Shravana Kumara

For the month of the Hindu calendar, see Shravana (month). For the Nakshatra, see Shravana. For other people, see Shrawan Kumar (disambiguation). For other uses, see Shravan (disambiguation).

Shravana Kumara
A fallen Shravana and prince Dasharatha
Texts	Ramayana
Personal information
Parents	Shantanu (father) Jnanavanti (mother)

Shravan Kumara (Sanskrit: श्रवण कुमार) is a character mentioned in the ancient Hindu text Ramayana. He is best known for his filial piety towards his parents. He was killed accidentally by King Dasharatha.

Life

Shravana Kumara's parents, Shantanu and Jnanavanti (Malaya), were hermits. They were both blind. When they became aged, Shravana wanted to take them to the four most sacred places of Hindu pilgrimage to purify the soul. Since Shravana Kumara could not afford the transport, he decided to put each parent in a basket and tie each basket to an end of a bamboo pole, which he would carry on his shoulder while on their pilgrimage.

According to Punjabi folklore, Shravana's mother was distantly related to King Dasharatha.

Death

Dasharatha cremates Shravana and his parents (painting by Laharu of Chamba)

According to the Ayodhya Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana, the incident is recounted by King Dasharatha to Queen Kausalya. In his youth as crown prince, Dasharatha possessed the skill of śabdavedhī (archery guided solely by sound). On a night during the rainy season, while hunting on the banks of the Sarayu river, he heard the sound of water filling a pitcher and mistook it for an elephant drinking. Dasharatha shot an arrow toward the sound, fatally striking an ascetic youth.

Upon rushing to the scene, Dasharatha found the unnamed hermit's son (popularly identified as Shravana Kumara) dressed in tree bark and deer skin with matted hair (jaṭā), who had been drawing drinking water for his elderly, blind parents. Grieving that his dependent parents would perish without him, the dying youth instructed Dasharatha to inform his father before the sage could curse him. Sensing Dasharatha's horror and fear of committing brahmahatya (the sin of killing a Brahmin), the youth assuaged his conscience by revealing that he was not a Brahmin, but the son of a Vaishya father and a Shudra mother.

At the hermit's request, Dasharatha pulled the arrow from his body, whereupon the youth succumbed to his injury and died.

When Dasharatha took water for his parents and told them of his tragic mistake, they were unable to bear the shock. Despite acknowledging that it was an accident, they cursed Dasharatha that he too would experience 'Putrashoka' (Sanskrit, 'putra' is child/son and 'shoka' is sorrow, or grief; grief due to loss of a son). Thus, Shravana's sick and thirsty parents died without drinking water.

The blind hermit and his wife mourn their son, who was slain accidentally by Dasarath.

This curse came true when King Dasharatha died without seeing his eldest and most beloved son, Rama, who had to be exiled at the former's own orders (upon the wishes of the latter's step-mother, queen Kaikeyi).

Legacy

Local tradition holds that the place where Shravana died was named Sarvan in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh in India, and the spot where Dasharatha shot his arrow came to be known as Sarwara and the place where Shravana's parents died is called Samadha. An old and dilapidated memorial for Shravana on the banks of the lake is now withering away.

While local tradition holds that the place where Shravana died was named Sarvan in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, another significant tradition places the event around the Darvan Lake in Ambedkar Nagar district, approximately 80 kilometers from Ayodhya. Nearby villages like Serva and Savana are believed to be the spots associated with the story. This region also has a notable site called Shravan Dhaam, which is being developed to commemorate the legend. Unlike the Unnao location which lacks a significant body of water, the presence of the Darvan Lake aligns with the classical narrative where Shravana went to fetch water for his blind parents.

Shrine

Mukhed in Nanded district of Maharashtra has a samadhi dedicated to Shravana. In the region of Mithila in India, there is a legendary temple associated with Shravan Kumar. The temple is known as Mankeshwar Nath Mahadev Mandir.

See also

• Hindu text
• Kosala kingdom
• Sarayu
• Syama Jataka