Page 212 - Kailaspati: Paramhans Hansdevji Avadhoot

The maid servant took it to the temple of Lord shiva. it was a desolate place, and it being mid-day it was far from footfalls. On reaching the temple, the maid-servant had had a spiritual metamorphosis. she thought to herself, it would be a sin to kill the innocent bird. instead of killing it, she had the wings of the bird broken and her feathers taken out and left it there on the premises of the temple. On return to her mistress, she told that she had finished it.
The poor bird, with her broken wings could not fly. it took pains to dart into that place where there was a passage for the water, used to bathe shiva, to flow down. it drank an ample amount of water and felt a little bit fresh. it then crawled into the temple through that passage. There it fed itself with a few pieces of rice, used for the worship of shiva. it also took the water of the Ganges to its satiety. Thereafter it went to a crevice in the temple and spent the night therein.
after a passage of some days, the parrot felt all the more fresh. One day that very paramour of the King came to that temple to offer her prayers to Lord shiva. The moment she raised her head after paying her obeisance, the parrot, from within the unseen crevice, said to the lady: “Take my blessings.” The paramour thought that Lord shiva, on being satisfied with her, was asking her to take his blessings. Overjoyed, she said, “O Lord, if Thou be satisfied with me, then do bless me so that the King is happy with me and that he does not get cross with me.”
The answer came, “Let it be, but you need to take pains on a particular day for this. Do you agree to this?”
The lady said, “i am ready to do whatever you would like me to do.”
“You will have to have your head tonsured first and your face layered with peach. Thereafter bare-bodied you will have to make a round of the city. You will have to be in company with one who would be drumming. and those who would be attracted by the sound of the drum would have to be entertained with sweets.”
“What a harsh order you have issued,” said she.
“Unless you take pains, you will have no gains. if you are
182 Kailashpati