Imagine witnessing the epic battles of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata not just once but multiple times. Such is the tale of Kakabhushundi, a revered sage of India who is said to have lived for thousands of years and witnessed the events of these great epics unfold repeatedly.
His story is one of wonder and intrigue, and his insights into the nature of reality and the human condition continue to captivate people today. In this blog post, we will delve into the fascinating world of Kakabhushundi, exploring his life, teachings, and this timeless figure’s enduring legacy.
Kakabhushundi was an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. The saint narrated the Epic “RAMAYAN” to Garuda. The word “KAKA” in Sanskrit means crow. The sage transformed himself into a crow to tell the story, so he is called “KAKABHUSHINDI.”
He is one of the Chiranjivis on the earth. “Chiranjivis “means immortals who did not leave the earth. Instead, they chose to stay in the world and help us till the Kali Yug.
Table of Contents
How did Kakabhundi witness Mahabharata and Ramayan multiple times?
Kakabhushundi is immortal and has been living for many Kalpas. One Kalpa (one cosmic cycle) is 4.32 billion years and 12 hours of Lord Brahma, the creator.
One Kalpa divides into 14 Manvantara cycles.
Each Manvantara Cycle divides into 71 Yuga cycles.
There are four yugas in one Kalpa cycle.
They are Krita, Treta, Dwapara, and Kali.
The cycle of Yugas, Manvataras, and Kalpas repeats again and again. And Kakbhushundi and every other immortal witness this repetition again and again.
Ramayan happened during Treta Yug and Mahabharat happened during Dvapara Yuga. Kakabhushundi witnessed the course of periods including Treta Yug and Dvapara Yug again and again. Of all the lords and Devas, he was fond Lord Rama of Treta Yuga.
Kakabhushundi and Bhagwan Ram
Every Treta Yuga, Kakabhushundi goes to Ayodhya as a crow. He lived there for five years, watching the excited child Ram trying to catch him. Blissed with the Lord’s laughter, he always wishes to visit him as a crow.
Why did Kakabhushundi have a crow-like appearance?
To understand this, you first need to know about his births. The sage had four significant births. While narrating about his previous births to Garuda, the sage says he took several human births. But they were all in vain except for four. According to Kakbhushundi, only four of his births were fruitful because he took the refuge of an enlightened saint only during these births.
Once, Kakbhushundi lived with his younger brother and younger sister. His village was hit by drought, and humans started eating other humans. All his family members died, and fortunately, he moved to a nearby village called Avantika.
There he met a saint in a temple. The sage was teaching young chaps like him. He requested the saint to teach him as well. As days passed by, Kakabhushundi became a zealous devotee of Lord Shiva. But, he held Lord Vishnu in contempt. His Guru advised him to change his mindset, but he refused.
One day, while offering his prayers to Lord Shiva in a temple, he did not bestow the salutations on his teacher. Angered Lord Shiva cursed Kakabhushundi to live a lesser creature thousand births. The Guru requested the Lord to moderate the curse.
Pleased by the love for his disciple, the Lord blessed may Kakbhushundi to become a devotee of Lord Ram. Accordingly, he was born as a Brahman and became a great follower of Lord Ram.
In his another birth, Kakabhushundi went to listen to a Satsang of Sage Lomas. He did not agree to the delivery made by the sage on the “SARGUN” god. He started arguing with him. Sage Lomas tried explaining Kakabhushindi in different ways. But Bhushindi was adamant and refuted Lomas repeatedly. Angered by the actions of Kakabhishundi, the sage cursed him to be born as a crow. Accordingly, he was born as a crow in his next life.
When Kakabhushundi was born a crow, he met Kabir Saheb. Kabir preached to him about the true almighty and showed him the path to attain Moksha. As Kakbhushundi learned about Moksha as a crow, he wishes to remain as a crow always.
Kakabhushundi Time Travel
According to Vedas and Puranas, Kakabhushundi has witnessed 11 Ramayanas and 16 Mahabharata. He will continue to live in his eternal form till the end of the Kalpa. It was Lord Ram who made Kakabhushundi eternal.
During one of his births as a crow, Kakabhushundi met the child Ram. The Lord was playing and tried catching him. In due course, Kakabhushundi happened to see the Lord’s mouth. After seeing the galaxies and the universe in his mouth, Kakbhushundi stopped flying away from Lord Ram and returned to him.
Kakabhushundi apologized for not identifying Jagath Nath, lord Ram himself. The Lord gave him a divine smile and asked Kakabhushundi about his wish. Kakbhushundi said he wanted to pay his devotion to Lord Ram always and forever.
Pleased at Kakabhushundi’s love and dedication, Lord Ram blessed him that Kaal (time) cannot kill Kakbhushundi, and he will continue to live till the end of this Kalpa. The eternal bliss attained by the saint is referred to as “KAKABHUSHUNDI TIME TRAVEL.”
Kakabhushundi Lake and its story
There is another interesting story of Sage Kakabhushundi. One day, Lord Shiva was talking about Lord Ram and how this avatar of Vishnu will incarnate during the Treta Yug. The conversation was private, and the Lord did not want anyone to listen to the narration. But a crow accidentally listened to the conversation between the Lord and Devi. Only by listening to depictions of Shri Ram, the crow turned into a holy saint.
The lake is in Uttarakhand and is in the shape of a crow. The place where Kakabhushundi stays is free from the ill effects of Kaliyuga. Hindus believe devotees visiting this lake are freed from the Kaliyuga and its evil forces like greed, selfishness, pride, etc.
Lord Garuda, the Vahan of Bhagwan Vishnu, learns about the Supreme Almighty from Kakabhushundi. According to Kakbhushundi, surrendering to the almighty is the only way to attain Moksha.
He is one of the immortals still living on the earth. The other immortals are Hanuman ji, Kal Bhairavar, Vyasa, Parashuram, Ashwatthama, Markandeya, and Kripa, to name a few. Worship of the immortals is one of the easiest ways to remove hurdles in our spiritual path.
Worship Kakabhushundi for inner peace and the right path to salvation. Hope!
Our article on the holy saint helps you in your spiritual path!
May Lord Ram’s blessings shower on you and your family forever.
