The Case of the Criminal Crow

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

The Case of the Criminal Crow

 

 

 

 

 

Kol kondu vaa-ak kaakkaai

 

Kaakaashi nyayam

 

 

 

My co-passenger asked the air hostess how far it was to Mumbai from Coimbatore.

The lady replied, " It is..kilometres, as the crow flies " . Though I knew that

the idiom " as the crow flies " is often used to indicate distances by air, yet,

when I thought about it, it sounded a bit funny. Why the reference to the crow

and not to any other bird? After all, the crow is not known for its speed or

coverage of long distances. In fact, you could think of a dozen other birds

which are known fliers of long hauls at a good pace-the vulture, for instance.

Not finding a ready answer to this idle question, I turned my thoughts to other

aspects of the crow. Indeed, there didn't seem much to think about the bird, nor

did it seem attractive enough in any way to be worth anyone's thoughts. Since I

didn't have any interesting reading material on hand except the airline's house

magazine (which, incidentally, even a crow wouldn't touch) I let my imagination

loose and tried to discover whether anything of significance could be said about

the crow.

 

 

 

When I shared my rather disparaging thoughts about the bird with my daughter,

she came up with a spirited defence of the bird. " Have you forgotten the hapless

crow's Saranagati at the lotus feet of Sri Raghava, which is among the principal

events in Srimad Ramayanam portraying the efficacy of Prapatti?' enquired she.

How indeed could I have forgotten the episode?

 

 

 

The Kaakaasura Saranagati demonstrates for us several significant tenets about

the concept of Prapatti. Though everyone knows the episode, it is worth

recounting. During their jungle sojourn, Sri Rama and Sita stayed in the

enchanting environs of the Chitrakoota Parvatam. To the northeast of the

foothills was the Mandakini River with crystal clear waters, in which Mythily

loved to bathe. Once, after playing for long in the dense and cool groves on the

river banks, Mythily rested, happy but tired, sitting on Sri Rama's lap. (You

may wonder-would a mature, married woman indulge in playing! If you do, you have

to remember that Sri Sita at that time had probably just entered her teens and

was still practically a child). It was then that a crow materialized apparently

from nowhere and started pecking at Sri Janaki's chest with cruel and lewd

intentions. Though She tried to drive it away with a stone, it was very

persistent, flying away when the stone was thrown, but returning time and again

to resume its nefarious activity. The usually amicable Sita was driven to anger

by the despicable crow's dastardly deed. And adding insult to injury, Sri Rama,

who was watching all this, made fun of Vaidehi ( " with typical male

insensitivity " , adds my wife, who is looking over my shoulder as I compose this)

for being unable to defend Herself against a mere crow. Driven by shame, anger

and distress, Sita cried, and as many a girl does, slipped into the arms of

comforting sleep. When She woke up, She found Sri Rama too asleep, with His head

in Her lap. Just when She heaved a sigh of relief at having got rid of the crow,

it returned with a vengeance and started pecking again at Her chest, drawing

blood. The free flow of blood from the open wound fell on Sri Raghava, waking

Him up. When He saw what was happening to His dear Vaidehi, Rama's anger knew no

bounds. He perceived the crow to be no ordinary bird, but the son of Indra come

to harass Sri Janaki with vile intentions. His eyes blazing with anger, He

plucked a darbha grass from the ground, (since He did not have His bow and

arrows handy) empowered it with the Brahmaastra mantram and threw it at the crow

(it is perhaps this incident that has given rise to the Tamizh saying,

" Vallavanukku pullum aayudham " ). The trivial blade of grass turned into a deadly

missile spitting fire and pursued the fleeing crow.

