Narada | |
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Devanagari | नारद |
Affiliation | Vaishnavism |
Abode |
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Mantra | Om Naradaya Namah |
Symbols | |
Genealogy | |
Born | Narada Jayanti |
Parents |
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Siblings | Himavat, Jambavan |
Narada (Sanskrit: नारद, IAST: Nārada), or Narada Muni, is a sage-divinity, famous in Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of the mind-created children of Brahma, the creator god.[2][3] He appears in a number of Hindu texts, notably the Mahabharata, telling Yudhishthira the story of Prahalada, and he also appears in the Ramayana and the Puranas.[3] A common theme in Vaishnavism is the accompaniment of a number of deities such as Narada to offer aid to Vishnu upon his descent to earth to combat the forces of evil, or to enjoy a close view of epochal events. He is also referred to as Rishiraja, meaning the king of all sages. He was gifted with the boon of knowledge regarding the past, present, and the future.
Mind elements descend from Vaikunth to earth; hence, the mind is called avatar. The mind of a human descends from Vaikunth to earth is called Narada Avatar. All human beings are narada avatars; when humans get enlightened, then only humans can experience themselves as narada.[4]