130 - The marriage of Nanda

Narada said- O virtuous one, I have listened, to everything and nothing has been left out. This Brahmavaivarta Purana is unprecedented and fulfils all the wishes.

O teacher of the universe, you tell me as to what should be done by me. You give me a command I shall go to Himalaya for performing tapas.

Narayana said- In one of your earlier births, you were the husband of fifty damsels, known as a Gandharva named Upabarhana. Currently you are the son of Brahma.

One of the damsels was quite beautiful and chaste, she performed great tapas for Shiva in order to get Narada as her husband.

She was the daughter of Srunjaya and the real sister of Svarnasthivi You batter marry him. No one could venture to go against the wished of lord Krishna.

She happened to be the ray of Lakshmi with tender limbs, besides being quite chaste, virtuous, attractive and Soft spoken. She is quite passionate, beautiful and possessed the ever lasting youthfulness therefore you surely marry her, who can erase the reward of the earlier deeds.

The deeds do not vanish even after the lapse of hundred crores of kalpas one has to face the reward of the good and had deeds without fail.

Suta said- On hearing the words of Narayana, Narada bowed before him with a painful heart and at once moved to the abode of Srunjaya.

Saunaka said- O virtuous one, we have listened to quite attractive, astonishing and unprecedented ancient secret, I would like to listen about the marriage of Narada, the son of Brahma and the one who had controlled all his senses.

Suta said- Narada secretly looked at the virtuous daughter of Srunjaya and went to the court of Brahma which was surrounded by all the gods. Bowing in reverence to Brahma he spoke to him quite humbly.

Brahma the lord of the universe, after meeting his son and learning about the proposed marriage delightfully proceeded with other gods, mounted on the gem-studded plane, accompanied with his son, to the place of Srunjaya.

On hearing about the news, the king Srunjaya adorning his charming daughter with gem- studded ornaments gave her away in marriage to Narada delightfuIly He offered several of the precious gems and the riches in dakshina the king then prayed to them with folded hands. The king Srunjaya who was the best of the yogis, after offering his daughter to Brahma, started crying uttering the name of his daughter.

He said, ”0 daughter having the eyes resembling the lotus flowers where are you going deserting my house. Getting separated from your company I shall go to the terrific forest because without you I am feeling like dead."

The girl while sobbing left her weeping parents behind offering her salutation to them and mounted on the chariot of Brahma.

Brahma on his part delightfully accompanied with the bride and the groom together with the gods and the sages went to Brahmaloka.

He performed all the welfare ceremonies there, serving food to the Brahmanas and the gods, beating the big drums.

The sage Narada was deprived of his earlier deeds. O dear one, the one who is habitual to performing particular type of deed, who could prevent him from doing so.

He then started enjoying the company of his spouse on the bed of flowers and became unconcerned with the passing of the day and night. Thus Narada the best of the sages was involved in the conjugal pleasures. He Started residing under the charming banyan tree. At that point of time, Sanatkumara, the three brothers arrived there who always remained nude, illumining with the divine lustre. They appeared like the Supreme lord in the form of children, appearing in the age of five years, who were devoid of the first shaving of their heads, the thread ceremonies and the performing of sandhya. They were always reciting the mantra of Krishna, whose teacher was Narayana himself, who remained roaming about all the times, was the foremost of the intellectual Vaishnavas, the best of the devotees of the lord and who were the teachers of the teachers, arrived there. Finding those brothers who are the best among the noble people. Narada prostrated before them. The sage then smiled and spoke to Narada, the words which were quite auspicious.

Sanatkumara said- O brother, what are you doing? O husband of damsel, are you keeping on well, is the love of the couple going on increasing? This love obstructs the divine path of knowledge. It serves as the door leaf for the door of devotion. It obstructs the path of salvation and in to the wordily the bondage for a long time.

This is the seed for entering in the womb and results into the fall in the hell. A degraded and sinful person enjoys it like the nectar.

