Narada

Quick Facts

About Narada

The celestial sage who travels freely between heaven and earth, carrying news, warnings, and divine designs wherever he goes. He counseled the Pandavas in exile, warned of Karna's terrible oath, and foretold the doom of the Yadava race.

In Their Words

Narayana, Narayana - no news rests long with me.

Narada

Traits

• Wandering
• All-knowing
• Provocateur
• Devotee of Vishnu

Story Appearances

• Adventures in the ForestBrings news and warnings to the exiles❧ 30 min
• The Great DepartureForetells the Yadavas' destruction❧ 26 min

Stories Featuring Narada

101 further tales on this site name Narada, in canonical reading order.

• The Boy God of VrindavanKrishna's Childhood Among the CowherdsAdi Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Slaying of KamsaThe Prophecy FulfilledAdi Parva ‧ 7 min
• The Brothers and the ApsaraSunda, Upasunda, and the Making of TilottamaAdi Parva ‧ 11 min
• Arjuna's Wandering YearThree Wives in Three KingdomsAdi Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Cattle and the Closed DoorA rule kept by breaking it, and a pardon refusedAdi Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Weighing of the BharataThe gods put the epic in a balance against the four Vedas, and Sauti recites the eighteen booksAdi Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Lineages of Gods and DemonsVaishampayana recites the descent of every creature from Brahma and the daughters of DakshaAdi Parva ‧ 22 min
• The Imperial CeremonyThe Rajasuya story contains a profound teaching about divine patience and justice. Krishna endured ninety-nine insults...Sabha Parva ‧ 18 min
• The King Who Never LiedHarishchandra's Trial of TruthSabha Parva ‧ 11 min
• The Hundred Questions of NaradaA sage audits an emperor before he lets him boastSabha Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Vow of the Soft TongueVyasa's warning, and the promise Yudhishthira made insteadSabha Parva ‧ 16 min
• What the Blind King Was ToldDuryodhana's inventory of the rajasuya, and the quarrel it startedSabha Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Road Out of HastinapuraWhat Vidura read in the way they walkedSabha Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Vows Sworn Before ExileFour brothers name their killings on the way out of the dice hallSabha Parva ‧ 23 min
• The Five Halls of the GodsNarada describes the assemblies of the world-guardiansSabha Parva
• Savitri and the Lord of DeathThe Wife Who Argued Yama Into DefeatVana Parva ‧ 28 min
• The Boy Who Became the Pole StarDhruva's PenanceVana Parva ‧ 12 min
• The Promise Made in the Kamyaka WoodsThe allies arrive, and Draupadi asks Krishna what her friendship is worthVana Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Court of Sages at the Dvaita LakeAn exile that filled up with brahmanas instead of soldiersVana Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Queen Who Put God on TrialA bird on a string, and a child breaking its toysVana Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Weapons That Must Not Be ShownA demonstration the three worlds could not surviveVana Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Measure of a King's GivingThree short tests of what a gift is worthVana Parva ‧ 16 min
• Who Falls From Heaven FirstNarada rides with four kings and ranks their generosityVana Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Five Lakes of BloodParashurama's oblation to the fathers at SamantapanchakaVana Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Feast Shibi CookedA brahmana demands the king's son as his meal, and Shibi obeys without changing colourVana Parva ‧ 15 min
• Sakamvari and the Ford of GoldThe goddess who fed the sages on herbs, and the tirtha where Vishnu knelt to RudraVana Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Eight Hundred HorsesGalava, Madhavi, and the Impossible FeeUdyoga Parva ‧ 10 min
• Matali's SearchThe Charioteer of Heaven Finds a GroomUdyoga Parva
• The Cow at the Bottom of the WorldSurabhi, the four cows of the quarters, and the cities beneath PatalaUdyoga Parva ‧ 16 min
• Garuda's Map of the WorldThe four directions described from a bird's backUdyoga Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Ascetic Who Would Not Be CarriedA thought Garuda never spoke aloud costs him his wingsUdyoga Parva ‧ 16 min
• Twenty-Three Days on the SaraswatiBhishma fights his own preceptor and neither man can winUdyoga Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Yaksha Who Lent His ManhoodSthuna, Sikhandini, and the curse that made the loan permanentUdyoga Parva ‧ 17 min