 

 

 

With the lethal weapon in pursuit, the crow flew high, low, tried disappearing

and used all its wile in evading the killer missile, which, however, stuck to

the crow despite all its tricks, closing in all the while for the kill. Having

tried its best to escape and failed, the crow found itself helpless and flew to

its father, Devendra, seeking refuge and protection. When he heard the story,

Indra realized that it was beyond his powers to save his son, as it was the Lord

who had decided to punish the crow. Throwing up his hands, Indra told his son

that none, absolutely none, including the four-headed Brahma, the all-powerful

Rudra and Indra himself, could save someone whom Sri Raghava had decided to

kill. No power on earth or elsewhere could interfere with the actions of the

Ultimate. The hapless Jayanta turned next to his mother, believing that she

would save him despite his heinous crime against the Jaganmaata. However,

Indraani too, perceiving the horrendous nature of her son's deed, refused to

entertain him, as did other Devatas. Desperate by now and being pursued by the

relentless blade of grass, Jayanta sought protection in turn from birds of his

own feather, from Maharshis and from anyone and everyone whom he considered

powerful. Not only on earth, but in the worlds above and below too, the crow

could not find a saviour and was mercilessly driven out by even those he

considered near and dear.

 

 

 

Finding no protector in all the three worlds, thoroughly exhausted and finding

no respite from the pursuing missile, the crow ultimately decided to fall at the

feet of Sri Raghava Himself. And though the criminal crow richly deserved the

punishment of death for its dastardly deed, the ever merciful Lord, with His

affinity for Prapannas notwithstanding the magnitude, quantum and frequency of

their sins, afforded refuge to the beleaguered crow. However, since the

Brahmastra could not go waste, He asked the crow whether it would offer its

right eye as a target for the potent astra. The crow agreed with alacrity and

escaped with the minor loss of an eye, in the place of its life. Sri Valmiki's

description of the event is extremely evocative-

 

 

 

" Treen lokaan samparikramya tam evam saranam gata:

 

vadhaarham api Kaakutstha: kripayaa paryapaalayat "

 

 

 

This, then, is the Kaakaasura Vrittaantam recounted by Sri Sita to Hanuman in

the Sundara Kaandam of Srimad Ramayanam.

 

 

 

However, the episode raises a few questions.

 

 

 

1. First and foremost, why did Sri Rama deploy the most powerful and the

ultimate of all astras, the Brahmaastra, to kill a mere crow? Rama had obtained

from Visvaamitra a plethora of astras of varying intensity and power and could

have definitely chosen one suited for the minor task of disposing of a crow,

even if he was the son of Indra. Instead, why did He indulge in overkill, as it

were, and send the Brahmaastra in pursuit of the crow? Would anyone use a AK-47

rifle for shooting down a pigeon?

 

 

 

It was the gravity and monstrosity of the offence that prompted the Lord to

employ a weapon of the caliber of the Brahmastram. The person committing the

crime was the son of Indra, who has time and again been the beneficiary of the

Lord's munificence as well as His Consort's. The crime was against the Universal

Mother. Would anyone harbour inappropriate thoughts vis-à-vis one's own mother?

And how dastardly would it be to entertain the same with regard to a lady who is

acclaimed as the " Jaganmaata " and is the embodiment of maternal love and mercy!

 

 

 

Sri Rama's choosing the Brahmastram to kill a mere crow also reflects His

intense love for Vaidehi and His intolerance for anyone daring to harass His

beloved. Sri Rama considers Sita to be dearer than His own life--

" mama praanepi gareeyasee " -and it is this boundless affection that causes Him to

overreact, if His action can be termed as such. Nandagopa was said to keep vigil

all night beside Krishna's cradle, his spear at the ready to dispose of any

insect that dared come near the divine boy- " Koor vel kodum tozhilan Nandagopan " .

It is this surfeit of affection, adoration and concern, that cause the loving

Rama to react the way He did and send the ultimate of weapons in pursuit of the

offender.

 

 

 

2. Another question that begs an answer is whether Sri Sita was so helpless as

to be unable to defend Herself against a mere crow. A lady who threatens to

reduce Ravana to a heap of ashes cannot be all that weak and feeble as to be

unable to dispose of a crow. Why then did Vaidehi put up with the bird's

torturous attacks till it could draw blood from Her breast?

 

 

 

The episode has a parallel in Sri Mythily not disposing of Ravana and escaping

from Her demonic captors, though, as She Herself proclaims, it would have been

child's play for Her to annihilate the raakshasa and others of his ilk. She

refrains from self-protection as She believes implicitly that it is the Lord's

duty to protect Her. It is this admirable display of " Paaratantryam " or

dependence on Emperuman, even in the face of the grossest of provocations, which

makes Her reluctant to defend Herself, even against a crow.

