One day when he was resting under a tree reciting Vedas, an egret, sitting above the three defecated and it fell on him. He was furious and looked at the egret and immediately it burnt and died. Seeing this Kousika felt remorse for doing such a sin in anger.
After some time he went for his regular 'Bitsha" asking for food from others. In olden days the Brahmin had to get 'biksha' (getting uncooked food items from others) and then prepare food and eat. This is called 'UNCHAVIRUTHI'. So Kausika went to a house and called the housewife to come and give food to him as he was very hungry.
The housewife was busy in her home work like cleaning, cooking etc and Kausika waited patiently for her to come and offer food. Then the husband of the woman came home and ordered his wife to fetch him food as he was very hungry. The woman immediately went to look after the needs of her husband and was busy in that without attending to Kausika's needs as he was waiting there for a long time.
The woman finished her serving of her husband and then brought food for Kausika who was seething with anger. The woman asked for his forgiveness in making him waiting while she attended to the needs of her husband.
Kausika told her that she was insulting a Brahmin guest and made him wait and it was against all written down Dharma and rules and saying this he stared at her hoping she would burn as the egret.
The woman answered him " I was attending to the needs of my husband which is my prime duty and asked for your forgiveness and do not think I am a egret to burn."
Kausiaka was astonished to hear this as he did not expect the woman to know what had happened to the egret in the jungle?
The woman further said that "respected Brahmin you have not learned Dharma and its rules and hence go to Mithila and learn Dharma from Dharmaviyaatha there.(Dharma means Justice).
So Kausika went to Mithila and enquired with all sages and learned men for 'Dharmaviyatha' but was directed to a Butcher as he was Dharmaviyatha.
When Dharmaviyatha saw Kausika he was smiling and asked him "Did that pious and Chastised lady sent you to me?"
Again Kausiak was surprised by his query and wondered how he could have known even his confrontation with that pious lady.
Dharmaviyaatha after finishing all his business took the Brahmin Kausika to his home and tended to his blind parent's needs and then came to attend Kausiak and explained what Dharma was about.
After learning all this Kausika came back to his village and started tending to his parent's needs and looked after them well which was his prime duty.
In this one learns to do his duty and it would be helping one to go to God and not just penance or reciting Vedas will help one to achieve this.
Same this is mentioned in Bagavt Gita in Chapter 9 and verse 27 , Krishna telling Arjuna that " whatever you do, eat, doing penances, giving alms etc you do it , dedicate it to me I will protect you from all problems."
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