Having worshipped the wondrous Sharada, the center of heavenly wisdom,
I will recount excerpts from the wisdom of Shuka the Parrot, for the delight of the soul.

There is a Lunar city called Chandra-pura. Its ruler was a certain Marching Army, Vikrama-sena, brave as the Broad-Striding Vishnu. In this city lived the merchant Haridatta, God Given, with his wife named Loving Beauty, Shringara-sundari. He had a son named Honey Delight, Madana-vinoda, cheerful as the spirit of spring and love Madana. The son was married to the adughter of the merchant Soma-datta, Moon Given, whose name was Brilliant, Prabhavati, and whose radiance was like that of the full moon.

Madana-vinoda, attached to the senses, was a bad son and disregarded his father’s instructions. He was extremely fond of dice, hunting, prostitutes, wine, and other worldly pleasures. Seeing their dissolute son descending into vice, Haridatta and his wife became deeply saddened.

Haridatta’s friend, the Brahmin Trivikrama, who had grasped the mysteries of the world like Vishnu in three steps, seeing him tormented by grief caused by his son’s corrupt tendencies, brought him a parrot, versed in worldly wisdom, and a crow, a prophetess, from his home and said:

«Friend Haridatta, care for this parrot and its companion with the same care you would give to a son. By this care, your grief and sorrow will fly away.»

Haridatta took the parrot and handed it to his son, Madana-vinoda. Madana-vinoda placed the parrot in a golden cage in his bedroom and began to carefully care for and feed the bird.

One day, the parrot secretly said to Madana:

«Friend! Your unfortunate parents are shedding torrents of tears in grief.» For this sin, my dear, you will perish like Devasharma.

Madana asked:
«And what happened to him?» The parrot explained:
«There is a five-city on earth, Panchapura. There lived a brahmin named Pravdokhran, Satyasharma. His wife’s name was Dobrasila, Dharmashila, and his son’s name was Nebokhran, Devasharma. As soon as he completed his studies, without consulting his parents, he went to a foreign country and, on the banks of the Ganges River, also called Bhagirathi, devoted himself to asceticism.»