 

 

 

3. One more question that may arise is whether such a grave and unpardonable

sin, committed that too against the Lokamaata, deserves to be forgiven and

whether Sri Rama was being overgenerous in affording refuge to the criminal

crow. There are some crimes, such as the one committed by Jayanta, which are

beyond pardon-the so-called unforgivable crimes. The Supreme Court of India,

while upholding the validity of capital punishment, laid down that it was to be

applied in the rarest of rare cases, where the offence was of the gravest

nature, not calling for any mercy whatsoever (child rapists, for instance).

 

 

 

In the divine court of the Lord, there is nothing that constitutes an

unforgivable crime. By nature, creatures are errant and it would be difficult to

find spotless and immaculate ones, untainted by sin of any sort- " na kaschit na

aparaadhyati " . Taking into account the predilections of His creations, the Lord

adopts an extremely sympathetic attitude towards their peccadilloes, forgiving

them instantly, provided the offender repents and appeals for clemency,

surrendering himself at the Lord's lotus feet. The power of Prapatti or absolute

surrender is such that even if the offence constitutes a cardinal sin of

monumental proportions and even if it is committed repetitively, the Lord is

always ready to forgive and forget. Swami Desikan puts this

beautifully- " etthanaiyenum teera kazhiya aparaadham panninaarayum pokkattru

vizhundaal ..Piraatti sannidhi undu aagayaalum parama kaarunikatvaadigalaalum

Perumal erittu kondu rakshippaar "

 

 

 

While the Lord's propensity is thus to pardon even unpardonable offences, His

Consort surpasses Him in the display of mercy and tolerance towards even

habitual offenders guilty of the grossest of crimes. It is She who, as the

" Purushakaaram " , recommends to the Lord that all surrendered souls be pardoned,

despite their accumulated baggage of unpardonable sins. With Her at hand, there

was indeed no chance of the hapless crow being punished for its offence, even

though it was against Herself and committed with the worst of intentions. Thus,

in the unlikely event of the Lord permitting the Brahmaastram to carry out its

deadly errand, Sri Janaki would definitely have interceded in favour of the

offender and ensured his pardon. In fact, there is a version of this episode in

one of the Puranas (Paadma Puranam?), which says that the crow just fell helter

skelter at the feet of Rama, exhausted by its efforts to evade the Brahmaastram.

It was Sri Mythily who turned the crow's head to face the Lord's lotus feet,

converting what was just a providential fall, into a poignant gesture of

Prapatti, thus ensuring that the crow escaped a certain and richly-deserved

death. Sri Valmiki says that the hapless crow's mere act of falling near His

feet was treated by the merciful Lord as an act of Saranagati and protection was

afforded to the bird, which deserved death richly-

 

 

 

" Sa tam nipatitam bhoomou sharanya: sharanaagatam

 

vadhaarham api Kaakutstha: kripayaa paryapaalayat " .

 

 

 

Here are Swami Desikan's beautiful lines from the Abhaya pradaana Saaram,

describing the minimum effort on the part of the distressed crow and Emperuman's

boundless compassion for even the worst of offenders-

 

 

 

" vadhaarhan pokku attru taam irunda idantthile vandu vizhunda maatrame

saranaagati aaga kondu Perumal praanaarti aana ivanukku praana pradaanam panni

rakshittaar "

 

 

 

