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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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





 
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