Sri Narada said: In ancient times, during the Svayambuva-manvantara, a sage named Vedasira Muni, who was a descendent of Bhrgu Muni, performed austerities in the Vindhya Hills.
Then, one day a sage named Asvasira Muni came to perform austerities at this sage's asrama. With red eyes staring at his guest, Vedasira Muni angrily spoke.
Sri Vedasira said: O brahmana, don't perform austerities in my asrama. O sage whose wealth is austerity, is there no other place where you can happily perform austerities?
Note: Here, this seems to be the precurser to zonal bickering. It seems that even in acient times, there were devotees who had attachment to their place of devotional service, considering their place to be their 'zone' for doing service. Maybe this is where Iskcon got it from. In the old days it was always that way, that whenever a visitor devotee came to a temple, the greeting devotee had to know what 'zone' he was from, and who was his guru. And, they were very concerned as to if the visitor had any plans to do service [fund-raising] in their zone. They made it quite clear that even a slight thought to this design was unauthorized and punishable by a tongue-lashing from the local gbc man.
Text continued:
Sri Narada said: When he heard Vedasira's words, Asvasira Muni became angry. With red eyes he spoke to the best of the sages.
Sri Asvasira said: O best of sages, this place belongs to Lord Maha-Visnu. It does not belong to you or me. Have not many sages already performed great austerities here?
You are angry for no reason. You hiss as if you were a snake. Become a snake! You will be terrified of Garuda.
Sri Vedasira said: Fool, for a slight offense you plot a great revenge! On this earth you are like a crow. Fool, become a crow!
Note: One sage is accused of unjust anger, and the other is accused of petty revenge in retaliation. This is a lesson to devotees to curb the powerful urges for unreasonable anger and petty revenge. Two verses on this:
Akrodha means to check anger. Even if there is provocation one should be tolerant, for once one becomes angry his whole body becomes polluted. Anger is a product of the mode of passion and lust, so one who is transcendentally situated should check himself from anger. BG 16.1p
Although Brahm� tried to curb his anger, he could not do so, even though he is the supreme being. Such anger in its true color came from between the eyebrows of Brahm� as Rudra, in a mixed color of blue (ignorance) and red (passion), because anger is the product of passion and ignorance. SB 3.12.8
More notes: It appears here that crows are revengful to even slight offenses. We see this crow's revenge from Srila Prabhupada's lecture SB 1.5.11-
"So planmaking, will always be frustrated. So simply agitation; it has no meaning. Therefore those who are transcendentalists, they know, this is crow�s meeting. Sometimes, you have not seen, crows meeting. Kaw kaw kaw kaw kaw kaw kaw. They are passing resolution. You see? (laughter) You have seen crow�s meeting?
Kirtanananda: Yes.
Prabhup�da: They have also meeting, crow�s meeting. If you kill one crow, you�ll see thousands of crows will come and hold their meeting: �Oh, one crow is dead by the human being. We shall...� And if the man is detected, this man has killed, these crows will, I mean to say, hurt the head of that man. They�ll come in flocks. Yes. I have seen in India. Yes. They sometimes attack. So they have got also their own defensive measure. The crow�s meeting."
Here are some other verses:
A person is considered no better than a crow if after receiving some food, he does not divide it among guests, old men and children, but simply eats it himself, or if he eats it without performing the five kinds of sacrifice. After death he is put into the most abominable hell, known as Kumibhojana. SB 5.26.18
When the living entity is in the body of a crow, he eats all kinds of refuse, even pus and mucus, and enjoys it. Thus Narottama dasa Thakura points out that the living entity travels in different types of bodies and eats all kinds of abominable things. When he does not become ultimately happy, he becomes morose or takes to the ways of hippies. SB 4.25.11p
text continued:
Sri Narada said: Then Lord Visnu appeared and consoled the two sages, who were now unhappy with their curses.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: You are both equally devoted to Me. O sages, you are like the two arms of My body. O kings of the sages, I can make My own words false, but I do not wish to allow the words of my devotees to become false. That is My vow. O Vedasira, I will place My footprints on your head. Because of them you will never fear Garuda. O Asvasira, hear My words. Don't lament. Please don't lament. You will have the form of a crow, but you will have transcendental knowledge. You will have yoga-siddhis and the highest knowledge in the three worlds.
Note: What seemed to be a curse was actually a blessing from Lord Krishna, as Vedasira became the serpent Kaliya, but he recieved the rare benediction of Lord Krishna's footprints on his head. There is a temple of Kaliya-Krishna in Fiji, where the diety of Krishna and Kaliya reside, and there are seen the footprints of Krishna on the heads of Kaliya. Also there is a legend of the locals; that several eye-witnesses claim to have briefly seen the ancient serpent Kaliya sunning near a cave by a secluded beach. The sage Asvasira was also blessed by Lord Krishna, becoming a devotee of Lord Ramachandra, as described below.
Text continued:
Sri Narada said: After speaking these words, Lord Visnu departed. O king, then the sage Asvasira became the crow Bhusunda on Mount Nila.
He was devoted to Lord Ramacandra. He was very powerful. He was a lamp shining on the meanings of all the scriptures. To Garuda he recited the Ramayana.
O king, during the Caksusa-manvantara, Prajapati Daksa gave his eleven beautiful daughters in marriage to Kasyapa Muni.
Kadru was the best of them. Today Kadru is Rohini. She is dear to Maharaja Vasudeva. Lord Balrama was born as her son.
Kadru gave birth to many millions of great, powerful, invincible jewel-decorated, and very poisonous snakes, some having five-hundred heads, and others having a hundred heads. Among them Vedasira became the great snake Kaliya.
back to the quiz
back to home page