# The wandering preachers *Throughout Vedic history, certain great souls have taken the role of wandering preachers, traveling throughout the universe to spread spiritual knowledge. Unlike settled teachers, these personalities move continuously, reaching souls in all circumstances. Their lifestyle of complete renunciation and their mission of awakening others make them special agents of the Lord's mercy.* ## Narada Muni: The Eternal Traveler ### His Universal Mission Narada travels throughout the three worlds, carrying his vina and singing the glories of the Lord. He has access everywhere — from Vaikuntha to the hellish planets: ![[sb/1/6/38]] ![[sb/1/6/31]] ### His Influence Narada has initiated many great devotees and influenced pivotal events: - Instructed **Vyasa** to write Srimad-Bhagavatam - Initiated **Dhruva** and **Prahlada** - Transformed the hunter **Mrigari** into a devotee - Caused the devotion of many others ![[sb/1/5/30]] ![[sb/7/7/12]] ## The Four Kumaras: Ancient Wanderers ### Their Unique Position The four Kumaras — Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana, and Sanat-kumara — are the first mind-born sons of Brahma. They appear as eternal five-year-old children: ![[sb/3/12/4]] ![[sb/3/15/12]] ### Their Conversion to Devotion Originally impersonalist meditators, they became devotees upon smelling the tulasi offered to the Lord's lotus feet in Vaikuntha: ![[sb/3/15/43]] ![[sb/3/16/3]] ### They Travel and Teach The Kumaras travel throughout creation teaching the path of devotion: ![[sb/4/22/6]] ## Comparison of the Wanderers ``` ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ WANDERING PREACHERS │ ├────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────┤ │ NARADA MUNI │ FOUR KUMARAS │ ├────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────┤ │ • Always moves │ • Travel together │ │ • Carries vina │ • Appear as children │ │ • Initiates disciples │ • Teach philosophy │ │ • Intervenes in events │ • More contemplative │ │ • Accessible demeanor │ • Highly renounced │ │ • Emotional devotion │ • Converted from jnana │ ├────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────────┤ │ COMMON CHARACTERISTICS │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ • Complete renunciation — no fixed residence │ │ • Universal access — welcome everywhere │ │ • Spread Krishna consciousness │ │ • Directly empowered by the Lord │ │ • Among the twelve Mahajanas │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ## Their Method ### Going to the Conditioned Souls Unlike teachers who wait for students to come, these preachers actively seek out fallen souls: ![[sb/4/22/23]] ![[sb/1/6/27]] ### Compassion as Motivation Their traveling is motivated by compassion, not personal need: ![[sb/1/5/23]] ![[sb/6/5/22]] ## The Legacy of Wandering Preachers Following their example, the acharyas of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition also traveled widely: - The **Six Goswamis** traveled from Bengal to Vrindavana - **Lord Caitanya** traveled throughout India - **Srila Prabhupada** circled the globe fourteen times ## Related Articles - [[wiki/articles/Narada Muni the wandering sage|Narada Muni the wandering sage]] — The space-traveling devotee - [[wiki/articles/The four Kumaras|The four Kumaras]] — The eternal children - [[wiki/articles/The twelve Mahajanas|The twelve Mahajanas]] — They are counted among these - [[wiki/articles/Dhruva Maharaja the child devotee|Dhruva Maharaja the child devotee]] — Initiated by Narada - [[wiki/articles/Prahlada Maharaja the devotee|Prahlada Maharaja the devotee]] — Enlightened by Narada ## From the Index - [[index/entries/narada-muni|Narada Muni]] — The traveling sage - [[index/entries/kumaras|Kumaras]] — The four sons of Brahma - [[index/entries/preaching|Preaching]] — Spreading spiritual knowledge - [[index/entries/sannyasa|Sannyasa]] — The renounced order