By Bhaktimarga Swami
On US Mount Rainier flows a majestic waterfall
Dropping a steep 188 feet by a gorgeous rock wall
It commemorates a celebrated eastern mystic
Who connects to the cosmos and all that’s holistic
His name is Narada and he’s so novel
Unconventional in behaviour yet a real role model
At times he may come across as eccentric
But in reality he is most authentic
He moves with heart subtly through all atmospheres
In the heavens, middle, and lower regions he appears
Covering a spectrum like a rainbow’s colours
To offer his benevolence like no other
In his otherworldliness he’ll dispatch a message
In a manner where there’s no time wastage
Once he accepted a curse to be brief with his visit
Much like some high-speed come-and-go bullet
A straight shooter, honest, concise, to the point
By some he’s received well, others are annoyed
For the truth is not always easy to swallow
So some reject him while others will follow
He alerted the tyrannical king called Kams
“The enemy gods in space are making their advance”
And he told a prince, Prahlad, while in mother’s womb
That life is not merely a place to consume
His looks are appealing, poised like a staunch yogi
With attire – a solid saffron – not fit for matrimony
He bears a top knot increasing his height
And a stringed vina he plays adding to sound and sight
Narada is a sage of extraordinary calibre
Who lives in peace, harmony, and is practically infallible
He always sings a song of *mantra* power
Sharing it in ecstacy, sweetly, from soft to louder