23 - Narada seeks permission from Brahma for performing tapas 

Sauti said—О Saunaka, Brahma asked all his son to get engaged in the work of the creation of the universe and he also asked Narada to follow suit. 

Brahma had already imparted the knowledge of Vedas and later Vedic literature to Narada. He, therefore, asked them to perform the job which was strictly according to the Vedas and could bestow welfare in the long run. 

Brahma said—О son, you come here; you are the best of all my sons and are dearer to me than my life. You are the flame of intelligence and are the destroyer of a darkness of ignorance. 

The father happens to be the great teacher; he is respectable of all the people. He is the one who bestows the knowledge and the mantras are both equal and are superior to the father. О son, I am your father, the bestower of knowledge and have brought you up. Therefore, at my command and for my pleasure, you marry yourself. 

He alone could be called as true sons and the true pupils who obeys to the command of his teacher; the one who disregards the teacher, cannot earn any welfare. Such of the learned people, intellectuals could be sharer of welfare and virtues who obey the command of the teacher. He meets with welfare at every step in all the Asramas the Gruhastha-Asrama happens to be the best, because with the glory of his tapas he maintenance his wife and sons, beside the grandsons joyfully. 

As the cows go to a tank for drinking water, Similarly, the gods and the manes go to the house-holder in the morning and at noon. 

The house-holders regularly perform the essential rites and many of the sacrifices. By thus conducting himself the house-holders enjoys the sacred life on earth and achieves the heavenly abode after death. 

He follows his dharma truthfully; he becomes illustrious, meritorious, glorious, rich and enjoys all the pleasures. 

The one who is glorious and enjoys popularity, he remains alike even after his death and the people devoid of glory and popularity are considered to be dead even during their life time. 

At these words of Brahma, the lips throat and mouth of Narada were dried up. He gets terrified he spoke meekly. 

Narada said—Once both father and son had to suffer gravely censurable because of their mutual disagreement by opposing dialogue. 

Because of your curse I was bom in the race of Gandharvas as well as the Sudras. You became unadorable in the universe in the universe because of my curse. I could rid myself of your curse after a long time. Therefore, it is said that internal disagreement always leads to harmful situation and can earn no merit. 

The one who makes his sons devoted to lord Krishna, he alone could be called a father or a teacher or as a true son of the lord. 

If a child moves on the wrong path, then the compassionate father takes him back from that path. 

Lord Krishna’s lotus-like feet are adorable and discarding his devotion, if one leads his sons to the worldly pleasures, he cannot be called a true father. It is troublesome to have a wife and one get on pleasures out of it. She is an obstruction in the performance of tapas, achieving of heavens and salvation. 

The foolish house-holders have three types of ladies who are virtuous, enjoyable and wicked. All of them are selfish. 

The virtuous lady conducts herself with the fear of her glory and also serves her husband for conjugal pleasures. 

The enjoyable lady lives only for enjoying the worldly pleasures serving her husband. In fact, she does not serve her husband even for a moment. 

Till such time she gets the clothes, ornaments, conjugal pleasures, she remains attached to her husband enjoying all the luxury. She remains attached to her husband, till a such time all these pleasures are available to her. 

The wicked women are like the fire in the family and are responsible for the destruction of the race. If such a woman serves her husband, she does so only deceitfully, devoid of any devotion. She always remains passionate and is always desirous of the company of others. Besides good food, she always remains anxious to have more and more men to enjoy their company. 

O father, for the sake of her lover, such a degraded woman even kills her husband. Therefore, the fools who believe in her their lives remains of no consequence. 

I have thus explained the conduct of the virtuous and the ordinary types of women. Even the great yogis cannot read the mind of such women. 

Their hearts are quite sharp and their faces retain the beauty of the lotus flower. They speak in sweet tone for the accomplishment of their tasks. 

When enraged they vomit words which are like poison, the one who believes in them is sure to ruin himself. It is very difficult to understanding their mind; all their actions are deep rooted. 

Such women are of extremist nature and possess great courage. They are filled with deceitfully actions creating illusions everywhere. 

О teacher, of the universe, they possess the patience eight times more then the men, they eat double the food and are four times more cruel then the men. How can one believe in them? What type of pleasures can a man derive from a woman and what type of pleasure can he get? By indulging in intercourse with them, there is loss of strength and by talking to them one loses the glory. 

When one is immensely attached to them, there is a loss of riches. By getting immensely attracted towards them, one loses the strength of the body; by indulging in conjugal pleasures there is a loss of wisdom, by quarrelling with them there is a loss of honour and everything. Therefore, o Brahman what type of pleasure can we get from a woman? 

The man is virtuous, rich, full of lustre and quite competent. He can control the ladies only up to the time, he has all the riches available with him. 

The ladies do not love the husbands who are pauper and are old. They give them little food because of adverse reaction in the society. 

О Brahman, I have spoken all these on the basis of my knowledge, you know everything because you are the lord of the soul of a human being. Therefore, you kindly permit me to go. О lord you be compassionate on me; you are greater than the kalpavruksha I am desirous of the devotion of lord Krishna. 

Thus speaking Narada bowed down at the feet of Brahma and seeking his permission for leaving to perform tapas. 

Thereafter, he circumambulated Brahma with folded hands and bowing in reverence he was about to leave. 

О sage, Brahma the creator of the universe finding his son leaving for penance was over whelmed and becoming emotional he started weeping bitterly. Thereafter holding his hand and embracing Narada, Brahma kissed his face many times. Lord Brahma inspite of being so knowledgeable could not bear the separation of Narada, because separation is intolerable. 

О Shaunaka, infested with the illusion of lord Vishnu, Brahma was infested with the grief of separation from his son and said to him. are being followed with great effort and bestow Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.