The one who discarding the name of Narayana involves hipiself into such worldly pleasures, he under the influence of the illusion owns the poison discarding nectar.

Except the lord all the people, have to face the fruit of their deeds, we people are the sons of Brahma, this type of behaviour is to be indulged ihto by the human beings.

If you have not to face the result of your deed, then how could you be bom as the son of female servant getting detached from the company of devotees of the lord?

O brother, discarding this beautiful damsel, who is the form of illusion, you proceed on for? performing tapas. In the sacred land of Bharata, you must recite the name of Madhava, perfonning tapas.

By devoting your mind to lord Narayana who bestows salvation on the people, the one who remains engrossed in the worldly pleasures, he is surely over-powered with the illusion or the pleasures, he surely over-powered with the illusion of the lord.

The essence of all the mantras and the best of all happens to be the mantras called Krishna. You receive it.

There is no mantra better than the same in all the Puranas, the four Vedas, the religious treatises and all the tantras.

This mantra, was given to me by Narayana nimself at Pushkara-kshetra on the occasion of the solar eclipse. I reciting the same for innumerable kalpas, became adorable by all and I moved at will.

Thus speaking he bestowed the mantra to Narada. Holding a rosary in his hand, he started reciting the same through out the day and night.

Sanatkumaras who happened to be the foremost of the Vaishnavas pronouncing their blessing for Narada and bestowing the mantra on him went to Goloka to have an audience with the eternal Brahman.

Narada on the other hand receiving the mantra which bestowed all the success, destroying all his previous deeds achieved the infallible devotion of Lord Krishna.

Disowning his wife, he went to the land of Bharata for performing tapas. Reaching the bank of Krutamala river, he hod an audience with lord Shiva.

Finding Shiva there, the sage Narada suddenly prostrated before him. Lord Shiva who bestows his grace on his devotees spoke to Narada.

Shiva said- O Narada, I have been delimited to meet you with the glory, the day on which meet our devotees, it becomes a suspicious day for the human beings.

For the human beings it is quite beneficial to have an audience with the devotees of the lord. The one who has an audience with the Vaishnavas, he earns the merit of having bath at all the holy places.

Have you achieved the inaccessible Mahamantra which is difficult of all the tantras which I had bestowed upon Ganesa and my son Skanda?

The knowledge of this mantra was bestowed by lord Krishna on me in Rasamandala of the Goloka besides Brahma and Dharma. Dharma bestowed the knowledge to Narayana.

Brahma bestowed the knowledge to Sanatkumara, who has bestowed the same to you, by receiving this mantra, one becomes Narayana himself.

By reciting this mantra, the good or bad time, become of no consequence; by reciting this mantra five lakhs of time, one meets with success.

One should adore Krishna according to the dhyanam prescribed in the Samaveda which destroyed the sin and cuts at the root of the deeds. He has dark complexion of the new clouds is of quite a tender age, wearing pitambara, illumining with the lustre of hundred crores of the moons, adorned with best of the gem-studded ornaments. His body is plastered with sandal-paste. The kaustubha gem adorns his chest, the peacock feather appears on the head. He wears the garland and of jasmine flowers, wears a serene smile on the face. He is adored by Shiva and others gods daily. He is difficult to be achieved even with meditation, is devoid of all the gunas, beyond Prakruti, the supreme soul of all, the one who takes to human form for the sake of his devotees, the on who is inexplicable by the Vedas and is the lord of all. I adore lord Krishna who is the best or all. One should meditate upon the eternal lord with this dhyanam. Who is blissful, truthful eternal, beyond everything and is known by the name of lord Krishna. Thus speaking lord Shiva retired to his abode.

Bowing at the feet of lord Shiva, Narada went for performing iapas. Narada discarded his human body by yogic practices and devoting his mind at the feet of lord Hari he entered the lotus like feet of lord Hari which are adored always by Kamala.