Aryavarta is the most sacred land in the World. The Deities of heaven are also eager to be born on this land. From time to time, many divine personalities have been born on this Earth and have made this holy land even more sacred.

On this land of India a divine personality, sage Shukdev was born between the period of Dwaper yuga and Kaliyuga and revealed the holy book Shrimadh Bhagwat Mahapurana through his divine voice.

The Story Of The Birth Of Sage Shukdev

The story of the birth of sage Shukdev 'the ultimate devotee of Lord Krishna is very divine. By listening to and reciting this story all the sins of a person are destroyed and a sense of devotion to Lord Vishnu is awakened.

Once, sage Vamdev, the guru of the goddess Parvati visited Mount Kailash. He met with Lord Shiva and worshipped him. Goddess Parvati paid him the utmost respect.

Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati

While leaving Kailash, he said to goddess Parvati that she must ask, why Lord Shiva wears a bunch of the skull around his neck? After his departure, Goddess Parvati asked that question from Lord Shiva. At that time Mahadev avoided that question, but on her insistence many times, Mahadev said, "O Parvati, this is the garland of your skull that I wear."

Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati

Parvati, with the influence of time, you are born again and again and attain death and then I make a garland of your skull and wear it. Then Goddess Parvati laughed at Mahadev and asked, "Lord, What is the work that you have done that you do not die?

Mahadev said, "I have recited the supreme divine eternal story and with the influence of this divine story, I am immortal. Goddess Parvati said, O Lord, I wish to hear that supreme divine eternal story from you.

Lord Shiv and goddess Parvati

Mahadev said, O Goddess, a special place is required to narrate the story that the creature becomes immortal by listening to, so I will soon narrate to you that divine story.

The Immortal Story narrated by Mahadev To Goddess Parvati

Mahadeva fixed a natural cave falling from the mountains to describe the divine story to Goddess Parvati. On his way to the natural cave, Mahadev left Nandi, Moon, river Ganga and Vasuki at various places and reached the cave along with Goddess Parvati.

Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva

Mahadev said, "Devi, while describing this divine story, I will go into a state of samadhi, so you should keep nodding in between and also ensure that there is no other creature in this place except you and me.

Goddess Parvati drove away all the birds and animals, but she did not pay any attention to the distorted egg of a parrot present in the cave. In addition, there was a pair of pigeons that Goddess Parvati did not realize.

Mahadev was narrating the divine story and Goddess Parvati was listening to the story carefully and nodding. Due to the influence of an immortal story, life began to flow in that mutilated egg of a parrot.

Lord Shiva narrating immortal story

Birth Of A Parrot By The influence Of Immortal Tale

By God will, Goddess Parvati fell asleep while listening to the story and a newborn parrot started listening to the story with a nod present there in the cave. After finishing the story, When Mahadev got up from his samadhi and he saw that a newborn parrot was listening story in the place of Goddess Parvati. He became very angry and ran behind the parrot to kill him.

Lord Shiva in angry mode

According to destiny, Fearing from Lord Shiva, the divine Parrot flew away to the ashram of sage Vedvyas. At that time, sage Vedvyas was narrating the divine book Srimadh Bhagavat Mahapurana composed by him to his wife Devi Vitika. She was extremely surprised to hear the divine stories. While escaping from Lord Shiva the parrot took a subtle form and went into the mouth of the Devi Vitika.

By following the parrot Lord Shiva reached the ashram. Sage Vedvyas offered obeisance to Lord Shiva and prayed to him not to commit violence in the ashram. Lord Shiva was pleased with the prayer of sage Vedvyas, he gave up the idea of killing the parrot and asked him to get a boon.

Sage Vedvyas worshipping Lord Shiva

Birth Of Sage Shukdev

Sage Vedvyas said, Lord, "I have completed the work of the author of Srimadh Bhagwat Mahapuran by your grace but I need a qualified speaker to describe that divine tale." Lord Shiva declared, "This parrot, which is in the womb of Devi Vitika will be born as your son and preach Bhagwat in the World."

After listening to the immortal story, he had become immortal. He did not want to get tied to worldly fascination, so he did not come out after nine months. Even after having the divine embryo, his mother did not suffer physical pain. He lived in that womb for twelve years in a subtle form and got the knowledge of scriptures from sage Vedvyas.

