The One-eyed Wonder

[Guest guest]

Srimate Srivan Satakopa Sri

Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

The One-eyed Wonder

We have a long-standing custom at

home—that of offering some cooked rice to the crow, before partaking of

breakfast. While we shall deal later with how this custom has originated,

yesterday, instead of mechanically leaving the food on the terrace, I just

stood watching the crow for a few minutes, from the distance. I found that as

soon as the rice was put on the terrace, one single crow, which was perching on

a neighboring high-rise building, swooped down on the food, sampled it and then

walked off to some distance. Thereafter, it emitted a series of raucous cries, apparently

intended to mobilize the other crows in the vicinity, so that they too could

partake of the meal. Soon there were no less than ten crows, feeding on the

rice in an orderly manner, each awaiting its turn to savour the food. And once

no more food remained, all of them flew away.

Though we have learnt about the social habits of

crows since childhood and the bird's habit of never feeding alone, the

spectacle I saw reinforced my admiration for the bird. I was forced to compare with

it the habits of the human beings, with individuals always believing in appropriating

things for themselves, without caring for the needs of others nor sharing what

little is available, in an equitable manner. Compendium of Materia Medica states that

crows are kind birds that feed their old and weakened parents; this is often

cited as a fine example of filial piety. And

my admiration for the crow led me to scour the scripture for mentions about it.

Though my ideas about crows were

highly complimentary to start with, once I remembered the episode recounted by

Sita Devi in Srimad Ramayanam, I began to feel otherwise. For, what a dastardly

crow did in Tretaa Yugam has brought disrepute to the entire species, harming

not only its reputation, but physically disabling thousands of generations of

crows thereafter.

All of us know the tale recounted

to Hanuman by Sri Mythily, in Sundara Kaandam. When Sri Rama, tired after

roaming over hill and dale, was fast asleep on the lap of JanakaNandini, a crow

flew in, took a look at the couple and developed all sorts of wrong ideas,

which were later to prove to be its nemesis. The blood-thirsty bird pecked at Jaanaki

with its sharp beak and was driven away by the Princess of Mithila with a clump

of mud. Undeterred, the beastly bird returned again and again, harassing the

delicate Sita, keen on tasting Her flesh. Raghava, who woke up, was inclined to

scoff at the threat and to make fun of Sita (in the manner of all insensitive

husbands) for not being able to deal with a mere crow. When Sri Rama resumed His slumber on Sita's

lap, the crow returned again, intent on its dastardly mission, repeatedly

pecking at the Divine Mother's breast and drawing blood profusely. Blood flowed

so freely that drops of it fell on Raghava and woke Him up. Finding His Lady

Love bleeding, the usually docile Raghava instantly felt enraged. By that time,

the wily crow had disappeared into the ground. However, Rama pulled up a blade of

grass from the darbhaasanam (seat

made of Darbham) He was lying on, and empowering it with the Brahmaastra mantram, threw it at the

crow. Developing into a deadly destroyer-missile, the blade of grass found the

crow and pursued it relentlessly. The crow, which was in fact a wayward son of

Indra named Jayanta, flew straight to its parents, secure in the belief that

the Chief of all Devas could save it from this minor inconvenience. However,

once Indra came to know of the background and that the astram was let loose by none other than the Parama Purusha, he shut

his door to the crow. In turn, the bird flew to Brahmaa, Rudra and Maharshis,

seeking refuge from the pursuing missile. None, however, was foolish enough to

afford protection to the offender who had committed an unpardonable sin against

the Divine Mother Herself. The Crow flew around all the three worlds, all the

while pursued by the Brahmaastram and

could find none, absolutely none, who was prepared or capable of saving it from

Rama's anger.—

"Sa pitraa cha parityakta: suraischa sa maharshibhi:

Treen

lokaan samparikramya tamevam sharanam gata:"

And in the end, having flown

around the three worlds in a futile search for saviours, the crow fell at the

feet of Sri Rama, exhausted and seeking protection from the hand that had let

loose the punishment. And though the dastardly bird deserved the ultimate sentence

of death, Sri Rama pardoned it, adhering to His credo of saving all those who

surrendered, irrespective of the gravity of their misdemeanors—"vadhaarham api Kaakutsttha: kripayaa

paryapaalayat". However, since the Brahmaastram could not be ineffective,

Raghava asked the crow what should be done with it. In all humility and

recognizing the enormity of its sin, the crow told Rama to make its right eye a

target for the astram and the missile

promptly destroyed the eye. Since then, crows are without the use of their

right eyes, says Sri Sita—"Tadaa

prabhriti Kaakaanaam ekam aksheeti visrutam".

