This Narada Muni's history is very interesting, that he was not educated, a boy, and not coming from cultured family - maidservant's son. The only qualification was that nirupito balaka eva yoginam. He was engaged as a boy servant to the yogis

Expressions researched:
"this Nārada Muni's history is very interesting, that he was not educated, a boy, and not coming from cultured family—maidservant's son. The only qualification was that nirūpito bālaka eva yoginām. He was engaged as a boy servant to the yogīs"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

This Nārada Muni's history is very interesting, that he was not educated, a boy, and not coming from cultured family—maidservant's son. The only qualification was that nirūpito bālaka eva yoginām. He was engaged as a boy servant to the yogīs. So how he got this opportunity? That is here: śuśrūṣaṇe. Śuśrūṣaṇe means in service, prāvṛṣi, during the rainy season. Because saintly persons, mendicants, sannyāsīs, their business is to travel. Travel. When, of course, something established, then a sannyāsī can rest, paramahaṁsa stage. When there are many disciples, workers, it is going on, then he can take rest. Otherwise, it is the business of the sannyāsī to travel.

740804 - Lecture SB 01.05.23 - Vrndavana

We should be fixed up on the order of Kṛṣṇa coming through the spiritual master. Then our life is successful. This is the secret of success in spiritual life. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ. This is assured. We have to please the spiritual master. And if he's pleased, then Kṛṣṇa is pleased. The argument that "We do not see Kṛṣṇa personally. How we can satisfy Him?" . . . you satisfy your spiritual master, then Kṛṣṇa is pleased. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādāt . . . and if you want to please directly Kṛṣṇa, and show your spiritual master plantain, then na gatiḥ kuto 'pi, it will be all useless. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi.

So this Nārada Muni's history is very interesting, that he was not educated, a boy, and not coming from cultured family—maidservant's son. The only qualification was that nirūpito bālaka eva yoginām. He was engaged as a boy servant to the yogīs. So how he got this opportunity? That is here: śuśrūṣaṇe. Śuśrūṣaṇe means in service, prāvṛṣi, during the rainy season. Because saintly persons, mendicants, sannyāsīs, their business is to travel. Travel. When, of course, something established, then a sannyāsī can rest, paramahaṁsa stage. When there are many disciples, workers, it is going on, then he can take rest. Otherwise, it is the business of the sannyāsī to travel.

So these yogīs, or the sannyāsīs, they were traveling all over the world or all over the country or all over the province . . . their business is traveling. But during rainy season, because it is very difficult . . . formerly, there was no aeroplane. Or might be, but they were not traveling, walking. So for these four months, rainy season, they used to take shelter at a nice place in a pilgrimage and wait. Until the rainy season is finished, they would not go out. That is called cāturmāsya. This is the meaning of cāturmāsya. So Nārada Muni got this opportunity. Now, you can calculate. This is knowledge. Then he had the opportunity to serve these yogīs for four months only—not more than that—and he became Nārada. Just understand how much powerful is service to the Vaiṣṇava, devotees. And that is also confirmed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā

ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ

ye 'nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ

śudhyanti . . .

(SB 2.4.18)

Yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ means if anyone takes the shelter of the devotee, apāśrayāśrayāḥ . . . a devotee takes the shelter of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, and if somebody else takes the shelter of the lotus feet of the devotee—śudhyanti, becomes purified. This is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.