PADMA PURANA

Sacred Parrot Kunjal�s previous birth account

Sage Chyavan was highly impressed with the fund of knowledge that the Parrot Kunjal possessed and asked the bird as to its background. In its previous birth, the bird was the progeny of a scholar of Vedas named Vidyadhar and the latter had three sons viz. Vasu Sharma, Naama Sharma and Dharma Sharma. The elder two sons were good students of Vedas but Dharma Sharma was unintelligent and ignorant.

The father was concerned about the third son and exhorted him to try his best to learn; he said:

Vidya praapyatey soukhyam yashah keertistathatula,
Jnaanam Swargah Sumokshascha tasmadvidyaam prasadhayah

(Vidya provides happiness, good name and fame; it also bestows Knowledge, Swaraga and Moksha). But unfortunately Dharma Sharma continued to be dim-witted and brainless. When he was sad about his stupidity sitting in a Temple, the boy was approached by a Sidhha who blessed him to become an excellent ‘Vidyavan’ on par with his elder brothers.The father was delighted at the transformation of Dharma Sharma who did Vedadhyana and various noble tasks that other Brahmana boys carried out. One day, he came across a hunter selling parrots and since Dharma Sharma evinced interest in a particular parrot which talked and sang nice, an elderly gentleman gifted it out of benevolence. In course of time, Dharma Sharma grew so fond of the bird that one day a cat killed it and he lost his mental balance once again and eventually died. At the time of one’s death, the feelings that were intense influenced the kind of rebirth that a person would have; the praani would have the same type of feelings, form, physique, courage and features in the ensuing birth too:

Maraney yaadrusho bhaavah praaninam parijaayatey/
taadrushaah syustu satvaastey tadrupastatparaakramah,
tatgunaastattatva rupaascha baavabhutaa bhavantih/

That was how, the parrot inherited the intellect, mental sharpness and even the awareness of the past, presence and future!
Sage Chyavan was thus enlightened by the Parrot Kunjal and considered the parrot as the Guru of the Sage in knowing several aspects of Tatwa Gyaan, especially in the context of Tirtha Yatras in which the Sage was engaged in.