Formerly, in the Krita-yuga, there was a tree called Shimshapa in Kashi. A crow had made his nest in that tree, and below, in a hollow of the tree, lived a big snake. Once, the crow's wife laid two eggs and then went somewhere. She did not come back to the nest, and so the male crow took care of the eggs.One night, there was a terrible storm, knocking down the Shimshapa tree. It so happened that when this occured, both the crow and the serpent were crushed to death. The tree, crow and snake then recieved transcendental forms and ascended to Vaikuntha.
Narada Muni was telling this story to King Shibi. The king asked, "By what religious merit were they able to reach Vaikuntha? Who were the three in their last lives?In response, Narada related the story as follows: There was a brahmana named Shravana who lived in the kingdom of Kurujangala. His wife was named Kunda, and his brother was Kurantaka.Once, Shravana ate some sweets, without having bathed. Due to that sin, he was later born as a village crow. His brother, Kurantaka was a staunch atheist. He often blasphemed the Lord. For that offense, he was later born as a deadly serpent. Shravana's wife, Kunda, shared the sins of her husband and brother-in-law. As a result, she became the Shimshapa tree.Once, while the three were returning home from another village, they saw that someone's cow had fallen into a well. Being urged by that person, the three rescued the cow from the well. It is because of this pious act that the three met with death at Kashi.
bachelorpledge.blogspot.com/search/label/PadmaPurana
Narada Muni was telling this story to King Shibi. The king asked, "By what religious merit were they able to reach Vaikuntha? Who were the three in their last lives?In response, Narada related the story as follows: There was a brahmana named Shravana who lived in the kingdom of Kurujangala. His wife was named Kunda, and his brother was Kurantaka.Once, Shravana ate some sweets, without having bathed. Due to that sin, he was later born as a village crow. His brother, Kurantaka was a staunch atheist. He often blasphemed the Lord. For that offense, he was later born as a deadly serpent. Shravana's wife, Kunda, shared the sins of her husband and brother-in-law. As a result, she became the Shimshapa tree.Once, while the three were returning home from another village, they saw that someone's cow had fallen into a well. Being urged by that person, the three rescued the cow from the well. It is because of this pious act that the three met with death at Kashi.
bachelorpledge.blogspot.com/search/label/PadmaPurana