Even after twelve years when sage Vedvyas urged him to come out from the womb, he replied, If Lord Krishna gives him a vision and assured him that the temptation of the World would not have any effect on him, only then he will come out. On the insistence of sage Vedvyas, Lord Krishna appeared to the child in the womb and blessed him to be free from Worldly attachments.

Thereafter, the child came out into the world. As soon as he came out, he was transformed into a teenage boy of twelve years. Vedvyas named the child Shukdev. The Worldly illusion could not affect him so as soon as he was born, he decided to go into the forest for penance. Although sage Vedvyas tried his utmost to stop him, he went to the forest and got absorbed in the penance of God.

Sage Shukdev

Sage Vedvyas made many attempts to call his son but all those attempts proved futile. Then sage Vedvyas called his disciples and sent them to Shukdev by memorizing half of the verses related to the corporeal form of Lord Krishna.

Sage Shukdev was deeply impressed to hear the description of the corporeal form of Lord Krishna from the disciples in the forest. He requested those disciples to recite the next line of that verse, but they did not know the next line of the verse. They said, if you want to know about the next line of the verse then you should go to our Guru Vedvyas and ask him.

Corporeal form of Lord Krishna

Sage Shukdev immediately stopped penance and approached his father sage Vedvyas. Sage Vedvyas gave him knowledge of many verses related to the corporeal form of Lord Krishna. Shukdev's mind was overjoyed to hear the description of the corporeal form of the Supreme Soul and urged his father to recite more verses.

Sage Vedvyas narrated all the 18,000 verses of Shrimadbhagwat Mahapurana to him. Shukdev made it his routine to read the Bhagwat and memorized it.

Sage Shukdev , getting the knowledge of Shrimadh Bhagvat Mahapuran from his father Sage Vedvyas

The appearance of Shrimadh Bhagwat Mahapurana

Destiny had done its job. King Parikshit had crowned his son and sat on a fast unto death on the banks of river Ganga. Sage Shukdev was born to reveal Shrimadh Bhagwat to the World. When Shukdev came to know that Parikshit has sat on a fast unto death due to the curse of a sage, he too reached to meet him.

King Parikshit and sage Shukdev both were supreme devotees of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna had given the visions of his quadrilateral form to both of them in the womb, so both of them were beyond illusions.

For the welfare of the World, King Parikshit asked Shukdev how a sinful human being can be liberated from worldly bondage and attain salvation within seven days?

Sage Shukdev narrated the divine tales of Lord Vishnu and especially Lord Krishna to him. A collection of divine tales and stories of Lord Vishnu narrated by him appeared before the World in the form of Shrimadh Bhagwat Mahapurana.

Sage Shukdev, describing the divine tale of Shrimadh Bhagvat Mahapuran to King Parikshit

NoHearing the religious stories of Lord Vishnu from the divine voice of sage Shukdev, the sins of all the birth of Parikshit were destroyed, he realized the mortalness of the World and attained enlightenment. After describing the divine story sage Shukdev went from there.

Sage Vedvyas sent him to Devguru Vrahaspati for studies. Shukdev was a wonderful disciple and soon completed his studies. He gave knowledge of the story of Shrimadh Bhagwat and Mahabharata to the Deities. Then he returned to the ashram.

Marriage Of Sage Shukdev

Shukdev was eligible for marriage but did not want to marry. His father made several attempts to convince him to get married but he considered celibacy as superior to Grahasta Ashram. Sage Vedvyas sent him to his friend King Janak to prove the superiority of the Grahastha Ashram. The divination and examples of King Janak showed him the superiority of the Grahastha Ashram.

Shukdev was married to Devi Peevari, daughter of Vahishad. He was the king of father's (Pitr) living in the sukar folk of heaven. The Puranas describe the birth of twelve sons and a daughter of Sukhdev. All his sons were great seekers and followed the path of religion.

By following the immortal story Sage Shukdev was immortal but he did not want to be bound in the shackles of the human body and he was fully aware of the mortality of the human life. He got rid of the four obligations of human birth, Deva debts, Sage debts, Father debts, and Man debts and then after the command of his father, he went to Mount Sumeru and sacrifice his physical body thereby meditating at the feet of God and attained salvation.

Even today, Shukdev exists in the World in incorporeal form. The divine epic Shrimadh Bhagwat Mahapurana described by him is an important book of Sanatan Dharma. People make their lives worthwhile by reciting and listening to this divine book.