Crow Tihar is being celebrated today by worshiping the crow
with the belief that there should be no fear on the path of Yama
Kathmandu. Today is the first day of the festival of Tihar. The festival of Kartik Krishna Trayodashi to Kartik Shukla Dwitiya is celebrated for five days. On this day, there is a religious tradition of worshiping the crow as the messenger of Yamaraj.
According to the scriptures, the crow is considered to be the messenger of Yamaraj. There is a religious belief that Yamraj has given the responsibility of keeping the details of the birth and death of all living beings including humans on earth and to exchange messages about it. Therefore, the crow is also considered as an indicator of good and bad news.
On the day of Crow Tihar, it is customary to invite the crow to the courtyard and give it food and worship. There is also a religious belief that if you do not worship the crow on this day and do not eat it, it will be a sin.
Shaligram Dhakal, assistant professor at Nepal Sanskrit University, said that Kaag Tihar is associated with religious faith as well as respect for nature and living beings. Stating that the crow is not only for Hindus but also for nature, he said, “The crow is not only for Hinduism but for everyone. In fact, our Sanatan Vedic religion is a festival of worshipping nature. We worship Kush on Kushe Aunsi, we worship the snake on Nag Panchami. Similarly, we worship the crow during Tihar. According to him, in the Puranas, the crow is described as the messenger of Yamaraj. He said that there is a tradition of sacrificing and worshiping the crow on the basis of religious belief that the crow and other birds should not bother while going to Yammarg and the journey should be fearless. Dhakal also mentioned that there is a social and cultural belief that the crow is considered as an indicator of good news. “There is a tradition in the village that if a crow comes in front of someone’s house and crows, it will bring some news. There is a belief that one should hear bad news rather than good news,” he said. According to him, in the ancient text Brihat Samhita, Varahamihira has given a detailed explanation about the crow’s movements and howlings. He said that although it is believed that various signals can be received from the crow’s voice and behavior, people have not been able to understand its language. Stating that people should also learn from the cunning and vigilance of the crow, he said, “Ethics also says that one should try like a crow. One should worship the crow so that that cleverness comes to me, so that I can understand everything.” There is a religious and mythological belief that there is no fear in the path of Yam. The other is that the crow is worshiped with the feeling that consciousness should come to me. Assistant Professor Dhakal also said that certain methods and mantras will be used while worshiping the crow. He said that there is a tradition of offering sweets and various delicacies to the crow by chanting the mantra ‘Kakosi Yamadutosi’ in the scriptures.
‘There is a method, everyone has a method. Sacrifices are made to the crow. There is a method for everything in our scriptures by pronouncing the mantra ‘Kakosi Yamadutosasi’. There is nothing without the method. The creation of the world is governed by the law,” he said.
When food is offered to the crow, it is wished that it brings welfare to everyone. “O crow god, you are the messenger of Yamaraj. We worship the crow with the intention that you should eat this sacrifice given by me and bless everyone forever,” he said.
Crow Tihar conveys the message of religious faith, respect for nature and coexistence towards living beings.
प्रतिक्रिया दिनुहोस्
