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22 February 2010
SHRAVAN’S DEVOTION
Jai Swaminarayan
Shravan is renowned as being an idol of parental devotion. He is one of the best examples of how a good and devoted son should be. His life teaches us how to respect our parents. Here is the story of Shravan...
In ancient India, there lived a sage Shantanu. Both of them were blind, Shravan was their only son. He was devoted to God and his parents. Shravan did everything they told him to do without questioning them. For Shravan, his parents were his life.
One day Shravan’s parents said, “Son, we are old now. We have one last wish before our time ends. We want to visit all the holy places of pilgrimage. Will you take us there?”
Shravan replied instantly, “I will take you to all of the places. My duty, as your son is to fulfil your wish.” He made a kavad, a special carrier, for his parents. He carried the kavad, with his parents on it, on his shoulder and they left on the pilgrimage. When his parents would ask him if he was tired he would reply, “No, I am not tired. No one should get tired when they are fulfilling their parents’ wish.” Such was the devotion of Shravan.
After a few months of travelling, they reached the outskirts of Ayodhya, the holy birthplace of Shri Ramchandra Bhagwan. Shravan's parents were very thirsty. Shravan said, “Mother, Father, please wait here. I will go to the river and get water for you.” Saying this he went to the nearby Saryu river.
As he bent down to fill the pot, an arrow sped towards him and hit him in the chest. Shravan cried out in pain, “AAAAGGGHHHHHH!” The arrow was shot by King Dashrath, who had mistaken Shravan for an animal because it was dark. Shravan was lying in a pool of his own blood as Dashrath came running. He saw Shravan and said, “Oh! What have I done? I have unknowingly hurt a young boy! I have committed a crime!”
With his last breaths, Shravan told him, “My parents...they're thirsty...take this water to them...Please, take this water to them." After saying this he died. Dashrath went solemnly to the blind couple. He told them, “I am very sorry, but I killed your son by mistake.” Dashrath bowed at their feet and begged for forgiveness.
Shravan's father said, "King, we do not want to curse you. But we can see your future. As we shall die shortly longing for our son, you too shall die longing for your son." Soon they died, longing for their dear son. The couple's words later turned out to be true for Dashrath. He, too died, longing for his son, Shri Ram.
So you see friends, while nobody expects you to die for your parents or anything extreme like that, following their simple orders can help build a great relationship with them. Our parents love us dearly and sometimes they tell us things we may not understand or see the point to, yet if we just do as they say we'll soon learn that they're always looking out for us and keeping us away from harm.
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