Narada Muni's Spiritual Transformation and Wisdom in Srimad Bhagavatham

Srimad Bhagavatham 1.6.28-38 Narada s Full Perfection

1.2.4 n r yan am namaskr tya naram caiva narottamam dev m sarasvat m vy sam tato jayam ud rayet Before reciting this r mad-Bh gavatam, which is the very means of conquest, one should offer respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, N r yan a, unto Nara-n r yan a R s i, the supermost human being, unto mother Sarasvat , the goddess of learning, and unto r la Vy sadeva, the author.

1.2.18 nas t a-pr yes v abhadres u nityam bh gavata-sevay bhagavaty uttama- loke bhaktir bhavati nais t hik By regular attendance in classes on the Bh gavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.

Outline 28 : Narada Muni getting spiritual body 29 32 : Narada Muni s transcendental nature 33 35 : Narada Muni s instructions 36 38 : Conclusion

1.6.28 prayujyam ne mayi t m uddh m bh gavat m tanum rabdha-karma-nirv n o nyapatat p ca-bhautikah Having been awarded a transcendental body befitting an associate of the Personality of Godhead, I quit the body made of five material elements, and thus all acquired fruitive results of work [karma] stopped.

Main points Transcendental body invested with eternity, freedom from material modes and reactions of fruitive activities Devotee s body, material transcendence Examples Dhruva Maharaj, Prahlad Maharaj Lord sees the same gold box, gold plated box

1.6.29 kalp nta idam d ya ay ne 'mbhasy udanvatah i ayis or anupr n am vivi e 'ntar aham vibhoh At the end of the millennium, when the Personality of Godhead Lord N r yan a lay down within the water of devastation, Brahm began to enter into Him along with all creative elements, and I also entered through His breathing.

Main points Lord and his devotees like Narada belong to the same category of transcendence

1.6.30 sahasra-yuga-paryante utth yedam sisr ks atah mar ci-mi r r s ayah pr n ebhyo 'ham ca jaj ire After 4,300,000,000 solar years, when Brahm awoke to create again by the will of the Lord, all the r s is like Mar ci, A gir , Atri and so on were created from the transcendental body of the Lord, and I also appeared along with them.

Main points Narada just wakes up from sleep in the same transcendental body Transcendental body has no distinction of body and soul

1.6.31 antar bahi ca lok m s tr n paryemy askandita-vratah anugrah n mah -vis n or avigh ta-gatih kvacit Since then, by the grace of the almighty Vis n u, I travel everywhere without restriction both in the transcendental world and in the three divisions of the material world. This is because I am fixed in unbroken devotional service of the Lord.

Main points Liberated spaceman Prime authority for transcendental devotional service of the Lord Only devotees are eligible to enter the Kingdom of God

From purport All the great authorities in the devotional service of the Lord follow in the footsteps of N rada Muni in the order of the N rada- bhakti-s tra, and therefore all the devotees of the Lord are unhesitatingly qualified unhesitatingly qualified to enter into the kingdom of God, Vaikun t ha.

1.6.32 deva-datt m im m v n m svara-brahma-vibh s it m m rcchayitv hari-kath m g yam na car my aham And thus I travel, constantly singing the transcendental message of the glories of the Lord, vibrating this instrument called a v n , which is charged with transcendental sound and which was given to me by Lord Kr s n a.

Main points Vina is identical with Lord Krishna and Narada Everything associated with the Lord is transcendental

1.6.33 prag yatah sva-v ry n i t rtha-p dah priya- rav h h ta iva me ghram dar anam y ti cetasi The Supreme Lord r Kr s n a, whose glories and activities are pleasing to hear, at once appears on the seat of my heart, as if called for, as soon as I begin to chant His holy activities.

Main points Lord is non-different from His Name, form, pastimes Spiritual television Natural psychology Not for personal benefit

From purport It is a natural psychology in every individual case that a person likes to hear and enjoy his personal glories enumerated by others. That is a natural instinct, and the Lord, being also an individual personality like others, is not an exception to this psychology because psychological characteristics visible in the individual souls are but reflections of the same psychology in the Absolute Lord.

