Narada goes everywhere and meets with Gods and Devas of his choosing with his cymbals while chanting "narayana naryana". Is this in scripture?
Im asking because in fact in the TV depiction of puranas like Siva Purana, Narada seems to have more screen time than the subject of the Purana.
Yes, the notion of Narada wandering around as a devotee of Bhagwan Vishnu is found in scriptures. (I’m giving little extra information beyond the line)
In the Śrimad Bhāgavata Purāṇa 1.6.32, Narada describes himself to Vyāsa as:
देवदत्तामिमां वीणां स्वरब्रह्मविभूषिताम्। मूर्च्छयित्वा हरिकथां गायमानश्चराम्यहम्॥३२॥
Playing upon this lute (Veena) bestowed upon me by the Lord, and bringing out the seven primary notes of the gamut that represent Brahman in the form of sound, I go about singing the story of Śri Hari.
It is meant that Narada goes around performing various acts of Bhakti of Bhagwan Vishnu, which include kirtana or singing praises (guna), stories and names of Bhagwan Vishnu as is evident from ŚB 1.5.11, ŚB 1.5.36 and ŚB 1.6.26
Though the above verse doesn’t explicitly mention Narada only chanting Bhagwan Vishnu’s names, his name chanting finds mention in the Ramcharitmanas:
नारद जानेउ नाम प्रतापू। जग प्रिय हरि हरि हर प्रिय आपू॥
Narada came to know the effect of the name. Vishnu is adored by the world, Vishnu adores Shiva but Narada is adored by both Shiva and Vishnu.
Balakanda Doha 26.2
The Story of why Narada wanders from the Shiva Purāṇa very briefly
Narada taught Prajapati Daksha’s sons, the Haryaśvas and the Sabalāśvas the path of Sannyasa. Thus them turning into mendicants instead of helping in creation angered Prajapati Daksha who cursed Narada:
Frequently you have committed offences against me, O basest of the base. Hence roaming ever in the worlds your feet will never be steady anywhere.
Shiva Purana, Rudra-saṃhitā, Satī-khaṇḍa, Chapter 13
Note: 1. Translation of Srimad Bhagavata Purāṇa from Gita Press Gorakhpur 2. Since you have mentioned Shiva Purana in the question, I’ve quoted the story of Narada wandering from the Shiva Purana.
The divine Sage, Devarṣhi Nārada is perhaps one of the most "notoriously popular", and thus, one of the most misunderstood divinity within Hinduism. Nārada (‘Nāra’ stands for knowledge and ‘Da’ stands for Giver or Provider) is popular as a ‘Loka Sanchari ’ or a Universal Tourist. He is also popular as ‘Kalaha Priya’ or as an instigator or an agent provocateur, but his end objective would always be for ‘Loka Kalyana’ or for Universal Benefit. However, he's mostly veiled by his acts of being a mischief monger and in popular mass vernacular, it's not uncommon to see, anyone inciting feuds is generally given sobriquet like ‘‘Nārada Muni’’, as an inflammatory title or remark. As a verse about Nārada, popularly attributed to Paurāṇika literature proclaims:
नारं नरसमूहं कलहेन द्यति खण्डयति इति नारदः।
Meaning: The one who incites strife amongst men via discord creation tactics is called Nārada.
And thus, in this answer we'll try to ameliorate some of those "mis-understandings".
First, we'll have to look at little bit of basics:
We agree that the time within Hinduism is eternal and cyclic.
As Shri Kṛiṣhṇa puts it beautifully in the Srimad Bhagvad Gītā
[2.12] : O Partha ! Nor at any time indeed was I not, nor thou, nor these rulers of men, nor verily shall we ever cease to be hereafter.
And thus, one must understand that, never was there a time, when the great Sage, Devarṣhi Nārada wasn't a devotee of the Lord, nor shall he ever, cease to be the Lord's devotee.
Secondly, it must be very well ‘‘tried to be known’’ by us normal humans, that it's all, a mere past-time (līlā, लीला) of the Supreme. We all are veiled by the great cosmic illusion (mahamaya / yogamaya). It is the Lord himself, who through his own potencies of partial expansions (amsa avatara), has manifested as a mind-born son of Lord Brahma. See how the emphasis is laid on - ‘‘tried to be known’’. It's because one cannot ever understand or comprehend the Supreme or his myriad līlā's, in any way whatsoever. One might be able to experience him, that too, through his Kṛipā (कृपा - grace) & Karuṇā (करुणा - compassion) only.
