kept on meditating. After the meditation was over when he could not find him there, he was upset with grief. When he could not find the boy after finishing his meditation, the child started crying under the shade of the tree. 

Finding him constantly weeping, there was a divine voice from the sky addressed to him. The beneficial truth and knowledge was enSrined in these words. “The form which appeared before you just now would never appear before you again, because it is difficult for the sinful people to have an audience with the divine person. 

After you leave this body you will achieve divine form and you will achieve the place of lord Govinda which is free from birth and death. You will find that form there again. 

On hearing this the child stopped making efforts for search for the divine form. After sometime reciting the name of Krishna in his mind, he went to a holy place and ended his life. At that point of time, the drums were beaten in the heaven and there was a showering of flowers from the sky. This way the great sage Narada was freed from the curse. 

After leaving his human body, the soul entered the divine body of the Brahman. He became eternal as compared to his earlier life and ultimately he vanished. О Saunaka, the devotees are born on the earth at their own sweet-will and also disappear in the same way. They are not affected by birth, death, old age and illness.