1.6.34 etad dhy tura-citt n m m tr -spar ecchay muhuh bhava-sindhu-plavo dr s t o hari-cary nuvarn anam It is personally experienced by me that those who are always full of cares and anxieties due to desiring contact of the senses with their objects can cross the ocean of nescience on a most suitable boat the constant chanting of the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead.

Main points Objects in maya s realm cannot give ultimate satisfaction Bhagavad Gita 5.22 Prescription turn your mind to Krishna Change the subject matter Selfishness changed to love

From purport But as these things are exercised under the influence of the external, illusory energy, such sensual activities do not actually give them any satisfaction. On the contrary, they become full with cares and anxieties. This is called m y , or what is not. That which cannot give them satisfaction is accepted as an object for satisfaction.

1.6.35 yam dibhir yoga-pathaih k ma-lobha-hato muhuh mukunda-sevay yadvat tath tm ddh na myati It is true that by practicing restraint of the senses by the yoga system one can get relief from the disturbances of desire and lust, but this is not sufficient to give satisfaction to the soul, for this [satisfaction] is derived from devotional service to the Personality of Godhead.

Main points Effective and practical way of controlling the senses Bhagavad Gita 2.59 Foremost process for self-realization Message of Srimad Bhagavatam

SB 4.4.28 Purport One cannot attain complete satisfaction even if one is situated in the greatest material opulence. There was nothing Sat could not achieve either from her relationship with her father or from her relationship with the greatest of the demigods, but still, for some reason, she was dissatisfied. Therefore, r mad-Bh gavatam explains that one has to achieve real satisfaction (yay tm supras dati), but tm the body, mind and soul all become completely satisfied only if one develops devotional service to the Absolute Truth. Sa vai pu s paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhok aje. Adhok aja means the Absolute Truth. If one can develop his unflinching love for the transcendental Supreme Personality of Godhead, that can give complete satisfaction, otherwise there is no possibility of satisfaction in the material world or anywhere else.

1.6.36 sarvam tad idam khy tam yat pr s t o 'ham tvay nagha janma-karma-rahasyam me bhavata c tma-tos an am O Vy sadeva, you are freed from all sins. Thus I have explained my birth and activities for self- realization, as you asked. All this will be conducive for your personal satisfaction also.

Main points Result of hearing Results of devotional life revealed

1.6.37 s ta uv ca evam sambh s ya bhagav n n rado v sav -sutam mantrya v n m ran ayan yayau y dr cchiko munih S ta Gosv m said: Thus addressing Vy sadeva, r la N rada Muni took leave of him, and vibrating on his v n instrument, he left to wander at his free will.

Main Points Devotional Service gives complete freedom Freedom from the material energy real freedom Krishna gives us freedom and the instructions Freedom is the main pivot

From Purport the transcendental system of devotional service is also free. It may or may not develop in a particular person even after he undergoes all the detailed formulas. Similarly, the association of the devotee is also free. One may be fortunate to have it, or one may not have it even after thousands of endeavors. Therefore, in all spheres of devotional service, freedom is the main pivot. Without freedom there is no execution of devotional service. The freedom surrendered to the Lord does not mean that the devotee becomes dependent in every respect. To surrender unto the Lord through the transparent medium of the spiritual master is to attain complete freedom of life.

Prabhupada said They have sex life on the street. They say it is freedom. But the rascals do not know there is no freedom at all. Where is freedom? So long you are under the grip of material nature, janma-m tyu-jar -vy dhi [Bg. 13.9], where is freedom? By nature does not mean that you have got freedom. There is no freedom. We are all conditioned. Simply falsely we are thinking of freedom. It requires little brain. Where is freedom? Nobody wants to die, and where is the freedom not to die? Who has got the freedom? Nobody wants to become old, and where is the freedom? Everyone becomes old. But I have got the desire. Even old man, old woman tries to remain young by cosmetic help, to be good looking, and where is the freedom? By nature he is becoming bad looking. So there is no freedom. It is false idea, freedom. Nobody wants to die; death is sure. (aside:) He's sleeping. Nobody wants to become old; he's becoming old. Nobody wants to take birth... Of course, that is very higher stage. J n , they want mukti; that is also not possible. Otherwise why K a says, bah n janman m ante [Bg. 7.19]? To stop death, to stop birth, is not possible unless one comes to K a consciousness. Unless one (sic) does not come to the position of loving K a, there's no question of freedom.

