NARAD I 531 NARASIMHA

NARADl. One of the Brahmavadi sons of Visvamitra. Skandha 10). been devast- (Anus~asana Parva, Chapter 4, Verse 59) . 4) Death. who had causing NARADlYAPURANA. One of the eighteen . ation and terror in the three worlds entered the world

. were not able to withstand (See under Puranas) of the gods once. The gods I. (NARAKASURA). A valiant . the fury of Naraka, who carried away the ear-rings of the the white 1) Birth. Once Asura Hiranyaksa was amusing Aditi. the mother of , and large royal himself by wading through the ocean and beating at umbrella of Indra to Pragjyotisa. Indra went to Dvaraka the waves with his club. Varuna, the god of water, was and told Sri Krsna of the molestations he had received alarmed at this and ran to Mahavisnu and told him at the hands of Narakasura. Sri Krsna rode on his every thing. Hearing this Mahavisnu got up to kill with his wife Satyabhama to Pragjyotisa. They Hiranyaksa. Hiranyaksa who had assumed the form of flew over the city round and understood the lay-out of a Boar carried the earth on his tusks and ran to Patala. the city, and the precautions taken by Narakasura. The As the goddess earth had come into contact with the battle began after this reconnaissance. Sri Krsjria, tusks of Hiranyaksa she became pregnant and gave birth Satyabhama and Garuda fought with the . The to an asura infant of immense might and power. That mighty asuras such as Mura,Tamra,Antariksa, Sravana, infant was Narakasura. Vasu, Vibhavasu, Nabhasvan, Aruna and others were Taking the infant born from impurity the sad goddess killed. At last Narakasura himself entered the battle- Earth went to Mahavisnu and requested him to save field. A fierce battle ensued in which Naraka was killed. the child somehow. Mahavisnu pitied him and gave The divine weapon Narayanastra of Naraka was" 'given him Narayanastra (Narayana's weapon) and said: to his son Bhagadatta. After the battle Sri Krsna and "Naraka ! So long as this weapon is with you, nobody Satyabhama went to the world of the gods and returned but me could kill you." Saying this he disappeared. the ear-rings to Aditi and the umbrella to Indra. (Bhagavata, Skandha 10). (Bhagavata, Skandha 10). 2) Administration. Narakasura made Pragjyotisa his NARAKA II. Mention is made about another Naraka- capital and ruled over the asuras as their emperor for sura who was born to Prajapati Kasyapa by his wife a long time, all the while terrifying the Devas. Once , in , Adi Parva, Chapter 65, Stanza this asura raped Kaseru the daughter of Tvasta. He 28. Once Indra defeated this Narakasura. It is seen in brought sixteen thousand and one hundred maidens Mahabharata, Sabha Parva, Chapter 9 that this asura from the women of the earth and the world of gods. He after his death, stayed in the palace of Varuna worship- made them captives at Audaka on the top of the ping him. mountain Maniparvata. He appointed four mighty and NARAKA III. Bhagadatta the son of Narakasura ruled fearful asuras: , Nisunda, Pancanada and over the part of Patala called Naraka, and being the Mura as gate-keepers of Pragjyotisa. As they stood ruler of Naraka, Bhagadatta seems to have been known blocking the way up to Devayana, nobody dared to by the name of Naraka also. enter Pragjyotisa. The ten sons of Narakasura guarded NARAKA. IV See under Kala I. the harem. At the boundary of the country Murasura NARANARAYANAS. Two hermits Nara and Narayana. had tied six thousand ropes with a sword at the end of These two hermits had spent many thousands of years in each. So enemies dared not come near the boundary. Badaryasrama doing penance. Arjuna was the rebirth of When Sugriva gave instructions to the monkeys who Nara and Sri Krsna was the rebirth of Narayana. (For were sent in search of , about the route they were detailed story see under Nara and Narayana) . It to follow, he had mentioned about the city of Prag- NARANTAKA I. A captain of the army of Ravana. jyotisa. Mention is made in Valmiki , is stated in Agni Purana, ChapterlO,that the captains of Kiskindha Kanda, Sarga 42 that Sugriva had given Ravana, viz., Kumbha, Nikumbha, Makaraksa, them special instructions to search for Sita in Prag- Mahodara, Mahaparsva, Matta, Unmatta, Praghasa, jyotisa. (M.B. Visnu Parva, Chapter 63). Bhasakarna, Virupaksa, Devantaka, Narantaka, TriSiras, the side of 3) Previous birth of Naraka. Long ago a king who was Atikaya and other Raksasas fought on the father of Sixteen thousand daughters, ruled over a Ravana against Sri and that all of them were the country. While father and daughters were sitting in killed.' the palace Mahavisnu came there as a hermit. The Of these Devantaka and Narantaka were mighty and sixteen thousand damsels gathered round the hermit. valiant warriors. Angada killed Narantaka after a Their father got angry and cursed them. The daughters fierce battle. (Valmlki Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda, shed tears and entreated their father for liberation from Chapter 69). the curse. He gave them remission and said that in the NARANTAKA II. Son of Rudraketu, an asura. This next birth they would become wives of Mahavisnu. asura terrorized the three worlds by his wicked and Another version of this story says that the damsels had cruel deeds. When the wickedness and cruelty of this requested for liberation from the curse asura became unbearable Ganapati incarnated in' the according to the advice of the hermit , and house of KaSyapa to protect the three worlds. Knowing that Brahma had given them liberation from the curse. this Narantaka resorted to various means to kill In some versions it is stated that Narada himself gave Ganapati. But his attempts were futile. Finally he was them liberation from the curse. killed by Ganapati. (Ganega Purana). It was this King, who was the father of the sixteen NARARASTRA. A kingdom of ancient India. In Maha- thousand damsels, who took birth again as Narakasura. , Sabha Parva, Chapter 31, Stanza 6, it is Those sixteen thousand darnels who had been born as mentioned that Sahadeva one of the , con- princesses in different places were taken captives by quered this country. Narakasura and were in kept Audaka. ( Bhagavata, NARASIMHA. SeeunderAvatara.