As once, I heard in a Bhāgavata-Kathā discourse:
"The ways of the Lord are incomprehensible. On one hand, he'll roam through the forest, crying like a mortal human; one the other hand, a mere touch of his feet salvages Ahalyā from her curse. On one hand, he'll eat mud and show everything to be within him, on the other hand, he'll steal the mākhan (butter) and gets caught & tied up to a mortar. On one hand, he'll destroy Pūtanā just via breastfeeding and, on the other hand, he shall end his earthly affairs by a mere arrowshot to his toe."
Since it's the Lord himself in his role as Nārada, he, for the sake for his devotees, to instill within them Dharma, to teach them the path and the sense of devotion, thus, he himself manifests as Devarṣhi Nārada, always chants, sings and eulogise the Supreme via various eloquent ways like japa, bhajan, dhyāna, saṅkīrtana, etc..
[Question 1]. What are the scriptural references for the popular catchprase - "Nārāyaṇa-Nārāyaṇa", always sung by Devarṣhi Nārada on all the mythology based TV shows ?
Although the rendition does look, sound and feel appropriate and good, when portrayed cinematically. However, As such the particular specific catchphrase ("Nārāyaṇa-Nārāyaṇa") that is generally portrayed in the TV, is a typical case of the creative-artistic cinematic license, and as such may also be posited, to be based on interpolations and local culture based syncretization of local stories, traditional poems, folklores and beliefs.
An example of such syncretization will be the prose in the Pada-Ratnakar based Hindi devotional recensions composed by Hanuman Prasad Poddar . I'm just quoting a specific prose:
गाते भगवन्नाम निरंतर प्रेम रस सुधा सागर मग्न।
तन मन की स्मृति नहीं तनिक सी, वृत्ति नित्य प्रभु पद संलग्न।।
सहज बजाते वीणा सुस्वर मधुर, लिए कर में करताल।
हो उन्मत्त नृत्य करते, मुनि नारद रहते नित्यनिहाल।।
The poet in the above prose gives a description of the sacred love and devotion of Nārada Munī towards the Lord, which makes him constantly sing, dance, play his vīṇā (वीणा) and khartal (खरतल) and ultimately, loose the sense of any kind of duality.
However, Nārada is definitely told to be wandering across the whole existence, always ever devoted to the Lord and always eulogizing Hari in myriad ways.
Some Scriptural instances for the same are being given below:
1. Srimad Bhagavata Purāṇa: Nārada's previous life, devotion and re-birth.
In the words of Nārada himself:
After 4,300,000,000 solar years, when Brahmā awoke to create again by the will of the Lord, all the ṛṣis like Marīci, Aṅgirā, Atri and so on were created from the transcendental body of the Lord, and I also appeared along with them. [SB - 1.6.30]
Since then, by the grace of the almighty Viṣṇu, I travel everywhere without restriction both in the transcendental world and in the three divisions of the material world. This is because I am fixed in unbroken devotional service of the Lord. [SB - 1.6.31]
And thus I travel, constantly singing the transcendental message of the glories of the Lord, vibrating this instrument called a vīṇā, which is charged with transcendental sound and which was given to me by Lord Kṛṣṇa. [SB - 1.6.32]
The above mentioned incident of obtaining the Vīṇā from Shri Kṛiṣhṇa is found in the Vāsudeva-Māhātmyam of the Skanda Purana. By the way, Devarṣhi's Vīṇā is named as Mahatī.
