*Ashish Sharma/Ram* AT#37 Trilokarakshakya Shri Ram !!! - Page 80

Narada was one of the greatest Bhaktas of Lord Vishnu. His penance and meditation was so strong that nothing perturbed his mind. But even he wasn't above making blunders and falling prey to pride. He took great pride of the fact that he was above temptation and he had conquered Kamadeva with respect to any kind of worldly desire. At one such instance of boasting, Lord Shiva warned him to keep it to himself and not to go around boasting about it. Narada took it for jealousy and boasted about his victory over his Kama to Lord Vishnu. Vishnu wanted to humble his pride by using his power of illusion "maya."

On his way back from the Vaikunta, Lord Narada stumbles upon this beautiful city he was never seen before in his travels. He pays a visit to the city and learns that the kingdom was ruled by a king named Sheelnidhi and that the king was planning to hold a swayamwara for his daughter, who was an ardent devotee of the Lord. Narada is captivated by the beauty of the princess and seeks Lord Vishnu's help in wooing the princess. He asks the Lord to give him the face of "Hari," the face of the lord. Vishnu plays a trick on him and gives him the face of a monkey, Narada had forgotten the fact that "Hari" also meant monkey.

So not aware of his appearance, with that monkey face he goes to the palace for the swayamwara. The princess is so lost in the thought of Lord that she sees no one else. Narada tries desperately to seek her attention. The other princes gathered there make fun of him, only then does he realize the trick the Lord played on him. The princess on the other side does not pay attention to anything or anyone, with single hearted devotion to the Lord prays and finally he fulfills her desire and appears in front of her, and she garlands him. But before Narada realized that it was all just an illusion created by the Lord to humble his pride he is said to have felt betrayed and cursed the Lord that in one of his avatara he would have to bear the pain of separation from his wife and only a monkey would be able to relieve him of his sufferings. Thus, when Vishnu was born as Rama, Hanuman a monkey helped him to free Sita from the bonds of Ravana.