Sanatana Dharma and Indic Knowledge

The  wicked Asura (demon) Hiranyakasipu once performed severe Tapas (austerities) and propitiated Lord Brahma. Pleased with his Tapas, Brahma appeared before him and said, “I am pleased with you. Ask a boon of me and I shall grant it.” The Asura asked, “O Lord, grant that my death cannot occur at the hands of any living being created by You. Further, grant that my death cannot occur indoors or outdoors, by day or by night, by weapons, neither on earth nor in the air, neither by men nor by animals.” Brahma said, “So be it!” This boon from Lord Brahma made Hiranyakasipu extremely powerful. Drunk with power and considering himself invincible, the Asura conquered the entire universe. He usurped the palace and throne of Indra and established himself in heaven. He tormented the Devas, Rishis (sages) and human beings. The inhabitants of all the worlds – including the Devas – ran to Maha Vishnu and prayed to the Lord to deliver them from the wicked Hiranyakasipu. Sri Hari reassured them, s...

     This story about Narada’s birth and his previous life was told by Narada himself to Vyasa. In his previous life, Narada was the son of a poor servant-maid. When he was a boy, he was sent to serve some wandering Yogis (ascetics). I did service to the sages and they were very kind to me. Daily, I would hear with rapt attention, the delightful stories of Sri Krishna from these sages. In the company of these holy men, and by hearing the Lord’s stories daily, I developed great liking and devotion to the Lord and my mind got firmly established in him. When the sages were about to depart, they imparted the most esoteric wisdom about the Lord to Narada. After the sages left, the boy continued to stay with his mother. One day, his mother died of snake bite. The boy had no other relations. He left home in a northerly direction. After crossing cities, villages, mountains and rivers, he reached a dense forest. He sat under a Peepul tree and meditated on Sri Hari. After inten...