Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c8.1324

c8.1324

5) *Nārada met the woman called Bhakti.* When Kalikāla held the earth in its grips Nārada, on a particular occasion, went round the world viewing the evils of Kali, and he saw a young woman immersed in grief sitting on the banks of the Yamunā, the sports field of Kṛṣṇa. On both sides of her two old men were breathing in an unconscious state, and the woman, weeping was trying to restore them to consciousness. Many other women were fanning the unconscious men and trying to comfort the woman. Nārada approached the young woman when she spoke to him as follows: ‘Oh! great sage, please put an end to my grief, because your words will remove all grief. I am called Bhakti and these two old men are my sons, one of whom is known as Jñāna (knowledge) and the other Vairāgya (renunciation), and they have become old due to the impact of time. The others found here are sacred rivers, have come to serve me. But, the service of nobody will do me good.