Nara

Quick Facts

About Nara

One of the two ancient Rishis who dwell together at Badari in the mountains of Gandhamadana, practising penances that have no end, and who take birth together whenever the earth requires it. When the boastful king Dambhodbhava came looking for a fight, Nara took up a handful of grass blades and turned them into shafts that pierced every part of the man's body until he begged for his life. In the war on Kurukshetra he was born as Arjuna, with Narayana beside him as Krishna.

In Their Words

There is nothing of malice here and no weapon. Seek your battle elsewhere.

Nara

Traits

• Austere
• Unhurried
• Invincible
• Paired

Story Appearances

• The Twin SagesThe elder half of the eternal pair❧ 9 min
• The King Who Challenged Two HermitsFights a whole army with blades of grass
• Badari, Hermitage of the Twin SagesDweller in the retreat under the jujubes

Stories Featuring Nara

18 further tales on this site name Nara, in canonical reading order.

• The King Who Made Fire SickTwelve years of butter and the appetite it ruinedAdi Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Bow Out of the WaterWhat Varuna kept until two men needed itAdi Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Lake Called BinduWhere Maya found Bhima's club and Arjuna's conchSabha Parva ‧ 18 min
• Garuda's Map of the WorldThe four directions described from a bird's backUdyoga Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Hymn Before the ConchesKrishna sends Arjuna down from the chariot to praise the goddessBhishma Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Grandsire Names the GodDuryodhana asks why he keeps losing and gets a theology insteadBhishma Parva ‧ 18 min
• Sanjaya Describes the EarthThe blind king asks what the earth is worth, and his charioteer answers with the whole of itBhishma Parva ‧ 24 min
• Kurukshetra Day 15: The Day the Teacher DiedFrom the Dawn Prayers to the Half-Truth at NoonDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Weapon That Would Not Burn ThemAshwatthama's fire, and why it left two men standingDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• The One Who Walked Before the CarVyasa tells Arjuna whose lance was breaking the ranks in front of himDrona Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Road to JayadrathaArjuna breaks through the head of Drona's array on the fourteenth morning, from the omens at dawn to the river of bloodDrona Parva ‧ 23 min
• Bhima Carried From the FieldAshwatthama's afternoon after the Narayana weapon, and the shaft that took Bhima's charioteerDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• Portents Before the Fourteenth DayThe night the sky and the rivers answered Arjuna's vow, and the morning ritual of a kingDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• Three Balls of MudThe Boar invents the rite for the dead, and has no one above him to offer it toShanti Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Fourth Portion of VishnuSanatkumara tells the defeated Vritra what holds up the universe, and Bhishma tells Yudhishthira who Krishna isShanti Parva ‧ 23 min
• The Signs of Approaching DeathYajnavalkya tells the king of Mithila which door the soul leaves by, and how a man learns that his year has begunShanti Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Departure of BhishmaThe sun turns north, and the grandsire lets goAnushasana Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Rewards of the Eighteen ParvasVaishampayana prices each stage of hearing the Bharata against a sacrifice, from the Agnishtoma to twenty-one thousand years with IndraSvargarohana Parva ‧ 17 min

Character Arc

1. 1The RefusalTells a conqueror there are no weapons in this retreat
2. 2The Handful of GrassBlades of grass find every opening in a king's armour
3. 3The RebirthTakes human form as the son of Kunti

Key Relationships

• Eternal Companion➝Narayana
• Born as Him➝Arjuna
• Companion in Every Birth➝Krishna

Places in Nara's Story

Drawn from the stories Nara appears in.

• Banks of the Yamunaयमुना तट
• Khandava Forestखाण्डव वन
• Forest Hermitageवन आश्रम
• Mount Kailasaकैलास
• Brahmalokaब्रह्मलोक
• Takshashilaतक्षशिला
• Kurukshetraकुरुक्षेत्र
• Hastinapurहस्तिनापुर
• Banks of the Gangaगङ्गा तट
• Gandhamadanaगन्धमादन
• Himavatहिमवत्
• Indraprasthaइंद्रप्रस्थ

Related Characters

Others counted among the Divine Beings.

• ❉Krishna
• ◭Hanuman
• ❧Kacha
• ≈Goddess Ganga
• ★The Eight Vasus
• ॐSage Vyasa