Thereafter
Lord Shiva
said that in Kasipuri there was a peaceful brahmana named Dhira-buddhi, whose senses and mind were fixed in glorification of Lord Krishna. Wherever Dhira-buddhi went, Lord Shiva served and protected him with great love.
Seeing those activities of Lord Shiva, his eternal servant Bhringiriti asked him what this great devotee had done to merit Lord Shiva’s personal service. Lord Shiva then narrated a story. Once as he sat in the moonlight, a sudden great wind made the trees shake wildly. A shadow was cast all around, and a large bird of the color of a rain-cloud appeared. The bird said to Lord Shiva, “O Mahadeva, all glories to you, the shelter of all. Your glories are limitless because you protect the devotees, and you are the foremost devotee of the Supreme Lord, Krishna. Great souls like Brihaspati, the preceptor of the demigods,
sing your glories. But even the thousand-headed Ananta-Shesa
cannot fully describe your glories, so what to speak of a swan like me, with such small intelligence.”After hearing this prayer, Lord Shiva asked the swan why he had a black, crow like color. The swan, who resembled the swan carrier of Lord
Brahma,
told Lord Shiva a story.Once the swan had enjoyed in a beautiful lake. But on one occasion, when he had wanted to fly off, he fell to the ground, and his body turned black. He wondered why, and then he heard a voice from lotuses in the lake. “O swan,” the voice said, “get up. I shall tell you why you fell and turned black.” The swan got up and went to the center of the lake, where he saw five extraordinarily beautiful lotuses. From the lotuses appeared a beautiful lady.
After circumambulating the lady, the swan was told that he had flown over her and thus committed an offense and become black. Because she had felt sorry for him, she had called him back. This lady obviously had extraordinary powers. She told the swan how she had attained them.
She said, “In a previous life, I was Sarojavadana, a chaste young woman, and when I married I served my husband faithfully. But one day I found a black maina bird, and because I took care of it, my service to my husband slackened. So my husband said I would become a maina in my next life, which indeed happened. But because I had been chaste, I came in contact with some sages, and one of their daughters look care of me. During my stay with them I heard recitations of the tenth chapter of the
Bhagavad-gita
every morning and evening. As a result, I attained the body of an apsara, a divine nymph who is fond of water and can change her form at will. In my apsara life. I was called Padmavati.
One day I saw the beautiful lotus flowers in this lake, and when I came here I started to enjoy in the water. At that time, however, Durvasa Muni
arrived and saw me naked. Out of fear of him, I took on the form of five lotuses. Durvasa Muni’s eyes started to emanate fire, and he cursed me to stay in that form of lotuses for one hundred years. Fortunately enough, though, I was able to remember the tenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. Today I was freed from his curse. If you hear from me this tenth chapter, you will also be able to free yourself from your awkward situation.”After completing her recitation of this tenth chapter, Padmavati left in an airplane for
Vaikuntha.
Thereafter the swan went to Lord Shiva and offered him a beautiful lotus from the lake and told Lord Shiva his story. When he completed his tale, he gave up his body and took birth as Dhira-buddhi. From childhood, Dhira-buddhi always chanted the tenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita and whoever, in whatever condition of life, would hear his recitations would attain the darshana, or audience, of Lord Vishnu. For this reason, Lord Shiva always served Dhira-buddhi.source: ISKCON
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