2. Skanda Purāṇa: Boon by Shri Kṛiṣhṇa
Skanda said:
“Oh, sage! Listening to those words of the Lord, the great sage Nārada deemed himself a blessed person. He addressed the Lord thus: (51)
Nārada said:
O Lord! By your very ‘darsan’ my desires have been completely fulfilled. I believe that the good fortune of your ‘darsan’ is very difficult to obtain by any living being. (52)
Hence, I have no other desire to obtain except your ‘darsan’, and that of your people and the nectar-like abode of yours. (53)
O Achyuta! There is nothing more formidable to obtain in all the worlds, by offering prayers to your pleased self. (54)
Other worldly pleasures obtained by performing the Vedic sacrifices, regarded highly by the Devatas and Manes, are momentary. (55)
Lord! I do not desire to have even a little of that great happiness from you. I beseech You, the greatest bestower of boons, to grant me only one boon. (56)
Let my mind be supremely enthusiastic in constantly singing Your qualities and those of Your devotees. Let my love for You be even increasing”. (57)
Skanda said: Thus being prayed by Nārada,
Shri Kṛiṣhṇa said – “Let it be so”, and giving him a ‘Mahati-Veena’ useful for singing, told him again. (58)
......Skanda said:
Thus listening to the words of the Lord, Nārada, with tears of joy pouring from his eyes, and being blessed with his intended desire, prostrated and returned. (68)
3. Other Incidents as reasons for Nārada's constant singing of Hari Bhajans:
A) Padma Purāṇa: Nārada questions Lord Vishnu
[ Padma Purana: Uttara Khanda - 94.23 ]
नाहं वसामि वैकुण्ठे योगिनां हृदये न च ।
मद्भक्ता यत्र गायन्ति तत्र तिष्ठामि नारद ॥nāham vasāmi vaikunthe yogināma hŗdaye na ca ।
madbhaktā yatra gāyanti tatra tiśthāmi nārada ॥
Meaning:Neither do I reside in Vaikuntha, nor do I dwell in the hearts of the yogis; O Narada, I stay where my devotess are singing.
And thus, another reason why Nārada constantly sings the glories of Hari.
B) Linga Purāṇa: The story of Tumburu, and how Narada learnt music:
This is discussed in the Volume 2, Chapter 2 & 3 of the Linga Purāṇa. In the end, The Lord in his Kriṣhṇa avatāra teaches Nārada, the art of music and thus declares him on an equal footing with Tumburu & Gopa.
[तृतीयोऽध्यायः Chapter 3]
आहूय कृष्णो भगवान् स्वयमेव महामुनिम् ।
अशिक्षयदमेयात्मा गानयोगमनुत्तमम्॥ १०३ ॥Then lord Krishna, the incomprehensible soul, himself called the great sage and taught him the excellent art of music.
उवाच च हृषीकेशः सर्वज्ञस्त्वं महामुने ।
प्रहस्य गानयोगेन गायस्व मम सन्निधौ ॥१०५॥Lord Viṣhṇu then laughed and said- "O great Sage, you have now attained the perfect knowledge. Having been equipped with the perfect knowledge pretty well, you now sing in
my presence.”
[द्वितीयोऽध्यायः Chapter 2]
मार्कण्डेय उवाच:
ततो नारायणो देवस्तस्मै सर्वप्रदाय वै ।
कालयोगेन विश्वात्मा समं चक्रेऽथ तुंबरोः ॥१॥Märkandeya said:
Thereafter, Lord Viṣhṇu - the universal soul, besides being Mahākāla, bestowed everything on Nārada, equated him with Tumburu.नारदं मुनिशार्दूलमेवं वृत्तमभूत्पुरा ।
नारायणस्य गीतानां गानं श्रेष्ठं पुनः पुनः ॥२॥Thus, Nārada was made the best of all the sages. This even is related to earlier times. The singing of Nārāyaṇa's songs again and again, is an excellent event.
गानेनाराधितो विष्णुः सत्कीर्ति ज्ञानवर्चसी ।
ददाति तुष्टिं स्थानं च यथाऽसौ कौशिकस्य वै ॥३॥Lord Viṣhṇu, who is adored with the singing of songs, bestows excellent grace, wisdom, lustre, satisfaction and abode as it happened to Kausika.
Hence, this forms another account for Nārada's constant love for singing Hari bhajans.
And thus, we conclude how and why Nārada constantly eulogise Lord Nārāyaṇa (Viṣhṇu) by constantly chanting his names or singing his glories through myriad ways of japa, bhajan, dhyāna, saṅkīrtana, etc.
[Question 2]. Is Nārada really a ‘Kalaha Priya’ (कलह-प्रिय) / Mischief Monger, who incites people to chaos and feuds? Is he an agent provocateur in the typical villainous sense ?
NO
In the [ Srimad Bhagvatam: Canto 6, Chapter 5, Verse 39 ], This is how Prajāpatī Dakṣha described Nārada and terms his acts as mischiefs, before cursing him to wander across the whole creation:
ननु भागवता नित्यं भूतानुग्रहकातरा: ।
ऋते त्वां सौहृदघ्नं वै वैरङ्करमवैरिणाम् ॥ ३९ ॥Meaning: All the devotees of the Lord but you are very kind to the conditioned souls and are eager to benefit others. Although you wear the dress of a devotee, you create enmity with people who are not your enemies, or you break friendship and create enmity between friends. Are you not ashamed of posing as a devotee while performing these abominable actions?