• Madhavi Chooses the ForestAt her own swayamvara she passes over every king and takes the woods for a husbandUdyoga Parva ‧ 12 min
• The Cat Who Played the HermitDuryodhana's last message to Yudhishthira is a fable about a holy man who ate his worshippersUdyoga Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Sacrifice of BattleDuryodhana makes the coming war his own rite, and his father disowns him for itUdyoga Parva ‧ 23 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
• The Pillow of ArrowsBoth armies lay down their weapons for one eveningBhishma Parva ‧ 18 min
• Karna at the Grandsire's FeetThe forgiveness that came too late to change anythingBhishma Parva ‧ 19 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
• The Lake and the Hall of ArrowsKrishna unyokes the horses in the middle of the battleDrona Parva ‧ 17 min
• Kurukshetra Day 14: The Longest DaySunset Vow, False Dusk, and a Battle That Would Not Stop at NightfallDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Night They Lit the FieldDuryodhana's order that turned a battlefield into a lamp-lit hallDrona Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Anointing of the War GodEvery god brings a gift to a six-day-old commanderShalya Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Old Maiden's BargainAn ascetic's lifetime of tapas cannot buy her heaven until she takes a husband for one nightShalya Parva
• The Duel of the Brahmashira WeaponsAshwatthama and Arjuna loose the world-ending astra at Vyasa's hermitageSauptika Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Secret of the GodsVyasa tells the blind king why the war was ordained before his eldest son was bornStri Parva ‧ 14 min
• The Sixteen KingsThe Consolation of YudhishthiraShanti Parva
• Karna at RajapuraA bride carried off, a hundred kings unhorsed, and the city a rival gave awayShanti Parva ‧ 15 min
• The Weapon Not Made of SteelKrishna tells Narada what his own kinsmen do to himShanti Parva ‧ 18 min
• Fortune Changes SidesWhy Sri deserted the asuras, told on a bank of the GangaShanti Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Deer Who Asked to Be KilledA poor brahmana's sacrifice and the neighbour who begged for the knifeShanti Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Sweat That Became FeverA drop from Shiva's forehead, and the disease scattered through the worldShanti Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Yajus Taken From the SunA goddess entering a man's mouth, and the fee split in twoShanti Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Son Struck From the Fire SticksA hundred years of penance, a parrot on a branch, and a child born of frictionShanti Parva ‧ 18 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 Rules of an Ordinary DayBhishma sets out the whole practice of good conduct, from the morning ablution to the last word spoken to an elderShanti Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Cheerful AsceticNarada asks Samanga why he is never sorry, and gets an answer about acts and their fruitsShanti Parva ‧ 16 min
• Arishtanemi and King SagaraA sage tells a reigning king when to let go of his house, and the king keeps his throneShanti Parva ‧ 15 min
• The Tribes Beyond the PaleBhishma names the peoples of the borders and dates them to the ending of the first ageShanti Parva ‧ 18 min
• Narada as Krishna Praised HimUgrasena asks why everyone speaks well of one sage, and Krishna answers him item by itemShanti Parva ‧ 16 min
• Galava Asks What Is BeneficialNarada answers a student who cannot tell which scripture to obeyShanti Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Seven WindsVyasa halts a recitation on the Himavat and names the winds that move the worldsShanti Parva ‧ 21 min
• The King Who Lost His SonGrief turned to the knowledge of the deathless soulShanti Parva ‧ 10 min
• The Sage Who Forgot HimselfNarada lives a whole life in an instant of illusionShanti Parva ‧ 10 min
• The City of Nine GatesNarada's allegory of the soul in the bodyShanti Parva ‧ 11 min
• The Tree That Defied the WindA proud silk-cotton tree humbled by its own fearShanti Parva ‧ 10 min
• The White IslandNarada and three sages at the edge of the worldShanti Parva
• The Sage with the Ape's FaceNarada, Parvata, and a Vow Between FriendsShanti Parva
• Narada Questions the ApsaraPanchachuda is made to name the faults of women, and traces them back to their makerAnushasana Parva ‧ 14 min
