Jaimini and the Birds

After the war, a sage named Shamika came to Kurukshetra to pay his respects to those who died there. He heard the sound of chirping underneath a bell and discovered four fledglings. He took them to his hermitage where they were well fed and well protected. Every day the birds heard the recitation of the scriptures, the discourses of the sages and the discussions between the students. Soon they imbibed the Vedas and other holy books. One day they approached Shamika and said, "You have saved our lives for which we are grateful. We have also learnt a lot in your hermitage. Pray, tell us how we should use this knowledge."

Shamika was surprised to hear the birds speaking in the human tongue. There were hundreds of birds in the hermitage. He wondered why only these four were able to learn the scriptures. He realised that there was something special about them and asked them who they were.

The birds then recited their tale. "We are the sons of Sukrisha. One day a huge bird approached our father and demanded human meat to satisfy its hunger. Our father instructed us to offer ourselves as food for the bird, but we refused. Our father put a curse on us that we would become birds. He then requested the giant bird to eat him. At this the bird assumed the form of Indra, the king of the demi-Gods. Indra said he was just testing Sukrisha. However the curse had been pronounced and was unavoidable." The sons explained to their father that the reason they had refused was that they were attached to their bodies. They did not possess the true learning. Hence it was their request that in their lives as birds they get the opportunity to learn the true meaning of the scriptures. Their father willingly granted them this request.

Shamika heard this tale out and after thinking for a while he directed the birds to go to the Vindhya Mountains. There they would be approached by seekers of knowledge from time to time.

After Sage Markandeya informed Jaimini of the origin and background of these wonderful birds, he instructed Jaimini to meet them and clarify all his doubts. The wisdom that the birds imparted to Jaimini has been put together in the Markandeya Purana.

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