Crow in Life, Legend and Language

In Hindu mythology, the crow has an honored place as the vehicle of Lord Shaneswar.  In the Ramayan, it figures as Kakasura (crow demon).  During our daily life we never take our food without offering a morsel to the crow.

The crow has a number of species.  There are jackclaws, ravens, jackday, crow with a white muffler and Ceylon crow.  The Indian house-crow is found in all parts of the country except in the high mountainous cold parts.

It feeds on both plant and animal food and lives in flocks.  It figures in the Hitopadesa, Panchatantra stories and the Aesop’s Fables.

It takes joy rides on the grazing animal’s backs.  It enters into the open jaws of a crocodile and cleans its teeth.  The one bird that deceives it is the clever cuckoo.  The cuckoo lays its eggs in the crow’s nest and the poor foster-mother crow hatches them. 

The crows are fond of  company and often hold meetings and conferences.  They have their own constituencies and the crow from one locality will not allow a crow from another locality to attend its meetings.

The one rare virtue of the crow is that it is socialistic in  practice.  When some food is available, it sends a crowing for the other members to come and share the feast.  It is monogamous pairing for life.  When its mate dies or is killed, the survivor too dies, unable to bear grief.

C in the language:

Here are a few idioms and words connected with the crow:

Have a crow to pick with : To find fault

To eat crow – To submit to humiliation

Crow-catching – A rely Indianised idiom: To seek favor by flattery.