Once upon a time, Sage Narad cursed Lord Vishnu when the desire for marriage awakened in his heart. You know, sometimes, even the gods engage in conflicts much like humans. Such an incident occurred with Sage Narad as well. Sage Narad is considered Brahma's son, born from Brahma's lap. Due to this, he was bestowed with the title of a sage. However, due to a mistake, he also received a curse to wander aimlessly. Since then, Sage Narad has roamed from one realm to another, sharing stories and insights.
One day, a peculiar incident occurred with Sage Narad. Seeing many sages engrossed in meditation, a strong desire to meditate also arose within him. He abandoned all his work and started meditating. Seeing Sage Narad meditating, the king of the gods, Indra, became worried. He thought that perhaps Sage Narad, having fulfilled his life as an ascetic, now aspires to attain the throne of heaven through meditation. Troubled by this thought, Indra sought the help of his friend, Kamadeva.
Kamadeva attempted to disrupt Sage Narad's meditation by awakening desires in his mind. However, despite Kamadeva's efforts, he failed to break Sage Narad's meditation. When Kamadeva returned in defeat, Indra, driven by his desire for the throne, decided to seek help from Mahadev (Lord Shiva). Indra revealed his plan to Mahadev, expressing his wish to obtain the throne of heaven by disrupting Sage Narad's meditation.
Mahadev approved of the plan but advised Indra to consult Lord Vishnu before implementing it. Sage Narad, unaware of the divine conversation between Vishnu and Shiva, continued his meditation. Indra, thinking that Mahadev was pleased with the plan, requested Kamadeva to infuse desire into Sage Narad's mind.
However, Kamadeva's attempt failed again. Sage Narad, upon realizing that he had become victorious in the realm of desire just like Lord Shiva, couldn't contain his joy. Unable to resist sharing his achievement, he quickly reached Kailash and narrated the entire story to Mahadev.
Mahadev appreciated Sage Narad's victory but suggested that he should not forget to inform Lord Vishnu about it. Sage Narad perceived that Mahadev might be envious of his success and didn't want Vishnu to know. To avoid any conflict, Sage Narad decided to go directly to Vaikuntha (Vishnu's abode) and share his triumph with Lord Vishnu.
Unbeknownst to Sage Narad, at that moment, the omniscient Vishnu and Shiva were conversing with each other telepathically. When Sage Narad joyfully departed, Mahadev created a magnificent and beautiful city with his divine power, where Shilnidhi was the king, and his daughter was named Shrimati.
As Sage Narad passed by, King Shilnidhi invited him to his palace and sought his advice on choosing a suitable husband for his daughter. Sage Narad, after seeing Shrimati, suggested that she should marry someone who has achieved success in the realm of desire. Intrigued, the king asked where such a person could be found, and Sage Narad hinted that Mahadev could be a suitable match.
King Shilnidhi, considering Mahadev as the only suitable match, announced a swayamvar (self-choice ceremony) for his daughter. Meanwhile, Sage Narad, captivated by the beauty of Shrimati, also started dreaming of achieving success in desire, similar to Mahadev. He thought, "If Mahadev can marry, then why not me?"
However, Sage Narad was unaware that Lord Narayana had played a prank on him. While Vishnu had given his entire form to Narad, he had closed Narad's mouth, making him look like a monkey. So, when Sage Narad went to participate in the swayamvar, everyone started laughing at him.
Feeling deeply humiliated, Sage Narad left in anger, cursing Lord Vishnu. He proclaimed that just as he had suffered sorrow for a woman today, Vishnu would also face separation from his wife in the form of a human. This curse led Lord Vishnu to incarnate as Lord Rama and experience separation from Sita.