The episode does indeed show the

crow in an extremely bad light. However, sinners like us can take a lot of

comfort from the tale—for, it demonstrates that however serious and numerous be

our sins, however dastardly our deeds, once we surrender ourselves to the Lord,

we are assured of protection. One may wonder why, if the Lord were indeed truly

merciful, the crow had to undergo the loss of its eye. Doesn't the punishment

fly against the maxim that a surrendered soul receives a full pardon from the

Lord? Swami Desikan answers this query in Abhaya

Pradaana Saaram. Had the crow

been given the gift of its life and emerged unscathed from the episode, it

would have been emboldened to commit more sins, secure in the belief that all

it needed to do was to surrender again to whoever was hurt. The loss of an eye

served as a constant reminder to the bird never to indulge again in unbecoming

conduct and from then on, the bird towed the narrow but straight path of

righteousness. The episode brings to light the concept of "Nigraha Anugraham", with

an apparent punishment working out as a blessing in disguise and ensuring

strict adherence to Dharma.

Interestingly, the crow, while

returning to its abode, duly chastised, conveys its respects to not only Sri

Rama, but also to Dasaratha, who is dead and gone—

" Sa Ramaaya namaskritvaa raagye Dasarathaaya cha

visrushtastena

veerena pratipede svamaalayam"

Though Rama is the actual savior,

the crow appears to include Dasaratha in its thanksgiving, since it is the

father's qualities that are often manifest in the son.

The act of the crow in flying

hither and thither in search of saviors is akin to our own life and labours,

where we look to our parents, relatives, colleagues and others for assistance,

only to realize at last that none can offer refuge to another in matters of the

spiritual realm—"Oru jeevanukku oru jeevan tanjam allan".

What we must realize is that we are totally incapable of saving our souls and

lack all capability therefor. In other words, we must realize that we are "akinchanas". Swami Desikan cites the

example of the crow to demonstrate the nature of Aakinchanyam. We often adopt apparently effective strategies for

achieving various goals, only to find that they are incapable of leading us to

our intended destination. It is only when the realization of absolute

incapability dawns on us that we fall at the feet of the Lord—"Bhakti mudalaanvavattril padi enakku

koodaamal ethhisayum uzhandrodi ilaittu vizhum kaagam pol"

Swami Desikan points out that it

is the episode of the audacious crow that emboldens even confirmed and repetitive

sinners like us to seek refuge in the Lord—for, if Emperuman could forgive a

mortal sinner like the Crow, which exhibited cruelty towards none other than

the Divine Mother, we, who are guilty of lesser sins, can surely hope for

relief and rehabilitation through surrender at the Lord's lotus feet—"Kaagam iraakkadar mannar kaadali

Kattirabandu…bhogam uyar veedu pera ponnarul seidamai kandu, Naagamalai

Naayakanaar nalladippodu adaindene"

An interesting name Sita Devi

coins for the crow, during Her conversation with Sri Rama, is "Bali bhojana:"—a creature that partakes

of "bali". This brings us back to

what I said in the beginning about feeding the crow before we partake of

breakfast. It is still a custom at many of our homes to take out a morsel of

food and put it on the terrace or window-sill, where the crow could come and

eat the same. Though prima facie this

appears to be a humanitarian gesture towards our winged brethren, there must be

some special reason for selecting the crow, which is, after all, the least

appealing of the bird species! Why don't we feed a Koel or a swallow or for

that matter a pigeon? The fact remains that it is deemed meritorious to feed a

crow. The explanation lies in a Vedic ritual all of us ought to perform daily,

but have forgotten for quite some time.

We have heard of the five great yagyaas we are supposed to observe

daily—The Pancha Maha Yagyas, viz., Deva Yagyam, Brahma Yagyam,

Pitru Yagyam, Manushya Yagyam and Bhoota

Yagyam. These are intended to

propitiate Devas, Maharshis, Pitru Devatas, one's contemporaries and the birds

and animals that share this world with us. Of these, Bhoota Yagyam consists of

reserving a portion of the cooked food for the Crow and the Dog, which are

known as Vaayasa Bali and Svaana Bali

respectively. After finishing the Manushya

Yagyam, we are supposed to take two fists-full of cooked rice and offer it

to the crow, along with the following mantram:

"Iyndra vaaruna

vaayavyaa: soumyaa yaamyaascha Nairrithaa:

Vaayasaa:

pratigrihnantu balim bhoomou mayaarpitam"

This morsel of food is to be

placed on the earth, with the intonation, "Vaayasebhya:

idam na mama" (This is meant for

the crows). From the mantra, it appears that the Crow is deemed to be a

representative of the various Devatas, all of whom are propitiated by the offer

of food to the crow.

