English
Shravan Kumar and Dasharatha's Curse
Source: Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, sargas 63–64
It was the sixth night after Rama left for the forest. In the palace of Ayodhya, King Dasharatha lay tormented by the loss of his son. At midnight he said to Queen Kausalya, "Today I remember a deed of mine from long ago. As one acts, so one receives."
"Long ago, when I was crown prince and not yet married to you, I was famous for shabdavedhi archery: I could hit a target by its sound alone."
"It was the rainy season. One night I went hunting on the banks of the Sarayu. In the darkness a sound came from the river, as if an elephant were drinking. Without seeing, I loosed an arrow at the sound."
"Then came a man's cry of pain: 'Alas! Who has shot an innocent ascetic like me? I only came to the river at night to fetch water.' The sound had not been an elephant, but a pot filling with water."
"Trembling, I reached the spot. A young ascetic lay pierced by my arrow, a water pot beside him. He said, 'My blind, aged parents are sitting thirsty, waiting for me. Go, tell them the whole truth. And pull out this arrow.' As the arrow came out, he breathed his last."
"I filled the pot and went to their hermitage. Two old, blind ascetics sat there helpless, like birds whose wings had been clipped. Hearing my footsteps, the father said, 'Son, why did you take so long? Why don't you speak?'"
"In a trembling voice I said, 'I am not your son. I am Dasharatha, a kshatriya. I have committed a grave wrong without knowing it. Thinking him an elephant, I shot your son.'"
"The old father was overwhelmed with grief. He said, 'Had you not come yourself and told the truth, your head would have split into a hundred pieces. You did this unknowingly, and that is why you still live.' Then he said, 'Take us to our son.'"
"I led them there. Touching their son's body, both wept. The father cried, 'Now who will recite the scriptures to me in a sweet voice in the last watch of the night? Who will bring us roots, fruits and water?' Then they offered him water in farewell."
"Then the young man appeared in a divine form. He comforted his parents, saying that by the merit of serving them he had gained the highest worlds, and he rose to heaven."
"Then the grieving father said to me: 'Just as I now give up my life in grief for my son, so you too will one day give up your life in grief for a son.' After this, both entered their son's funeral pyre and gave up their bodies."
Finishing the story, Dasharatha said to Kausalya, "Today that curse is bearing fruit. My eyes can no longer see. If only I could see Rama once more..." Calling for Rama, King Dasharatha died that very night.
One arrow, loosed years earlier without looking, became a great turning point in the story of an entire dynasty. And the young ascetic with his water pot is still remembered as the most beautiful example of devotion to one's parents.
What this story teaches
Serving one's parents is the greatest merit; and nothing should be done hastily without seeing and understanding, for every deed returns to its doer.
The Valmiki Ramayana does not name this young ascetic. The name "Shravan Kumar", and the image of him carrying his blind parents on pilgrimage in two baskets slung from a pole, come from later folk tradition. This retelling follows Valmiki's account.
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