Thursday, July 11, 2024

Sri Narada Muni, the Eternal Space Traveler


  Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung:

nārada-munibājāya vīṇā,
‘rādhikā-ramaṇa’-nāme
nāma amaniudita haya,
bhakata-gīta-sāme
pañca-vadananārade dhari’,
premera saghana rola
kamalāsana, nāciyā bale,
’bola bola hari bola’
sahasrānana, parama-sukhe,
’hari hari’ bali’ gāya
nāma-prabhāvemātila viśva,
nāma-rasa sabe pāya
śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāma, rasane sphuri’,
purā’la āmāra āśa
śrī-rūpa-pade, yācaye ihā,
bhakativinoda dāsa
The purport of this song is that Nārada Muni, the great soul, plays a stringed instrument called a vīṇā, vibrating the sound rādhikā-ramaṇa, which is another name for Kṛṣṇa. As soon as he strokes the strings, all the devotees begin responding, making a very beautiful vibration. Accompanied by the stringed instrument, the singing seems like a shower of nectar, and all the devotees dance in ecstasy to the fullest extent of their satisfaction. While dancing, they appear madly intoxicated with ecstasy, as if drinking the beverage called mādhurī-pūra. Some of them cry, some of them dance, and some of them, although unable to dance publicly, dance within their hearts. Lord Śiva embraces Nārada Muni and begins talking in an ecstatic voice, and seeing Lord Śiva dancing with Nārada, Lord Brahmā also joins, saying, “All of you kindly chant ‘Hari bolHari bol!’ ” The King of heaven, Indra, also gradually joins with great satisfaction and begins dancing and chanting “Hari bolHari bol!” In this way, by the influence of the transcendental vibration of the holy name of God, the whole universe becomes ecstatic. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, “When the universe becomes ecstatic, my desire is satisfied. I therefore pray unto the lotus feet of Rūpa Gosvāmī that this chanting of harer nāma [Adi 17.21] may go on nicely like this.”
Lord Brahmā is the guru of Nārada Muni, who is the guru of Vyāsadeva, and Vyāsadeva is the guru of Madhvācārya. Thus the Gauḍīya-Mādhva-sampradāya is in the disciplic succession from Nārada Muni. The members of this disciplic succession—in other words, the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement—should follow in the footsteps of Nārada Muni by chanting the transcendental vibration Hare KṛṣṇaHare KṛṣṇaKṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare RāmaHare RāmaRāma Rāma, Hare Hare. They should go everywhere to deliver the fallen souls by vibrating the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and the instructions of Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Caitanya-caritāmṛta. That will please the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  (From Srila Prabhupada's Purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 6.5.22)