It is significant to note that

even in the annual ceremony for one's forefathers, this Vaayasa Bali plays an important part, with cooked rice being rolled

into a ball ("Vaayasa Pindam") and

offered to the crow, before the conclusion of the ceremony and before we

partake of food. Many deem the crow to be a representative of the Pitru Devatas and take their food only

after the crow dips its beak into the morsel of food offered to it

ceremoniously. Paradoxically, it often happens that the crow, which promptly

turns up every morning to gobble up the food we offer, often plays truant on

the day of the Shraaddham (perhaps

because of the late hour at which the Vaayasa

Pindam is offered). A scriptural text tells us that Pitru Devatas are immensely pleased through the offer of a ball of

cooked rice to Crows—

"Agnou hutantu Devaanaam sva:sthaanaam vipra bhojanam

 

Dakshinaabhyo

manushyaanaaam aasure bhoori bhojanam

Yama

sthaanaam pinda daanam naarake vikiram tathaa

Preta

sthaanaam vaayasam cha saptaite pitru triptayah "

 

If the deceased forefather, (for

pleasing whom the ceremony is performed) is reborn in Devalokam and has taken birth as a celestial, he is pleased with homam (Paarvana Homam performed in shraadham).

If he is in Pitru lokam, he is happy

with the feeding of braahmanas. A

forefather reborn as a human being is propitiated by the Dakshina offered to the brahmanas

at the end of the ceremony. If he is reborn as an asura, offer of food to near and dear pleases him. Pitru devatas in the Yama Lokam are

pleased by the "Pinda pradaanam" and

those who are in hell are satiated by the offer of "Vikiram" or scattered food, with appropriate mantras. Deceased

parents in the form of spirits can be propitiated by "Vaayasa Pindam" or a ball of cooked rice offered to the Crow, says

the aforesaid slokam.

The Crow thus occupies quite a significant place in our daily lives. However, not all references to it in the Scripture are complimentary. In fact, Tirumangai Mannan makes a definitely unflattering reference to the bird, in his Peria Tirumozhi. He compares the delicious flesh of a rabbit with the rather unpalatable one of a Crow—"Eraar muyal vittu Kaakkai pin povade!" wonders the Azhwar. Rabbit flesh is reported to be extremely delicious, while that of a crow is much less tasty. With a rabbit near at hand and about to be caught, would anyone forsake that and go after a crow flying off in the distance? First of all, catching the crow is doubtful, while the rabbit is almost in the net. And even if the crow were to be caught, it is hardly delicacy enough to hanker after, vis-à-vis the delicious rabbit.

 

 

Comparing the distant, unseen and inaccessible Sri Vaikuntam to crow's

flesh, Sri Kalian points out how much easier and delectable it is to have one's

fill of the Lord in His Arcchaa form,

as He manifests Himself in various temples in this world. With the example of rabbit flesh and the

crow's, Azhwar makes fun of people who ignore the treat they have on hand in

the form of the Arcchaa moorthy and

crave for experiencing the Lord of Paramapatham,

who is but a distant dream.

If this is what Kalian has to say about the Crow, Periyaazhwar too takes a shot at the bird, comparing its raucous cry to the driveling of an ignoramus—

"Kaakkai vaayilum katturai kolvar

Kaaranaa! Karulak Kodiyaane!"

..Azhwar, exhibiting extreme humility, compares his devotional outpouring to the cry of a crow, bereft of any melody or merit and beseeches Emperuman to tolerate his drivel as great people would tolerate the cries of a crow.

However, despite this uncomplimentary reference, when he wants someone to comb the black tresses of the toddler Krishna, it is the Crow that Azhwar calls—"Kuzhal vaaraai Kaakkai Pillaai!". In no less than ten paasurams, Azhwar invites the Crow to fly in and comb Krishna's unruly and curly tresses. Again, when he needs someone to bring kutty Krishnan a stick to play with, it is the Crow that Azhwar chooses, again in all of ten paasurams—"Ak Kaakkaai Nambikku kol kondu vaa!". Reminding the Crow of the eye it lost at the hands of the Lord at Chitakootam, Azhwar advises the Crow to look sharp and bring Krishna the stick immediately, lest the Lord decide to take away its other eye too—

"Kattrai kuzhalan kadian viraindu unnai

Mattrai kan kollaame kol kondu vaa,

Manivannan Nambikku or kol kondu vaa!"

There is an age-old belief that the crying of the Crow near the house signifies the impending arrival of a guest. This is supported by Azhwar's paasuram, beseeching the Crow to cry—"Karayaai Kaakkai Pillaai!". However, it is not any ordinary guest that Azhwar wants the Crow to herald the arrival of—it is none other than the Paramapurusha whose appearance the Crow is to announce—

"Karayaai Kaakkai Pillaai

Karumaa mugil pol niratthan

urayaar tholpugazh Utthamanai varakarayaai kaakkaip pillaai"

 

The endearment "Pillaai!" applied to the Crow, which is usually an unwelcome scavenger, is due to the exalted guest whose arrival it is required to announce. Interestingly, to another modern poet too, the sight of the Crow is an immediate reminder of the pitch black complexion of Krishna—"Kaakkai siraginile Nandalala! Nin kariya niram tondrudaiyye Nandalala! " says Mahakavi Bharati

 

Though, from the aforesaid, the Crow

appears to be a much-sought-after messenger, it is to be kept at an arm's

length and not permitted even to smell the food that we eat, says Swami Desikan

in "Aahaara Niyamam", forbidding us

to consume items that have been touched by the Crow, among others—"Manisar, eli, Kukkudangal, Kaagam, Poonai

vaai konda kari soru maruvaa sore".

