The messenger of news and information in Hinduism.

ORIGIN

Narad is a prominent sage according to Hinduism, who served as news reporter, storyteller and musician too. The term Muni, meaning saint, is often associated with him. He was the one to deliver messages from one powerful entity to another. Narad is deemed to be a learned saint who is filled with immense knowledge and ample wisdom to use that knowledge. He had a boon such that he carried with him information on the very present, past and future too. It is also believed that he is one of the sons of Brahma, god of creation in Hinduism, who emerged from his mind. Yet, it is believed that he was a devout follower of lord Vishnu, god of preservation, narrating stories of his idol’s victories and braveries. Narad remains the prime source of information amongst the gods and goddesses. He is known to be spiritually enlightened in Indian epics such as Mahabhrat

SIGNIFICANCE

As Narad Muni used to transfer pieces of information from one god to another, he seldom delivered it as it is. This trait bagged Narad the title of a gossip monger as well. He used to share unsolicited knowledge at times, causing discrepancies in the relationships of gods and goddesses, leading up to arguments and fights. He is wise and kind enough to settle disputes too by weaving smart solutions. But on the other hand,  Narad is infamous for his mischief mongering qualities. As he assumes the role of the first reporter or journalist on Earth, broadcasting news, he is also viewed as the person spreading gossip and disrupting a healthy life and peace of mind. As he was the messenger for news, he had to keep travelling immediately throughout the three worlds of heaven, hell and Earth, depicting his ability to move quickly in time. With him, the case of crying wolf was true because he started spreading rumours to a point where even if his news was authentic, people would disbelieve it. Many such incidents have both benefitted and destroyed people around him.

Out of the positive things which came from this was once when the three Hindu goddesses, or Tridevi, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Parvati were in a tiff, Narad deliberately praised the other two in front of the third. This indirectly drove all of them to create miracles just to prove their worth as more in comparison.

He intervened even when Vishnu took birth as Krishna and was about to be killed by his own uncle, Kans.

PHYSICAL FORM

Narad is often spotted carrying a Veena, a classical music instrument which goes by the name Mahathi. He plays all his mantras, songs, hymns and more on this itself. He also carries other instruments such as Tanpura and khartal with him, the latter is called Mahathi. Narad Muni has been recognized for his exceptional talent for music. Whenever he meets someone, his signature greeting is “Narayan Narayan”, proclaiming his entry and signifying his devotion towards Vishnu.

LITERATURE

An entire book of Puranas, Hindu religious scriptures, is dedicated to this messenger, called the Narad Purana.This covers numerous aspects of the religion such as dharma, worship of Laksmi, Ganesh, Hanuman, Shiv and more. It covered the reincarnation of Vishnu in depth too. A piece of text narrated by Narad himself is the Narad Bhakti Sutra which covers the devotional approaches of Hinduism synced with Bhakti Yoga.