It is said that Narada influenced Daksha’s sons to practice renunciation and avoid marriage. Angry Daksha cursed him to wander aimlessly as a vagabond. According to legends, Sage Vedavyasa divided the Vedas as Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharvana. He also wrote the Puranas and the epic Mahabharata. But he was clueless whether his works were sufficient to benefit humanity. Narada approached him and divided his predicament. Narada explained that none of the writings described the glories of the Lord and in Kaliyuga, the path of devotion was the easiest and fastest way to liberation. He inspired Vyasa to compose the Bhagavad Purana. Another legend narrates that once Valmiki asked Narada about a human who is perfect in thought, word and deed, free of sin and the embodiment of all virtues. Narada told him about Lord Ram and his glories. Valmiki was overjoyed, and he composed the Ramayana. Sage Narada was an authority in astronomy, music and other arts. He has authored ‘Naradasmriti’ and ‘Naradashiksha’ which lays down the principles of phonetics and grammar. He is the author of the Narada Purana which contains beautiful stories. His famous work ‘Narada Bhakti Sutras’ contains eighty-four aphorisms on devotion and its aspects. He was an adviser and messenger to the Gods. He taught Yudhishthira the virtues of humility and the ideal way to lead a Dharmic life. He set up the background for the birth of the Dattatreya. He was a master of the Sankhya and Yoga systems of philosophy. He is also referred to as ‘Saktyavesa Avatara’ of the Lord who is empowered to perform miracles on behalf of the Lord.
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