Why do Hindus feed crows during Pitru Paksha (Shradh)?

Is it mere superstition or is there any scientific aspect related to it ? Let's find out :)

Before answering this, let me ask you a question. Have you ever sown seeds of a Peepal Tree or a Banyan Tree? And even if you’ve sown, you must have observed that, even if a bucketful of seeds are sown, not even a single tree will grow from it.

The importance of protecting trees can be clearly seen in other festivals of Hinduism, where trees are worshipped like a mother.

The great seers of Bharat, knew the importance of trees in the ecosystem when the west was hunting with stones and trying to light fire. And there are some specific trees which are given very special attention and care, due to their great significance. Peepal trees and Banyan trees are two of those.

A Peepal tree is the only tree that produces oxygen 24*365, whereas other trees emit carbon-di-oxide after sunset. And a Banyan tree is one, which keeps growing and spreading for centuries together and holds the soil very firmly which prevents it's erosion. A Peepal tree produces great amount of oxygen compared to other trees. And since the women in olden times were involved in the house-hold work all day, they were advised to water a Peepal tree early in the morning so that they can intake sufficient amount of oxygen.

Now, coming back to the question, have you ever seen anyone sowing seeds of a Peepal or a Banyan tree? The answer is No. because, there is a kind of thick layer on the seeds of these trees, which prevent them from growing if sown directly. And by no means, the sages (I’d rather call them scientists, researchers) could see these trees go extinct. The only way, by which these trees can grow naturally is, from the feces excreted by crows. What actually happens is, the crows eat the fruits of these trees and the coating which prevents the seeds from opening up, is removed during the digestion process of those seeds inside the fruits by the crows. And wherever the crows excrete, a great tree grows there. Sounds unbelievable right? But it’s true.

This shows how important it is to protect the generations of crows, in order to maintain the bio-cycle of the nature. Now if you look at the time period of the year when Pitru Paksh comes is, the Bhadrapad month of the Hindu calendar. And this is the period of the year, when most of the birds including crows, lay eggs and hatchlings are born. And they are most crucial for the sustenance of eco-system. And that’s why, people are advised to feed them Kheer made out of Rice, Cow’s Milk, Jaggery, Dry-Fruits, and Kesar. So that the upcoming generations will be very healthy and the ecosystem will be well maintained. And to achieve this, the healthiest food was arranged for crows, on every rooftop in the form of a ritual.

This explanation is just from the point of view of nature, just one reason behind this. There must be many such unexplored reasons behind this ritual. There are several other deep dimensions associated to it as well. Sadhguru explains this very beautifully from a completely different point of view. Here’s the link if you’d like to watch after reading this.

The Bharatiya Sages (Scientists and researchers of those times) knew everything about how the nature functions, how to protect it and other things. All the ways of protecting the nature were encoded in the form of rituals and practices, for a common person to understand and follow it for the generations to come. I’ve come across people, who call these practices mere superstition. I actually feel sorry for them that they aren’t aware about the science behind it. And it’s not their fault that they don’t know about it. It’s because nobody told them about it.

I request all my readers to spread this knowledge by sharing this blog or by any other way they can. So that, we can remove the ignorance that is spread among people regarding the Hindu Rituals.

Do enter your email-id at the bottom of this page if you haven't yet, to get notified about the upcoming blogs !!

Let’s bring back the sage’s wisdom.

Hinduism is not a religion, but a beautiful way of life.

Have a nice day :)