Admin
01 October 2024
As per the Hindu tradition, Kheer was cooked for crows.A belief was that if crows are fed nutritious food, ancestors will get relief. This belief and practice was not without any reason.
The Peepal is a tree. It’s scientific name is Ficus religiosa. It grows from the stomach of crows.In fact, peepal trees sprouting out of crevices on various buildings and bridges etc. are visible everywhere.
Ever thought about how they get there? Obviously, no one will plant a tree in a building crevice.
This miracle is a result of peepal seeds being dispersed by crows that eat its fruit and leave their droppings in far-off places.
The peepal tree that provides life to so many creatures is a true-blue native of India. Interestingly, it is dependent on insects for its survival, specifically the peepal tree fig wasp to be precise. It’s nutritious food for crows.
Peepal is one of the trees that provide Oxygen round the clock. It can not be grown without crows who eat Peepal’s fig wasp and take out seed through its shit. Female crow lays a clutch of 2-6 eggs. The baby crow needs nutritious fruits in the form of Peepal’s fig wasp. Humans need Oxygen to survive.
Crows need fig wasps for their babies. Hence Peepal is the source of their survival. But Peepal can not grow without crows. Hence, crows have to be saved and nourished.
As such, in the month of Pitru Paksha, it is considered auspicious to feed the crows.
A Haridwar-based astrologer Pandit Shridhar Shastri has revealed the reason behind it. The astrologer said that as per the religious texts, crows never die a natural death, nor do they die of any disease or old age.
According to the Garuda Purana, crows die suddenly. The day this bird dies, the crows in his flock do not eat food. In religious texts, crows are considered a symbol of ancestors and hence feeding crows during Pitru Paksha is given vital importance.
When Pind Daan and Shraddha Karma rituals of ancestors are performed, a sacrificial offering is taken out from it. This is eventually fed to crows.
Only after this step, the Shraddha Karma ritual is considered complete. The complete importance of crows is written in religious texts and Garuda Purana.
As per Hindu tradition, Pitru Paksha starts from Pratipada Tithi of Krishna Paksha in the month of Bhadrapada, starting from September 18, 2024, and culminates with Mahalaya or Sarva Pitri Amavasya, which is going to be observed on October 3, 2024.
Hindus perform the Shradh ritual to honor their deceased ancestors, or pitṛs, and to pay respect to them. They believe that the ritual helps the ancestors find peace and comfort in the afterlife, and frees them from the cycle of rebirth.
Against this backdrop, crows are fed kheer, for the Oxygen supplier Peepal, its fruits and healthy reproductive strength of crows who give birth to Peepal, a marvelous natural cycle of life on earth.
