during his brother Rama’s absence.
Bharata’s mother Kaikeyiuses her influ-
ence to banish Rama for fourteen years,
putting Bharata on the throne in his
place. At Rama’s command, Bharata
agrees to act as the temporary king, but
with two symbolic adjustments. The first
is that Bharata moves the royal court
from the capital city of Ayodhya to the
village of Nandigrama, as a symbol of
Rama’s exile; the second is that through-
out his regency, Bharata sits at the foot
of the royal throne, upon which is
placed a pair of Rama’s sandals, symbol-
izing that Rama is the rightful ruler.
Thus, Nandigrama is a symbol of
Bharata’s righteousness.
Narada
A famous sage in Hindu mythology,
equally renowned for his qualities as a
musician and as a gossip. Narada plays a
stringed instrument known as the vina,
serving as the bard to the gods. His
ambition as a musician apparently
exceeds his actual skill, since several of
his mythic stories describe him being
humbled. In his capacity as wandering
musician, he also conveys news and
gossip. In many cases Narada’s news-
bearing is the vehicle advancing the plot
in a story. According to one famous
story, he requests that Vishnugive a
demonstration of his magic (maya).
Vishnu sends him to a nearby farm-
house for some water, where Narada
meets an enchantingly beautiful
woman. Forgetting all about his errand,
the two fall in love, are married, and have
several children. After several years of
wedded bliss, severe floods wash away
his home and drown his family. As he
mourns his loss, he finds himself back
on the side of road with Vishnu, who is
still asking him to go to the farmhouse to
get some water.
Narada Smrti
One of the smrtisor “remembered”
texts, a class of literature deemed impor-
tant, but less authoritative than the
other textual category, the shrutisor
“heard” texts. This smrti is ascribed to
the sage Narada, and is an example of
one of the Dharma Shastras, which
were manuals prescribing rules for cor-
rect human behavior and ideal social
life. Unlike the Dharma Sutras, which
are ascribed to recognizable individuals,
the Dharma Shastras are usually
ascribed to mythic sages, a strategy used
to reinforce the authority of these texts.
The Narada Smrtiexists in several ver-
sions, one of which is much longer than
the others. All of the versions were writ-
ten later than the Manu Smrti(1st c.
B.C.E.?), since this text is mentioned in
the preface. Narada’s text deals exclu-
sively with the administration of justice
(vyavahara), and treats this in exhaus-
tive detail, with a strong emphasis on
clarity and precision.Narak Chaturdashi
Religious observance falling on the four-
teenth day (chaturdashi) of the dark,
waning half of the lunar month of
Kartik (October–November). People
who observe this day worshipand make
offerings to the god Yama. In the
evening they light a lamp in his name.
Yama is the lord of the underworld and
the judge of the dead; he reviews the
deeds of the dead and inflicts punish-
ment upon people for their misdeeds.
Those who faithfully observe Narak
Chaturdashi are believed to be spared
from the torments of hell.Nara-Narayana
In Hindu mythology, two of the sonsof
the god Dharma; through their ascetic
practices (tapas) these two boys became
sages. The place where they performed
their asceticismis believed to have been
in the region of Badrinath. The duo are
still associated with the charter myths
for that place.Narasimha (“Man-Lion”) Avatar
Fourth avataror incarnation of the god
Vishnu, in which he appears as a figureNarasimha (“Man-Lion”) Avatar