Sri Rambhakt Kakbhushundi

Indrajit fired a snake charmer at Shri Ram. Shri Ram got tied in the snake’s noose because he had given a boon to Nagraj Vasuki that he would protect his honour.

Shri Hari’s vehicle Garuda freed the Lord from bondage by cutting the snake’s noose.

Lord got trapped in the snake’s noose! Garuda became suspicious of Shri Ram being God. To clear the doubt, Garuda went to Lord Brahma, Lord Brahma went to Lord Shiva and Lord Shiva sent him to Ram’s devotee Kakabhushundi.

Kakabhushundi cleared Garuda’s doubt and narrated his story.

In the Kalpa before Satyayuga, Kakabhushundi was first born in a Shudra’s house in Ayodhya. He was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva but out of ignorance he used to criticize all the gods other than Lord Shiva.

Once there was a severe famine in Ayodhya. Bhusundi had to leave Ayodhya and go to Ujjain. In Ujjain he engaged himself in the service of a kind Brahmin and started living with him.

That Brahmin was also an ardent devotee of Shiva but like Bhusundi, he never criticized Lord Vishnu. The Brahmin gave the mysterious mantra of Lord Shiva to Bhusundi. His pride increased further after receiving the mantra.

Now it seems as if he started feeling treasonous towards Lord Vishnu. His guru was very saddened by this behavior of Bhusundi. He used to try to bring him on the path by preaching devotion to Shri Ram. But Bhusundi was not ready to listen.

One day Bhusundi insulted his guru in the temple of Lord Shiva. Mahadev became very angry with this behavior of Bhusundi. Then a voice came from the sky – Fool, you have disrespected the Guru. That’s why you will go into the snake’s womb. Even after the snake birth, you will have to take birth in many births 1000 times.

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The Guru was very kind. He started praising Lord Shiva for liberating his disciple from the curse. On Guru’s apology, a voice came from the sky – My curse will not go in vain. He will have to take birth 1000 times but he will be free from the pain of birth and death and he will remember the things of every birth.
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Bhusundi attained the serpent vagina in Vindhyachal. After some time Bhusundi used to leave his body without any pain. He remembered the details of every birth. Devotion towards Shri Ramchandraji also awakened in him.

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Bhusundi finally found the body of a Brahmin and went to sage Lomash to attain enlightenment. When Lomash Rishi gave him knowledge, he started arguing with him. Angered, sage Lomash cursed him to become a Chandal bird (crow).
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After cursing, the sage repented. He blessed the crow with the mantra of Ram and gave him the boon of voluntary death. Since Bhusundi got the boon of Ram Mantra and euthanasia after getting the body of a crow, she fell in love with this body.

He started narrating the story of Ram in the form of a crow and became famous by the name of Kakabhushundi.