The Story Of King Chitrabanu
In the epic of Mahabharata, the great Bhishma, relates the tale of King Chitrabanu of the Iksvaku dynasty and the observance of Mahashivratri. King Chitrabanu was observing a fast on the day of the Mahashivratri with his wife when the sage Ashtavakra came to the king’s court. When the sage inquired as to the reason for the fast, King Chitrabhanu explained that he had the gift of remembering events from his previous birth, and related one such event to the sage.In his previous birth, the King was a hunter named Suswara in Varanasi, and made a living by killing and selling birds and animals. One day while hunting in the forests, Suswara shot a deer but could not return home as night fell on the forest. Seeking shelter, Suswara climbed a bael tree to pass the night. Tormented by hunger and thirst, Suswara was unable to sleep and keep awake through the night. He shed tears thinking about his wife and children who would starve until he returned home with his kill. Suswara engaged himself in plucking bael leaves and dropping them as a way to distract himself from hunger, thirst and thoughts of his family.
When he returned home the next day, he sold the deer and bought some food for his family. But before he could break his fast from the previous day, a beggar came to him and begged for food. Suswara served the beggar before eating himself.
Years later, when he died, Suswara saw two messengers of Lord Shiva sent down to conduct his soul to the abode of Lord Shiva. It was then that Suswara learned of the great merit he had earned by his unconscious worship while sitting on the bael tree during the night of Shivaratri. The messengers told him that there had been a Shiva Lingam at the bottom of the tree, and the bael leaves had fallen on the Linga as well as his tears that washed it. Furthermore, Suswara had fasted all day and night. Suswara had lived in the abode of Lord Shiva and enjoyed divine bliss for ages before being reborn as King Chitrabanu.
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