4. One more question that may arise is as to why Sri Rama permitted the astram

to gouge out the crow's right eye. A pardon, to be worth the name, should be

clean and with no strings attached. Mere reduction in punishment from hanging to

a life sentence cannot constitute a pardon. So, is Prapatti that effective after

all, if all it is capable of doing is to diminish the incidence of divine

retribution? Why then is it touted as the panacea for absolving us of all sin?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The loss of eye for the crow was not intended as a punishment, nor was it

indicative of the Lord's perception that a lesser sentence was called for in

view of the crow having surrendered. It falls under the category of " Nigraha

anugraham " -what appears to the uninformed to be a punishment, was actually be a

blessing in disguise. In the crow's case, the loss of an eye was intended as a

terrifying reminder to the bird to never indulge in similar sin, and not as

retribution per se. For a habitual offender, the temptation to indulge in

repetitive sins is strong, despite any sentence he may receive for one of the

crimes. We often see criminals making repeated visits to the prison, despite

having served sentences earlier for similar crimes. For the crow, the loss of an

eye acted as a constant reminder of what further sin was likely to beget and

functioned as a deterrent, turning the bird from a sinful and wayward lifestyle

into one of conformation with ethics and morals. Swami Desikan puts the matter

succinctly thus- " durabhisandhiyai vittu tirigaikkaaga oru kannai astrattukku

ilakku aakkinaar aaagainaal astrattukku lakshyam koduttapadi aasrita hitamaaga

endru nirneetam "

 

 

 

5. Another interesting question is why the Brahmaastram, which is capable of

instantly achieving its aim, pursued the fleeing crow for so long, content to

remain behind the bird patiently but menacingly, till the crow completed its

tour of the three worlds in search of a saviour. The Brahmaastram is no ordinary

missile but represents the ultimate in weaponry and is capable of delivering

instant death to the target. And we are also told by Swami Desikan that during

its long flight, whenever the crow faced other directions, the Brahmaastram

menacingly pursued the crow from close quarters and when it flew in the

direction of Chitrakootam and the Lord, the astram just followed the bird from a

distance, without closing in. How could this be? Swami Desikan tells us that the

Brahmaastram knew the Lord's intentions well. It understood that Sri Rama wanted

the crow to be merely taught a lesson and not to be annihilated, that He wanted

the offender to reform and not to perish. Hence the astram pursued the crow but

never touched it and ultimately made it fall at the Lord's feet. Hence it might

not be erroneous to draw the conclusion that it was the Brahmaastram and the

Lord's will, more than anything else, that was responsible for the crow's

Prapatti.

 

 

 

If the crow is portrayed as a gross offender in Srimad Ramayanam, the other

epic, Mahabharatam, too shows the bird in a poor light. Once a crow was brought

up by the sons of a wealthy merchant, who fed the bird morsels of rich left-over

food regularly. Growing up on such a rich diet and with its ego inflated beyond

measure by the affection showered on it by the children, the crow developed

false pride and arrogance, considering itself superior to all others of its ilk.

It looked at other crows and birds with ill-disguised contempt and insulted them

with its condescending manner. It was so conceited that it once challenged a

group of beautiful swans, boasting that it could outfly them in height and

distance. Little realizing its limitations and status in the avian kingdom, the

crow failed miserably when called upon to prove its merit and almost lost its

life in the process, surviving only due to the mercy of the swans. Trying to

compete with the swans on their flight over the ocean, the crow soon grew tired

and fell into the deep waters. The swans took pity on it and gave it a ride back

on their backs, telling the crow to realise its station in life and to have a

realistic assessment of its strengths and weaknesses.

 

 

 

If all this is not enough, we are told by Sri Mahabharata again that the crow is

an inauspicious bird and its flying behind a person is a bad omen-

 

 

 

" Prishttato vaayasa: krishna: yaahi yaahi iti vaasati

 

 

 

 

 

While describing bad signs and portents, the same epic includes the

preponderance of crows on trees to be a bad omen, on par with diminishing yield

from cows and trees becoming bereft of flowers and fruits-

 

 

 

" Alpa khseeraa: tathaa gaava: bhavishyanti Janaadhipa!

