The Story of Shravana Kumara

"My dear Kaushalya," began Dasharatha, "I was unusually talented at archery when I was young. I could hit a target unseen based only on its sound. One fateful night, I sat on my chariot and set out for hunting on the Sarayu riverbank. It was pitch dark; I listened intently for the sound of a beast. Suddenly, I thought I heard a wild animal drinking water. I shot an arrow in the direction of the sound, and then I heard the groan of a wounded human being. Horrified by what I had done, I ran toward the cry only to see a young man soaked with blood, wounded by my arrow.

"'O sinner, you have killed me,' the youth said indignantly to me. 'My name is Shravana Kumara. My blind parents are in that cottage. They were thirsty and told me to fetch water for them to drink. Take this pot of water to them and don't say anything until they quench their thirst. I am in intense pain due to this arrow. Please remove it from my body.'

"As I removed the arrow from Shravana Kumara's body, the boy looked at me and then passed away.

"When I took the pot of water and reached the hut's door, I saw Shravana Kumara's parents—helpless, aged, and blind—awaiting their son. When I entered the hut, they thought their son had arrived. 

"'Son, what took you so long?' they asked. 

"Filled with guilt and shame, I was unable to speak. The blind couple then became suspicious. I prostrated myself before them and confessed that I had accidentally caused the death of their son. Overwhelmed by this tragic news, the blind and elderly couple fell silent, tears streaming down their sightless eyes. I led them to the riverbank, where their son lay lifeless. They told me that their only reason for living was their beloved son, and that without him, their lives had lost all meaning.  

"'Just as we are dying from the separation from our son, you too will die from the loss of your son,' they cursed me and then burned themselves alive on their son's funeral pyre.