Sravana Kumar

Śravaṇa kumāra (Sanskrit: श्रवण कुमार) in Hindu mythology, is a boy who stands as a symbol of dedication to one's parents.

Sravana was born to a blind couple, quite advanced in age. Young Sravana had to earn for both of them, and in his endeavours had to move from place to place. He carried the aged couple on two pans of a balance, supported on his shoulder. Once, while passing through a jungle, his parents asked him to fetch water to quench their thirst. When he was collecting water in his pitcher, king Dasaratha, who was on a hunting expedition, mistook the sound for a deer drinking water, and shot an arrow in his direction, instantly pinning him to the ground.

The dying boy asked the king to take the water to his thirsty parents, who drank without realising that he was not their son. When the king hesitantly revealed to them the details of the incident, the grieving parents cursed the king to undergo "Putrasoka (the grief of being separated by one's progeny)" just like them. They gave up their lives instantly, not wanting to live after drinking water offered by their son's killer.

This incident led to the complications in the epic Ramayana when the king suffered separation from his son Rama.

The story of Sravana's dedication for his disabled parents even at the time of his death is an oft-repeated legend to Hindu children.