In this digital world, people are obsessed with validation and want others to acknowledge their emotions. Similarly, the soul also wants validation from their loved ones. There is an ancient Hindu tradition that holds that the deceased returns as a crow.
During Pitru Raksha (a 16-day tradition to ensure that the souls are happy), families offer a ball of white rice to a crow. If the crow eats, it is considered that the crow has accepted the family’s “follow request”. This ritual takes place on a new moon day.
People often notice a crow cawing repeatedly while sitting near a window. Maybe that crow wants validation, through its presence, that it has never had when it lived. One may also wonder why a deceased person does not return as another species. This is because, according to Hindu tradition,this is the only species that can take the form of a deceased person. The idea is similar to a private account, where only followers can access it. According to the Ramayana, during a sacred ritual, the gods hid from a demon by taking animal forms. Yamaraj took the form of a crow. Yamaraj granted the bird a boon: whenever food is offered to crows on Earth, it will directly reach the ancestral spirits in the afterlife. They are also known as the messengers of Pitru Lokha (Realms of the ancestors).
Every human being possesses 2 shades in their life: the shadow of their flaws and the light of their virtue. According to the Ramayana, Jayanta, the son of Indra, disguises himself as a crow to test Sita. During their exile in Chitrakoot, Rama was sleeping in Sita’s lap. The crow pecked at her twice. Rama was awakened and recognised the crow. He picked up the blade of grass and unleashed the divine weapon Brahmastra, and hit the crow’s right eye. Jayanta is considered a bad omen.
The other one is Kakabhushundi, a devotee of Rama who narrates the story of Rama to Garuda in the form of a crow. He had seen Ramayana 11 times and Mahabharata 16 times. Before becoming immortal, He was a human devotee of Lord Shiva. After disrespecting the Guru by failing to stand up, Lord Shiva cursed him to take the form of a lower creature, beginning as a snake. After his 1,000th birth, he was a wise Brahmin, but his stubbornness remained. He went to study under the great Sage Lomas. Sage Lomas cursed Kakbhushandi as a crow to reduce his arrogance. He chose to stay in the form of a crow as he found peace in it. By seeing his humility and spirituality, God blessed him with immortality.
The stories reveal that every species has its own duality. For this reason, some often find an instant connection with species, connections they sometimes fail to experience with other humans. Understanding does not always require words. That’s why these traditions are used to convey feelings people could not express to their loved ones while they were alive.
