As they approached the lake, they saw a crow standing by the side of the lake as if about to take a drink of water. Yet every time it bent its head down to drink, it pulled back without drinking a drop.
"What ill omen is this?" asked Lakshmana.
"Fear not, brother," replied Rama. "This crow is so devoted to my name that it repeats my name without ceasing, not even to drink."
Rama then blessed the crow, and it drank happily.
Inspired by: Tales and Parables of Sri Ramakrishna
Notes: This is story 79 in the book. Lake Pampa is one of the five sacred lakes of India; you can find out more at Wikipedia. It is most famous as the place where Rama encountered his devoted follower, the woman Shabari. Ramakrishna's fable does not include Rama's blessing on the crow; that is my addition.
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