This is probably because Crows (or at least certain species of them) are known

to kill weak lambs

and eat freshly dead corpses probably killed by other means. The Crow is also

considered to be a pest in many countries and has been blamed for eating grain

in the UK and for raiding date crops in desert countries.

Commentaries to the Divya Prabandam throw up a mention about "Kaakkai Pon", or a type of gold. On closer scrutiny, however, we find that this is no gold, but mere tin coated with a yellow tint, or gold-coloured aluminum foil. The association of the Crow's name with this type of spurious item denotes the "high" esteem in which the bird is held. On the other hand, the Crow is the official carrier of the dreaded planet Sanaischara and, as such, propitiated at places like Tirunallaar, with offerings of balls of cooked rice.

 

If we look into folk lore or

grandma's tales, the Crow is portrayed both as an extremely intelligent bird,

as well as an abominably stupid one. We have all heard in our childhood of the Aesop's

fable about the thirsty Crow dropping pebbles into the pitcher with water at

the bottom, to raise the level of the liquid and to slake its thirst. This is

an idea which wouldn't occur to a dumb bird and attests to the high IQ level of

the Crow. Wikipedia tells us that Crows are blessed with extremely sharp

hearing and can hear sound

frequencies lower than those that humans can hear. One species, the New Caledonian Crow, reportedly

has the ability to manufacture and use its own tools in the day-to-day search

for food, including dropping seeds into a heavy trafficked street and waiting

for a car to crush them open. Hooded crows in Israel have learned to use bread

crumbs for bait-fishing, we are told. Endowed with such intelligence, it is no

wonder that certain species of Crows top the avian IQ scale.

On the other hand, the Crow is also portrayed as the personification of vanity and pride in another tale, where it has an unsuccessful and humbling encounter with the clever fox. Espied by the fox on a tree branch, with a stolen "vadai" in its beak, the Crow is cajoled by the fox into singing a song, resulting in its opening its beak and dropping the vadai, which the fox grabs and runs away with. What we have to remember is that susceptibility to flattery is a failing not only the Crow, but we human beings too suffer from.

Crows are often featured in European mythology as harbingers of doom or death because of their dark plumage, unnerving calls, and tendency to eat carrion. According to Chinese mythology, the world at one time had 10 Suns, that were caused by 10 crows. The effect was devastating to the crops and nature, so a great archer was sent to shoot down 9 crows and spare only one. Chinese believe that crows mean bad luck. Not only Shanaischara, but also a wide variety of deities belonging to other religions are said to be associated with Crows in some way or the other. For instance, in Buddhism, the Dharmapaala (protector of the Dharma) Mahaakaala is represented by a crow in one of his physical/earthly forms. Avalokiteswara, who is said to have reincarnated on Earth as the Dalaai Laama, is often closely associated with the crow because it is said that when the first Dalaai Laama was born, robbers attacked the family home. The parents fled and were unable to get to the infant Laama in time. When they returned the next morning expecting the worst, they found their home untouched, and a pair of crows was caring for the Dalai Lama. It is believed that crows heralded the birth of the First, Seventh, Eighth, Twelfth and the current, Fourteenth, Laamas. In Greek mythology, it was believed that when the crows gave bad news to the goddess Athena, she flew into a rage, and cursed their feathers to be black.

Shall we end this piece with a humbling homily? There is an instructive sloka in Sanskrit, which tells us not to be enamoured of our physical attributes, which are but skin-deep. Whoever prides himself or herself to be handsome or beautiful, is laboring under a gross misconception. For, if the skin covering our innards is removed, all of us are but a mass of unseemly flesh, bones, blood and nerves, which would form ideal feasting grounds for Crows and dogs. If only what we have inside us is exposed, all of us would have to go around wielding a stick, to ward off crows and dogs from pecking at us, says the sloka—

"Yadi naama asya kaayasya yat anta: tat bahi: bhavet

Dandam udyamya lokoyam suna: kaakaamscha vaarayet"

And finally, another interesting piece of information—just as a group of cows is called a herd, a group of sheep is known as a flock, do you know what a group of Crows is called? You would never guess the answer—a group of Crows is known as a "Murder"!

...

Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paaduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

dasan, sadagopan