Pitru Paksha, a fortnight of remembering and honoring the ancestors in traditional Sanatani Hindu belief system, involves the typical act of respectfully inviting and feeding the crows, the ‘all black’ bird species which are not generally  considered likeable, by a contemporary opinion world over, may be for the color or for the harshness of the voice. These birds, however, have been revered across the generations of Sanatanis, as the Cognitive Wonder and Spiritual Messenger.  

In the first part of the three part series on Pitru Paksha, Ajay Ramakant, Researcher in Ancient Science, Monuments and Texts, discusses the spiritual role of Crow in the Pitru Paksha rituals along with various inferences drawn by studies over the ages, on the ‘all black’ bird species.

During childhood, all of us have been told about a thirsty yet wise crow who threw pebbles in a pot for the water to level to rise. Scientists and researchers say, the story may have stemmed from real life observation.

Lets face facts first. Crows do recognize faces and have ability to pass down the information to generations. They are also masters in tool innovation.  While these are the outcomes of modern scientific studies, the Sanatani texts have discussed these, thousands of years before. The same species of birds are revered by generations of Sanatanis, invited respectfully and fed when the ancestors are worshipped.

Pitru Paksha, since times immemorial, has involved a prominent act of feeding the crows. Here, the Crows are fed with a traditional Sanskrit prayer (Kaka Bali Mantra) used during ancestral rites (Shraddha) or daily charity (Pancha Bali). Sanskrit Shloka for Feeding Crows says,

यमोसि यमदूतोसि वायसोसि महामते।अहोरात्रकृतं पापं बलिं भक्षत वायस॥इदं वायसे नमः॥

The English Transliteration goes,

Yamosi Yamadutosi Vayasosi Mahamate |Ahoratrakritam papam balim bhakshata Vayasa ||Idam Vayase namah ||

Meaning, “O intelligent crow, you are a representative of Yama (the god of justice and death) and his messenger. Please accept this food offering (bali) and consume it, and may it help absolve any sins I may have committed day or night. Salutations to the crow.

Here, Crows are viewed as messengers connecting the physical world with the ancestors (Pitrs). They are offerred small portions of plain cooked rice, mixed with a little ghee or black sesame seeds (til), or a piece of roti.

The Timing is also important here. Traditionally, it is offered in the early morning before the household eats.

Pitru Paksha’s Crow: Cognitive Wonder and Spiritual Messenger

Studies have revealed that among the avian species, the crow stands in a league of its own, blending extraordinary cognitive ability with deep spiritual symbolism. While this species of birds is often dismissed as ordinary urban scavengers, the crows have been found to possess cognitive traits rivaling primates, making them a subject of fascination for both modern neuroscientists and ancient traditions. Exceptional Memory and Intelligence displayed by Crows continue to be a matter of deep interest among researchers, even today.

If you didn’t know before, here’s your chance of getting surprised. The scientific research so far, confirms that crows do indeed exhibit “super memory” traits and advanced problem-solving capacities. These include facial recognition, generational knowledge transfer and tool innovation. Lets glance over these, one by one.

Modern studies have indeed found that crows can recognize individual human faces, distinguish between friendly and threatening people, and remember these identities for years.

They also have been found to be involved in a significantly complex act that has been referred to as the Generational Knowledge Transfer. Let us try to simplify this. When a crow identifies a threat, it communicates this information to its flock and offspring. Future generations may then go and mob a hostile individual even if they never experienced the threat firsthand.

Numerous modern studies have also established that the Crows are masters in Tool Innovation. Yes, they are found to fabricate and modify tools—such as bending wires to hook food or dropping hard-shelled nuts onto pedestrian crosswalks for cars to crack—demonstrating causal reasoning and forward planning.

Crows are considered to carry Supernatural Qualities, as per the Hindu Belief System.  In Sanatana tradition, the crow holds a unique position as a bridge between the physical world (Bhu Loka) and the subtle ancestral realm (Pitru Loka). The crow is considered the vehicle (Vahana) of Lord Shani (Saturn) and a direct messenger for Lord Yama, the deity of justice and death. Because of their heightened environmental awareness, crows are believed to perceive subtle energies invisible to humans.