Prabhupada said A child's freedom, for instance, is to live completely under the protection of his parents then he has freedom. But without their protection, he'll have no freedom, only suffering. If the child is very rebellious, he may think he doesn't need his parents he wants to be free. But he is just a rascal. He does not really know what freedom is. Similarly, if you don't surrender to God, then you are misusing your freedom. And you'll lose your freedom. The Bhagavad-g t says, daiv hy e gu amay mama m y duratyay : "Material nature is so strong that she will not allow you to get free." But, m m eva ye prapadyante: "If you surrender to K a instead of K a's m y , then you'll become free." If you don't agree to accept the control of K a, you'll be forced by K a's material energy. So what is this so-called freedom? You have to surrender.

1.6.38 aho devars ir dhanyo 'yam yat-k rtim r gadhanvanah g yan m dyann idam tantry ramayaty turam jagat All glory and success to r la N rada Muni because he glorifies the activities of the Personality of Godhead, and so doing he himself takes pleasure and also enlivens all the distressed souls of the universe.

Main points Narada Muni s mission r la N rada Muni, in order to enlighten the miserable inhabitants, wanders everywhere. His mission is to get them back home, back to Godhead. That is the mission of all genuine devotees of the Lord following the footsteps of that great sage.

Prabhupada said N rada, he's also akty ve a avat ra. He was, in his previous life, he was a maidservant's son, but by the association of devotees, he rose up to this position, N rada. N rada's position is very exalted as devotee. All of the devotees of the, in this material world, more or less, they are all disciples of N rada. Vy sadeva is also a disciple of N rada. Prahl da Mah r ja these are big devotees he's..., he was also a disciple of N rada. And Dhruva Mah r ja, he was also disciple of N rada. V lm ki, he was also disciple of N rada. So N rada is the representation of the devotional path of opulence.

Prabhupada said Lord Brahm is the guru of N rada Muni, who is the guru of Vy sadeva, and Vy sadeva is the guru of Madhv c rya. Thus the Gau ya-M dhva- samprad ya is in the disciplic succession from N rada Muni. The members of this disciplic succession in other words, the members of the K a consciousness movement should follow in the footsteps of N rada Muni by chanting the transcendental vibration Hare K a, Hare K a, K a K a, Hare Hare/ Hare R ma, Hare R ma, R ma R ma, Hare Hare. They should go everywhere to deliver the fallen souls by vibrating the Hare K a mantra and the instructions of Bhagavad-g t , r mad- Bh gavatam and Caitanya-carit m ta. That will please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One can spiritually advance if one actually follows the instructions of N rada Muni. If one pleases N rada Muni, then the Supreme Personality of Godhead, H ke a, is also pleased (yasya pras d d bhagavat-pras da **). The immediate spiritual master is the representative of N rada Muni; there is no difference between the instructions of N rada Muni and those of the present spiritual master. Both N rada Muni and the present spiritual master speak the same teachings of K a

Prabhupada said Desiring to train his sons to become g hasthas fully equipped with knowledge, Dak a had sent them to execute austerities by N r ya a-saras. N rada Muni, however, taking advantage of their highly elevated position in austerity, instructed them to become Vai avas in the renounced order. This is the duty of N rada Muni and his followers. They must show everyone the path of renouncing this material world and returning home, back to Godhead.

Summary Importance of Devotional service Follow the footsteps of Narada Muni Personal cultivation Preaching

References Unveiling His Lotus Feet www.rompadaswami.com Srila Prabhupada s lecture transcriptions

All glories to Srila Narada Muni and his followers