Devtas

Shravana Kumar

Other names- Sravankumar, Sravana, Sravan

Shravana Kumar was a bright young ascetic. He was born of a Vaishnav (a sect that prays to Vishnu as the supreme God-Head) father and Shudra (One of the four castes – meant to do physical jobs) mother. Yet unmindful of his lineage, he was a brilliant mendicant. Both his parents were blind and Ravana was their sole solace and support. Ravana looked after every need of his parents and tended them with care.

It was a dark night when his parents asked for some water to drink. Ravana picked up the earthen pot and went to fetch water from the Sarayu River nearby. By chance, at that very time, young prince Dasharatha came there to hunt for deer. It was a dark and stormy night, the visibility was low, and the young prince was enthusiastic. He was not yet married and his father was still the king. He was an expert archer. The dark did not deter him for he was proficient in a special form of archery called Shabd Bhedi Baan (that is shooting arrows based on the sound stimulus.)

Ravana reached the banks of Sarayu and dipped the pot in the river water. In the still of the night, the sound appeared to young Dasharatha as if an animal had come to drink water at the river. Based on the direction of the sound, Dasharatha sped his arrow there. A loud scream rent the silent night. It was not the cry of a wounded, hunted animal but that of an injured young man. Dasharatha ran to investigate. He explained to Ravana the cause of the accident.

Ravana introduced himself and said that his old, blind parents are thirsty and waiting for him to fetch water for them. “I was filling the pot for them when your arrow hit me.” he said. Dashratha removed the arrow from Ravana’s chest but it was too late. Before he breathed his last, Shravana Kumar said, “Go and give this water to my parents and tell them the reason for my untimely death.”

Filled with fear and remorse, young Dasharatha took the pot of water to the hut where the parents awaited Ravana. With a heavy heart he narrated the events that led to the death of their son. The blind old couple said, “Take us to our son. At least we can offer the last sacrament for him.” The king arranged for the pyre of Ravana and performed his last rites.

The old parents said, “O prince Dasharatha, you have caused us to breathe our last on being parted with our beloved son. You too will die in desperation and sorrow of your son’s departure.” Both the parents then jumped into the burning pyre and ended their lives.

This incident was narrated by Dashratha when he lay in deep sorrow after Rama left for the forest for fourteen years. It was as a result of the curse of Ravana’s parents, that none of his four sons were at his deathbed. Rama and Lakshman were in the forest while Bharat and Shatrughna were at Kaikey with their maternal uncle. Thus the curse given by the parents of Shravana Kumar played an important role in the story of Ramayana.

Shravana Kumar is looked upon in Indian tradition as an ideal son. As his parents could not see, he carried them in baskets, balanced on his shoulder and took them for a pilgrimage of the chardham (four holy pilgrimage towns). The image of Ravana as a devoted, loving son is forever etched in our minds. In India, he is the ideal for how sons and daughters should behave with their parents.