feeling of contentedness, happiness, joy and delight permeated in the kingdom of the
mountains when Uma was born there.
Refer also to Tulsidas’ book “Parvati Mangal”, verse nos. 7-8 also describe the
properity in the household of Himwaan when Parvati (the daughter of the mountains)
was born.(^2) Later on in the story of Ram Charit Manas we shall read that when Lord Ram
was born in the household of Dasrath, the king of Ayodhya, a similar environment of
auspiciousness and happiness prevailed, and the king felt that he is most fortunate
that the Lord of the world has come to his home as a child—refer: Ram Charit Manas,
Baal Kand, Chaupai line no. 5 that precedes Doha no. 193.]
ŸÊ⁄UŒ ‚◊ÊøÊ⁄U ‚’ ¬Ê∞ – ∑§ıÃÈ∑§„UË¥ ÁªÁ⁄U ª„U Á‚œÊ∞H 5H
nārada samācāra saba pā'ē. kautukahīṁ giri gēha sidhā'ē. 5.
When the celestial sage Narad (pronounced as “Naarad”) heard of this whole episode,
he was amazed and very astonished. So, he set off for the household of the king of
mountains (to learn the truth and see things for himself). (5)
[Note—Narad was astonished and amazed at this development, and he wished to
examine it closely. So he decided to go and see everything first hand.
Why was Narad so amazed and astonished? The home where Sati took birth as
Uma was the household of ‘Himgiri’, the king or the deity of the snow-covered
mountains (refer: Ram Charit Manas, Baal Kand, Chaupai line no. 6 that precedes
Doha no. 65). Now, “Him” means snow, and “Giri” means mountain. The lofty peaks
of the Himalayan mountain ranges are covered round the year with snow. Everyone
knows that there are no forests in the higher reaches of the Himalayas, but we read in
Doha no. 65 that ever since Uma took birth in the lap of the mountain ranges, the
entire place was covered with lush green trees laden with fruits, flowers and leaves.
Then in Chaupai line no. 8 that precedes Doha no. 65 we read that sages and hermits
established their hermitages there.
Another stunning development was that those animals who were inherently
inimical towards each other became friendly and lived together, sharing their forested
habitat and its assets—refer: Chaupai line nos. 1-2 that follow Doha no. 65.
All these developments were most unusual and stunning. So Narad wondered at
the cause of all these miraculous developments, and how it all came about.
Another point that can be deduced is that the time when Narad came to pay a visit
at Himgiri’s house was much later after Uma’s birth. We have read that “ever since
Uma took birth in the Himalayas, there was all-round happiness, prosperity and
auspiciousness; even sages and hermits came from other places to establish their
hermitages there; there were ever-green trees laden with succulent fruits, colourful
flowers and vibrant leaves; the rivers flowed with clean sparkling water; all animals
were happy and friendly”. All these developments took some time to unfold; they
can’t happen overnight.
Then we shall read below that when Narad came to pay a visit, Himwaan, the
father of Uma, called her and asked Narad to prophesise her fate and destiny. Narad
foretold that she would be married to an ascetic, though he did not know even himself
who that ‘ascetic’ would be. However, Uma got an inspiration that she should do
Tapa to attain the hand of Lord Shiva. Then we learn that Parvati or Uma actually did
Tapa. This means she had reached an age when it was possible to do Tapa; she wasn’t
an infant, or a toddler or a child still too young for Tapa.
Hence, it is reasonable to assume that Narad had heard of the miracles unfolding
in the Himalayan region much after the day when Uma was born. Perhaps he was
wondering in the universe as was his wont when somewhere he had heard of the
mystical things happening in the mountains. So he decided to come and see things.