However, it's difficult to grasp the "Līlā" of the Lord sometimes, even for a person, as exalted as Dakṣha, who also happens to be the Lord's devotee. Thus, As already discussed in the starting, Nārada is Vishnu himself in his partial expansion. Thus this must be understood in terms of his cosmic past-times (līlā), which is beyond comprehension on a material level, for us. In fact, it can be very well stated that, he's is a unique fund of knowledge, robust commonsense and uncanny wit and wisdom that shapes destinies of various Beings in the Supreme Lord’s Creation and hence ultimately aid in the upholding of the Dharma.
One must also note, the crucial role Nārada plays at several instances, thus shaping destiny for the greater good, all as per the "Divine-Plan". Whenever there occur a serious speed-breaker in the stories, it's Nārada who comes to the aid, for defining Dharma and inculcating motivational guidance on the protagonists. Some instances being:
It's no surprise that Lord Krishna says he's Nārada amongst the divine sages.
Srimad Bhagvad Gītā: Chapter 10, Verse 26
[10.26]: Among all the trees ( I am) the Peepul; Among the divine sages, I am Nārada; among Gandharvas, Chitraratha; among the perfected, the sage Kapila.
A modern Sanskrit Dictionary, named Shabda-Kalpa-Druma ( शब्दकल्पद्रुम ), by Radha Kanta Deb Bahadur , defines the following about Nārada:
नारं परमात्म विषयकं ज्ञानं ददाति नारदः
नारं नरसमूहम दयते पालयति
ज्ञान दानेनेति नारदःMeaning:
The one who bestows the Supreme Knowledge of the self is Nārada.
The one who protects and maintains the highest knowledge on Men, is Nārada.
Lastly, in a conversation between Yudhisthira and Bhishma in the Mahabharata: Shanti Parva (MokshaDharma Parva), Section CCXXX , Bhishma cites what Sri Kriṣhṇa once told Ugrasena about the greatness of Nārada. I'm just quoting here, the beginning and ending parts.
"Yudhishthira said, 'What man is there who is dear to all, who gladdens all persons, and who is endued with every merit and every accomplishment?'
"Bhishma said, 'In this connection I shall recite to thee the words that Kesava, asked by Ugrasena, said unto him on a former occasion.'
"Ugrasena said, 'All persons seem to be very solicitous of speaking of the merits of Nārada. I think that celestial Rishi, must really be possessed of every kind of merit. I ask thee, tell me this, O Kesava!'
"Vasudeva said, 'O chief of the Kukkuras, listen to me as I mention in brief those good qualities of Narada with which I am acquainted, O king! Nārada is as learned in the scriptures as he is good and pious in his conduct. And yet, on account of his conduct, he never cherishes pride that makes one's blood so hot. It is for this reason that he is worshipped everywhere. Discontent, wrath, levity, and fear, these do not exist in Nārada. He is free from procrastination, and possessed of courage. For this he is worshipped everywhere. Nārada deserves the respectful worship of all
........................
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His understanding is firm and stable. His soul is unattached to all things. For this he is everywhere worshipped with respect. Who, indeed, is there that will not love him who is thus possessed of every merit and accomplishment, who is clever in all things, who is pure in body and mind, who is entirely auspicious, who is well-versed with the course of time and its opportuneness for particular acts, and who is well-acquainted with all agreeable things?'"
The Notion of Nārada going everywhere while chanting "Nārāyaṇa-Nārāyaṇa", is an interpolation on the fact, that Nārada does roam about the whole creation, although, chanting various names of the Lord, in myriad ways of japa, bhajan, dhyāna, saṅkīrtana, et al.
The cinematic portrayal of Nārada has been in an inflammatory sense of being an agent provocateur and thus a discord inciting 'Mishcief Monger'. However, whatever Nārada does is ultimately done keeping in mind, the mass benefit principle of "Bhaujana Hitāya, Bahujana Sukhāya" i.e, welfare of the many, the happiness of the many. Thus, his activities are just a part of the cosmic-pastime (līlā) of the Supreme, only aimed at establishing the Dharma, and thus in essence, Narada masquerading as a provocateor, is actually a corrector, guide, and a bridge between the extremes of vice and virtue.
