She used to wake her son up before dawn. She taught him Suryanamaskara. He would do that every morning after ablutions.Then she would give him a bath and then his morning food. There was a temple in that village. She would go to thetemple and clean it all around. She would, then, sprincle fresh water and draw beautiful rangavalli decorationdesigns in front of the temple. She would do the work with great love and devotion. She firmly believed that Godwould be pleased with her and bless her son and that his life would become pretty useful as a result.
She did not allow her son to mix with the unclutured village children. She would take him to the temple and then tothe house where she worked. The child would help her in his own small way. He would run errands for the priest, doingsimple jobs for him. He would gladly follow his mother to the house where she worked. This way the best part of his daywould be spent in the temple and the master's house.
As he was conditioned to this style of life, his attention was not drawn to other attractions around him. Almostevery day there used to be some festivity or the other either in the temple or at his master's house. There used to be discourses by learned men on these occassions on spiritual aspects of life and God. He would participate in bhajansconducted by sanyasis, saints, professional and revered sages. He would listen to holy stories and gradually hebecame wiser and mastered great knowledge about life here and hereafter. He also realised the greatness of God and infact, his mind was full of God and nothing else.s activities such as games, recreations which normal children of his age would be fond of indulging in.
Once a number of great and highly learned sages came to the brahmin's house to observe caturmasya vrata. They stayedin the house for four months. Narada began to serve them with great devotion day and night. He would closely observethem when they did deep meditation. The great sages were very much impressed by the sincerity and devotion of the boy.He would eat whatever was left when they completed their meals. There is immence power in the prasadam of God and holy men. There is no power which would cleanse one's mind of all evils better then this prasadam. Boy Narada's mindbecame purer as a result of his service and company of the sages. His mind never strayed from thoughts about God.He would sit for long hours doing meditation, prayer and other sacred activities. He would build up the beautifulimage of God in his mind and concentrate on it for long hours. In course of time, he mastered this art.
At the end of the four months the sages left the brahmin's house and went to their places in the forest or to places of pilgrimage. One day when his mother went to milk her cow she was bitten by a snake and breathed her last. Naradatook this tragedy stoically, thinking that it was God's wish. He left the village, went to a forest and began to meditate on God in a lovely but lonely place. After a long number of days, one day when he opened his eyes he saw theexquisitely beautiful form of the lord in front of him. Narada's joy knew no bounds but in a flash the form disappeared.Narada became sad. He continued his penance in order to have another vision of the form of God. He spent long numberof years of fruitless penance. He lost all hopes and became highly disturbed in mind. When he was thus worrying, heheard a voice. It said,"Narada, it is enough for you for this life. I appeared before you and disppeared as quicklyas I appeared. I have done it with a purpose. Let all your endeavours be for seeking me and nothing else. You willhave your desired fulfilled, that is, having my darshan, in your next birth." Narada spent the rest of his life inprayer and penance and finally left his mortal remains and reached heaven. By then life on this world had gone onefull circle and there was the great deluge and everything was destroyed.
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