 

Alpa pushpa phalaaschaapi paadapaa bahu vaayasaa: "

 

 

 

A crow alighting on the flagmast of a warrior spells doom, we are told again-

 

" Dhvajeshu cha nileeyante vaayasaa: tat na sobhanam "

 

Portending the disaster about to befall them, the Kourava army was followed by

another airborne army of crows, vultures and other birds of prey-

" Gridhraa: kaakaa: badaa: syenaa: yaatudhaanaa: shalaaa vrikaa:

 

Makshikaanaam cha sanghaataa anugacchanti Kouravaan "

 

 

 

The contempt with which Shastras treat crows would be evident from the

Mahabharata, which tells us that only sinners are born as crows-those who

forsake their duties to Devas and forefathers-i.e., those who do not perform

Sandhyavandanam, Pitru tarpanam, Shraaddham, etc. are born as crows-

 

 

 

" Deva kaaryam upaakritya pitru kaaryam athaapi cha

 

anirvaapya samasnan vai tato jaayati vaayasa: "

 

 

 

If Garuda is considered to be the best of the avian species, the crow figures at

the other end of the totem pole, looked down upon as the worst of birds, as can

be inferred from Sri Janaki's words of contempt addressed to Ravana, comparing

him to a crow and Sri Rama to Vainateya- " yat antaram vaaayasa Vainateyayo:.tat

antaram Daasarate: tavaiva cha " .

 

Sri Tirumangai Azhwar too speaks contemptuously of the crow, comparing it

unfavourably with the rabbit, as far as the taste of its flesh is

concerned- " Eraar muyal vittu kaakkai pin povade! " . The comparison here is

between the Arcchaavataram of Emperuman, with its easy accessibility and

sweetness, and His primordial form with which He reigns at the

difficult-to-attain Srivaikunttam. When you can have your eye-fill of the Lord

at the nearby temple (akin to the tasty flesh of a rabbit which is already

captured and skinned), why thirst after the unseen and remote paradise above

(comparable to the tasteless flesh of a crow which is yet to be caught),

enquires Azhwar.

 

 

 

By the way, did you know that the collective noun for a group of crows, in

literary and fanciful language, is murder? Just as we say a flock of sheep, we

are supposed to say a murder of crows! Is that not very suggestive?

 

 

 

From all the aforesaid, one would be tempted to conclude that the crow is indeed

a worthless creature. However, there are some redeeming features in the bird. As

we all know, it is an extremely social bird-the moment it espies a morsel of

food, it emits a raucous cry, inviting all crows in the vicinity to come and

share. Unlike man, who believes in secreting everything for his own consumption,

the crow believes in sharing and caring. It is also closely associated with

Pitru karmas-all of us who perform shraaddham know well that at the end of the

ritual, a ball of rice ( " Vaayasa Pindam " ) is submitted for the crow's

consumption. And even on a daily basis, most of us have the habit of putting on

the windowsill or terrace some portion of the cooked rice, before we ourselves

eat, perhaps as part of the " Bhoota Yagyam " , which is one of the five great

yagyas ( " pancha mahaa yagyaas " ) we are supposed to perform daily. And it is the

preferred vehicle of Sanaischara (Saturn) and is propitiated as such. Though

people might consider the crow ugly and unseemly, Mahakavi Bharati says that the

bird's dark feathers remind him of the beautifully black complexion of Sri

Krishna- " Kaakkai siraginile Nandalaala! Undan karia niram tondrudadaa

Nandalaala! " sings the inspired poet, who sees Krishna in anything and

everything.

 

 

 

And leave alone everything else, it is the crow that Sri Periazhwar chooses for

running errands for Sri Krishna. There must definitely be some positive features

to the crow, if Azhwar utters its name in almost 20 pasurams, without a single

word about any other bird. This must indeed be a unique feature in the entire

Divya Prabandam, with a bird's name figuring consecutively and conspicuously in

20 songs. Azhwar appeals to the crow time and again to come and comb the unruly

black tresses of Sri Krishna and further to bring Vaasudeva a stick, with which

He could control and direct the cows of Gokulam during grazing. And in the

process Azhwar reminds the crow of what happened during Ramavataram and cautions

the bird not to be lax in bringing the stick, as, otherwise, it might lose its

other eye too-

 

 

 

" Potrigazh Chittirakoota poruppadanil

 

Uttra vadivil oru kannum konda

 

Kattrai kuzhalan kadian viraindu unnai

 

Marrai kann kollaame kol kondu vaa

 

Manivanna Nambikku or kol kondu vaa "

 

 

 

We thus find that not everything about the crow is bad-it does have its

redeeming features.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

dasan, sadagopan