This species of birds has been considered as the Conduit for Ancestral Energy in the Sanatani belief system. During rituals like Pitru Paksh, the offering of Kaka Bali (food given to crows) rests on the belief that departed ancestors accept food through the medium of the crow. A crow accepting the offering signifies that ancestral spirits are satisfied and peaceful.

By combining scientific genius with ancient spiritual significance, while the crow stands as a living symbol of sharp intellect and memory, it also symbolizes the unseen connections that link human life to the endless cosmos. Scientific studies on corvids (crows, ravens, and rooks) have yielded groundbreaking insights into animal cognition. Scientific studies have demonstrated that crow intelligence rivals that of young children and non-human primates across several key areas, such as facial recognition, causal reasoning, planning, and tool manufacturing.

The Masked Face Experiment that was conducted at the University of Washington is quite intriguing.

Led by Dr. John Marzluff, this well know long-term experiment evaluated memory and social learning in wild American crows.

During the experiments, the researchers wore specific rubber masks (such as a caveman mask) while trapping and ringing crows, establishing that mask as a “dangerous” threat. Different “neutral” masks were worn when feeding or walking past the birds. The findings were very astonishing.  Crows were found to have consistently remembered the dangerous face for a period of over 5 years without any reinforcement. They were found to be  scolding and diving at anyone wearing that specific mask.

Crows that were never trapped—including young chicks born years later—also were found to be scolding anyone with the “dangerous” mask after observing adult crows react to it. This generational transmission was unexpected.

 The Aesop’s Fable was proved correct

Inspired by the fable The thirsty Crow and the Pitcher, researchers tested whether New Caledonian crows understand water displacement and act in accordance with the physics books.

Food was floated by researchers on water inside a tube, just out of reach of the crow’s beak. Researchers provided objects nearby, including heavy stones, light plastic, solid blocks, and hollow tubes. The Finding was similar to the fable. Crows demonstrated their inherent knowledge of Physics, as they selectively dropped heavy, sinking objects into the tube to raise the water level, ignoring floating light items.

They also demonstrated that they amply understood volume dynamics. When given a choice between a tube with a high water level and a low water level, the crows that participated in the experiment, consistently chose the one requiring fewer stones to reach the reward.

The Crows solved the Multi-Step Tool Puzzle

This experiment measured whether crows could plan multiple steps in advance using “metatools”—using one tool to obtain another tool to reach food.

Food was placed by the researchers in a deep box reachable only with a long stick. However, the long stick was locked inside a cage reachable only with a short stick suspended on a string. This complex set up was in fact a big challenge thrown at the intelligent bird species. And they proved their mettle. The crows spontaneously used the short stick to pull out the long stick, and then used the long stick to retrieve the food. This showed they had mental simulation of the problem solving before they actually acted. Displaying insightful planning, they performed these sequence steps without any trial-and-error training.

Displaying high cognitive capabilities, the crows solved the Sequential Tool Puzzle demonstrating forward planning & impulse control as several crows could Solv up to 8-step sequential problems on their first attempt.

Crows also displayed remarkable self control during the famous Marshmallow Test as they waited up to 15 minutes for a higher-value food reward.

Hence forth, whenever you feel like ridiculing the ancient Sanatani practices for choosing Crows while seeking to honor their ancestors and for considering these as spiritual messengers, just explain to yourself what kind of the bird species, these actually are.. intelligent cognitive wonders..!

Also read : Second Part of the Series

Pitru Paksha: Blind Faith or Ecological Science?

https://indiainput.com/pitru-paksha-blind-faith-or-ecological-science/

Third Part of the Series

Pitru Paksha Demystified: Pind Daan, Tarpan, Ecology..

https://indiainput.com/pitru-paksha-demystified-pind-daan-tarpan-ecology/