The divine sage Narada is the most popular figure in Puranic lore. No event of significance takes place in the Puranas that Narada does not have a hand in. He is depicted as a messenger always on the move, visiting the devas, the manavas and the asuras and honoured by all. He is a great devotee of Vishnu.
Although Narada is always referred to with respect in mythology, he is often misunderstood and ridiculed by the common people as a carrier of tales and a mischief maker. However, Narada’s so-called mischief invariably brings about the downfall of the wicked and furthers the cause of the good.
He is credited with the invention of the Veena -the musical instrument -and the authorship of a code of laws, and of ‘Narada Bhakti Sutra’ (aphorisms on devotion).
The three tales included here are based on the Shiva Purana and some popular legends. They tell us how Narada, although a divine sage, at times fell a prey to temptation, and became conceited. Fortunately for Narada, Vishnu was beside him to pull him up every time he succumbed to human weaknesses. Gradually, Narada became free from human failings and attained true equanimity of mind.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anant Pai
Anant Pai was the creator of the two most popular comic book series, Tinkle and Amar Chitra Katha. His works deal with the retelling of mythological tales, folk stories, and biographies of historical figures. He has been considered one of pioneer creators of Indian comics.
He has been associated with works like Fact Fantasy, Funtime, and Funland, all of which are education comic strips. Rekha, Ramu and Shamu, Little Raji, and Kapish are some of the comics he had created.
Born in Karkala, he was brought up by his grandfather after the death of both his parents. He then moved to Mumbai and attended the Orient School in Mahim. He had acquired dual chemical technology degrees from the University of Bombay in Chemical Technology. He was also an expert in personality development. He had conducted several personality development classes for teens and children. He had also founded Partha Institute of Personality Development, 1978. He has published several books dealing with this, such as How to Develop A Super Memory, How To Achieve Success, and How Develop Self-confidence. He was awarded by the Lifetime Achievement Award at the very first Indian Comic Convention in 2011. He married Lalita, and the couple lived in Mumbai. On 24th February, 2011, Pai died of a heart attack.
There are no reviews yet.