• The Savitri Mantra of SalutationsBhishma gives Yudhishthira the roll of names to be said at dawnAnushasana Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Names That Cleanse SinAsked what destroys sin, Bhishma answers with a litany of gods, rivers, mountains, sages and kingsAnushasana Parva ‧ 15 min
• The Vow of Ten and Two YearsKrishna keeps a twelve year vow on the mountain and a fire walks out of his mouthAnushasana Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Ten Sins of Body, Speech and MindBhishma answers the plainest question with a list of ten things not to doAnushasana Parva ‧ 16 min
• How Vishnu Got the DiscusUpamanyu tells Krishna where Sudarsana came from, and Krishna climbs Himavat to ask Mahadeva for a sonAnushasana Parva ‧ 23 min
• The Brahmanas Who Deserve WorshipNarada tells Krishna whom he bows to, and Bhishma tells a king what it costs to forgetAnushasana Parva ‧ 24 min
• Why Men Cling to WomenYudhishthira asks the question that Panchachuda's answer left standingAnushasana Parva ‧ 13 min
• Gifts Under the Lunar MansionsNarada tells Devaki what to give under each star, and the gods ask Brahman for ground to stand onAnushasana Parva ‧ 23 min
• Flowers, Incense, and LampsThe goddess Earth tells Krishna what a household owes each day, and Shukra tells Bali which flowers belong to which beingsAnushasana Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Fourfold Religion of CompassionBhishma on abstaining from meat, and the kings who kept the vowAnushasana Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Mysteries of Religion, Part OneThe deities, the Pitris and the Rishis each give up a duty whose reason is secretAnushasana Parva ‧ 24 min
• Whom One Should WorshipYudhishthira asks whom a man should bow to, and Bhishma answers with the brahmanasAnushasana Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Brahmanas and the KapasThe gods lose heaven and earth, and men on the ground win them backAnushasana Parva ‧ 15 min
• The Sage Who Drank the SeaUtathya, Bhadra, and the day Varuna came up on footAnushasana Parva
• Four Faces and a Blue ThroatUma asks her husband to account for himselfAnushasana Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Wind Answers the Thousand-Armed KingKartavirya boasts, and an invisible voice begins to argueAnushasana Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Elephant the Sage Called SonGautama argues his way through every heaven for a stolen calfAnushasana Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Departure of BhishmaThe sun turns north, and the grandsire lets goAnushasana Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Naked Priest of VaranasiHow a king outbid Indra for a brother nobody wantedAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 31 min
• The Sacrifice of Profuse GoldYudhishthira gives away the earth and is given it backAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 19 min
• Arjuna's Hymn at PartingOn the road to Hastinapur, Arjuna praises Krishna and gives him leave to go homeAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Forest RetreatBook 15 - How the Blind King Walked Into the Woods to DieAshramavasika Parva ‧ 26 min
• Satayupa and the Forest KingsNarada Names the Rulers Who Chose the WoodsAshramavasika Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Night the Dead ReturnedVyasa Calls the Fallen Out of the GangaAshramavasika Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Fire That Was Not UnholyYudhishthira Accuses Agni of IngratitudeAshramavasika Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Iron MacesBook 16 - The Curse That Destroyed Krishna's PeopleMausala Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Omens of DwarakaA City Watches Its Own Death ApproachMausala Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Death of VasudevaKrishna's Father Outlives EveryoneMausala Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Ascent to HeavenBook 18 - The Last Illusion, and the End of the StorySvargarohana Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Parijata TreeSatyabhama and the Flower of HeavenHarivamsa

Character Arc

1. 1The MessengerCarries news as bees carry pollen
2. 2The ProphecyForetells the iron mace of doom

Key Relationships

• Devotee➝Krishna
• Counselor➝Yudhishthira

Places in Narada's Story

Drawn from the stories Narada appears in.

• Indraprasthaइंद्रप्रस्थ
• Magadhaमगध
• Hastinapurहस्तिनापुर
• Gokulगोकुल
• Vrindavanवृंदावन
• Mathuraमथुरा
• Kamyaka Forestकाम्यक वन
• Dvaitavanaद्वैतवन
• Gandhamadanaगन्धमादन
• Amaravatiअमरावती
• Badarikashramaबदरिकाश्रम
• Nagalokaनागलोक

Related Characters

Others counted among the Divine Beings.

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