STORY OF SHE-NARADA

(Originally posted on 10-3-2020) 

1. Daksha's sons 

We know well about Daksha and his daughter Sati married to Lord Siva.  Daksha had many more daughters and sons. Some of the daughters were married to sage Kashyapa and progeny started through them. Daksha desired his sons also to get married and raise progeny. 

2. Daksha curses Narada 

Sage Narada met Daksha's sons who wanted to marry and raise a progeny. Narada asked them to go around the world to check whether there was any space available for their children to live. The sons never returned and so Daksha cursed the sage that he would be wandering like a vagabond and never have a home of his own. 

So because of Dhaksha's curse, Narada has been going around the world like a nomad without a permanent home. (Devi Bhagavatham - 7th skandam, Vishnu Puranam - 1st bhagam, 15th chapter). 

3. Narada disobey Lord Krishna to take bath 

Once when Narada was staying with Krishna in Dwaraka, they decided to go on an aerial trip on a chariot. The sage felt thirsty after sometime and wanted to quench his thirst when they came across a river. 

Krishna asked  him to bathe and drink water afterwards. But Narada did not  heed to his advice and simply drank water without bathing. 

4. Narada becomes SHE NARADA and marries a sage 

He drank the water without bathing and got transformed into a beautiful woman. Krishna and the chariot disappeared from his view. 

Narada, who wandered into the forest, saw a rishi in penance and stood before him with folded hands. The rishi opened his eyes and accepted Narada as his disciple. After some time, Narada, who was in the form of a woman, married the rishi and had 60 children. 

5. She Narada bathed but did not wash hands 

One day, the rishi and the 60 children died, leaving Narada grieving alone. She wanted to perform the funeral rites but was unable to do so. Suddenly, she felt very hungry and tried to reach for the nearest tree for ripe mangoes. She could not reach them and so she laid the dead bodies in a heap and climbed on them to pluck the fruits. 

A Brahmin appeared from nowhere and told her that as she was in bereavement, it was not proper to eat without having a bath. She accepted the advice and went to the nearby river. She held the mango aloft in one hand and dipped the rest of her body in the water. 

6. He Narada but bangles in Hand 

The woman transformed into Narada again except that the hand, which had not touched the water, remained the hand of a woman with bangles. 

7. He Narada got recognition fully 

The Brahmin, who was really Krishna, told him to take a bath again, and this time Narada immersed himself fully in the water. 

He regained his normal form and the mango in his hand had turned into a beautiful Veena. 

Krishna explained to him that the rishi was the Kaala Purushan and the 60 children were the 60 years Prabhava, Vibhava and so on. Then Narada and Krishna returned to Dwaraka. (Bhagavatham - 7th skandam). 

My note- I have not checked with Bhagavatham for the authority.