Sukha and Sukhi ( Sita and the Parrots)

From the Padma Purana:

Little Sita Devi of Mithila was about seven years old, and was playing with her friends in her beautiful garden of Mithila. Two green parrots came there and started singing beautifully. It was not mere chirping of parrots, but then they were singing the Ramayana story as if somebody had taught them. They sang the part of the story where Rama comes to Mithila and marries Sita by breaking Shiva's bow. Songs of the parrots were very clear and sweet. Sita fell in love with these parrots and asked them where they had learnt this song and who were Rama and Sita. The Parrots said they had learnt it from Valmiki Maharshi himself because they stayed in the same forest with him. They then explained that Sita was the little girl in front of them asking questions and charming Prince Rama would come one day to marry her.

Sita requested them to stay back so that she could listen to them everyday. Then the female parrot told Sita that she was pregnant and she would like to go back to her own forest and would come back after she delivered the little parrots. But Sita could not resist the temptation of owning her own parrots and enjoying the sweet music, and did not allow her to go. The female parrot was captured and was put in a beautiful cage. Sita told the female parrot: " I shall release you when that charming Rama you described come and marry me".

The male parrot also begged Sita to free his wife, but Sita told him to come back later. This parrot who was pregnant was very sad to be separated from her beloved husband. She refused to eat and cried and cursed Sita, "Since you separated me from my beloved husband during pregnancy, you also will have to experience the same fate" .

Having spoken thus the miserable female parrot uttered Rama's name and died. Seeing this the male parrot was extremely sad and distressed and fell in to the Ganga and drowned himself. His last words were : "You killed my beautiful pregnant wife by separating her from me. I will take janma in Ayodhya and will cause your separation from your husband during your pregnancy".

Later Rama married Sita. Ravana kidnapped her and Rama defeated Ravana and brought her back to Ayodhya. This male parrot was born as Krodhan, the washerman in Ayodhya and because of his harsh words Sita was exiled to the forest. Sita was pregnant at that time and she had to face separation from her husband living alone in the forest. Padma purana says that everybody has to experience the results of each and every karma we do. Either the results will be experienced in the same janma or in the subsequent janmaas.

Rama and Sita being Purusha and Prakriti, acted as if they were going through the suffering to show us that karma and it's actions will always follow karma. This story tells us to be considerate to other fellow creatures' feelings and pain.

Sukritha (good) and Dushkritha (bad) are like bouncing balls. If we throw the ball of sukritha, only the ball of sukritha will bounce back. If we throw ball of Dushkritha, only ball of dushkritha will bounce back. But what about the balls of dushkritha that we threw in the previous janmaas? We do not know how many balls we played with. Scriptures say, Sankirtans and Satsangs will change the direction of the ball of dushkritha or at least lessen the force with which it will bounce back on us.