Once Dattatreya was sitting in meditation when King Yadu passed by and saw this young person sitting unaffected, happy and calm.
King Yadu approached Dattatreya and humbly asked, “ How do you remain unaffected by troubles, happy and calm? Why do you always seem to be floating in bliss (happiness)? What has made this possible?”
Dattatreya replied, “O King Yadu I have observed the world closely and obtained a little knowledge from a number of gurus (teachers). Listen carefully! I will tell you what I have learnt.”
Datta said, “O King Yadu, listen carefully to what I learnt from the Pigeon.”
“Oh King, once there was a handsome and strong pigeon living in the forest. This pigeon made friends with a well suited female pigeon. Their love for each other was incomparable. They were like two bodies with a single soul. In the course of time the female pigeon became pregnant and laid eggs for the first time. The male and female pigeons grew even closer tending after the eggs.
In time young birds came out of the eggs. The pigeon couple was completely devoted to the young ones. Whenever they beheld their pranks and sweet talk, they felt very proud and happy. The young ones were the world to the pigeon couple.
One day both parents went to the forest to bring food for their young ones. A hunter came and spread his net and many birds fell into it. The poor little innocent birds caught in the net cried helplessly.
When the parent birds returned and saw the empty nests, they fainted. They soon recovered and each went in a different direction in search of the young ones.
The mother pigeon saw the young ones caught in the net and overcome with pity and love for her children, without thinking of the results, she rushed into the net to save them. She too got caught in the net and began to wail. Such is the result of too much attachment and not thinking through a situation.
A little later the father pigeon arrived and saw the situation. Though he did not rush forward like the mother, he was overcome with grief at the sight of his own wife and children dying before his very eyes. He could not control his weeping and began to lament loudly.
“Where is happiness for me after losing my wife and children? For whose sake should I live? Oh, if only my wife or even one child had survived! What is the use of living?” he cried. The father pigeon felt too much grief, the grief made his mind unreasonable and confused. Consequently he decided that it was better to die. He flew into the net and met his death at the hands of the hunter.