Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c7.2440

c7.2440

There was once in Kīkaṭa a merchant who had an ass to carry his merchandise. Once the merchant was returning home from Bhadrācala with his ass loaded with bundles of costly Rudrākṣas. The old ass fell down dead on the way, the weight of the Rudrākṣa bundles having been too much for it, and immediately it assumed the form of Śiva and went to Kailāsa. Even if a man does not know what he is carrying, if he carries sacred things he will certainly attain salvation, like the ass that attained salvation in this case. (Devī Bhāgavata, 11th Skandha).