Sravana was born to a blind couple, quite advanced in age. Young Sravana, had to earn for both of them, and in his endeavours had to move from place to place. He carried the aged couple, on two pans of a balance, supported on his shoulder. Once, when while passing through a jungle, his parents had asked him to fetch water to quench their thirst. When he was collecting water in his pitcher, king Dasaratha who was on a hunting expedition, mistook the sound for a deer drinking water, and shot an arrow at the direction instantly pinning him to the ground.
The dying boy, asks the king to take the water to his thirsty parents, who drink without realising that he is not their son. When the king hesitantly reveals to them the details of the incident, the grieving parents curse the king to undergo Putrasoka (the grief of being separated by one's progeny) just like them. They give up their lives instantly, not wanting to live after drinking water offered by their son's killer.
This incident leads to the complications in the epic Ramayana when the king suffers separation from his son Rama.
The story of Sravana's dedication for his disabled parents even at the time of his death is an oft-repeated legend to Hindu children.