In the Womb
The sage Vyasa, compiler of the Vedas and author of the Mahabharata, desired a son. His son was conceived — but refused to be born.
For twelve years the child remained in the womb. When Vyasa asked why, the child replied: "I will not enter a world covered by maya. The moment of birth will cause me to forget what I know."
The gods were astonished. Even Brahma could not persuade the child.
Vishnu spoke directly to the child in the womb: "I promise you that maya will not cover you. Come forth."
The child was born.
The Birth
When Shuka emerged, the trees flowered. The birds sang. The sages assembled.
He walked away from the moment of his birth as a fully realized being — naked, without possessions, without attachment.
He did not ask for his mother's milk. He did not cry. He simply walked into the forest.
Vyasa ran after him, calling "Shuka! Shuka!" The trees answered, not his son.
The Teaching
Years later, Shuka would recite the entire Bhagavata Purana to the dying King Parikshit — the final gift of a liberated sage to a king who had seven days to live.
Shuka is the narrator of the Bhagavata. He had no personal investment in the story — he told it because a dying man asked.