Challenge to Zoologists from a Lila of Lord Sri Rama

[Swami B.V. Vishnu Daivata]

Challenge to Zoologists from a Lila of Lord Sri Rama

The following pastime is in Sri Ramacharitya Manjaree composed by Sri Raghavendra Teertha Gurusarvabhauma.

One time Lord Sri Rama along with His wife Sita and His brother Laxmana were in Chitrakuta during His fourteen years exile in the forest. This pastime happened there.

One time Marutta named Rajarshi conducted a sacrifice in an area known as Usheerabeeja. Samvarta named Brahmarshi a younger brother of Brihaspati was chief priest. All the demigods came for this sacrificial yajna. Ravana also came there for a fight with Marutta. All the devatas became fearful of Ravana. (Ravana had a boon from Lord Brahma that he will not be killed by demigods). Demigods leaving their original form accepted bird and other animal forms. Indra accepted peacock form. Yama accepted crow form, Varuna accepted hamsa (swan) form, Kubera accepted hentegodda a form of insect, and other demigods accepted different other animal forms. Marutta went to fight with Ravana. Then Samvarta the chief priest for the sacrifice forbade the king from fighting. Once an auspicious sacrifice has started to satisfy the Supreme Lord Sri Hari, it should be completed without fail-otherwise his future generation will get destroyed. Thus Marutta stopped fighting with Ravana. Ravana forced Marutta to verbally agree that he got defeated and went away. After Ravana left, the demigods assumed their original form.

Demigods also gave many boons to the animals. Indra gave three boons to peacocks. (1) Let peacocks get thousand eyes on its feathers. (Till then the peacock feathers were only filled with blue color). (2) When the clouds are pouring rain, let peacocks become happy (3) Let peacocks become free from the fear of snakes.

Lord Yama gave three boons to crows. (1)I am troubling the conditioned living entities with so many diseases. Let those diseases do not bother crows. (2) Unless humans (directly or indirectly) kill they will not die. (3) Conditioned living entities suffering from hunger in Yamapuri get satisfied when the sacrifice offered to forefathers through crows.

Previously the hamsa (swan) birds were not white. Their feathers at the end had blue color and stomach was of green color. Varuna gave a boon that their entire body becomes white like moon.

Like this each demigod gave a boon to those animals whose form they accepted to save themselves from Ravana and left for their respective places.

Crows lives for thousands of years. Many crows are born to fill the dieing place of crow. Therefore the crow family will be there till the end of this kalpa (a day of Brahma- 4.32 billion earthly years). Eyes are most important sensory organs of crows. Those eyes never get diminished by power or get destroyed. Even if for a strong reason one crow becomes bereft of its two eyes or one eye, crows that will remain will continue to have two eyes. Therefore all the crows will not become bereft of two eyes at any time.
Kurungasura a demon who wanted to become free from death took notice of this boon to crows. He decided to get a boon from Lord Rudradeva. He should not die till even one crow left with two eyes intact in the world. He felt if all crows die then crows loose their eyes and he gets death. So he decided to ask further that as long as future crows that are going to take birth and have two eyes he should not meet with death. Kurangasura thought at least one crow will be surviving with two eyes at any time during a kalpa of Brahma. He felt assured that he can live one kalpa a day of Brahma without death. Then Kurangasura performed tapasya to get his boon from Lord Rudradeva. Lord Rudradeva who gets easily pleased granted Kurungasura’s requests. “O Kurangasura, all animals have in each of their eye a part of power of seeing “chaksurindriya amsa”. When that chaksurindriya amsa leaves the eye, such an eye becomes blind. You should accept large number of forms so that you can live in all crows in different forms. And in each crow you live in different forms in each eye. The chaksurindriya amsa of crows does not get diminished due to old age or diseases. Living in their eyes protect those two eyes from any external weapons due to external reasons. If you do this then the present crows or future crows will never run into a situation of not having two eyes. Thus there is no danger for you also.”
Kurungasura returned after obtaining this boon. Crows came to know this boon of Kurangasura. They welcomed Kuranagasura to live in their eyes thinking they will get special power. Kurangasura started living in two eyes of all crows in different forms. And felt that he has become deathless and started to harass all good people.
At the same time Jayanta, son of Lord Indra has to take birth for a reason on this planet bhuloka. He came under the influence of powerful demon’s mentality and thought of living longest on earth and live easily. Both can be accomplished if he accepts the crow life. By accepting the forefather’s offering in crow’s body he can live with ease for thousands of years. Accordingly he took birth as a crow. Then Kurangaasura entered both of his eyes. Under the influence of demoniac power he became famous by the name Dharantarachara crow and started harassing good people.
When Lord Sri Ramachandra was spending His time in Chitrakuta forest along with His wife Sita, Dharanatarachara came there. Lord Sri Ramachandra saw Jayanta who has assumed crow form. Lord Sri Ramachanra decides to deliver Jayanta.
When Lord Sri Ramachandra taking rest on the lap of Sita, Jayanta forgetting that Lord is The Supreme Personality of Godhead free from all defects of sleeping etc., and universal mother Sita is Mahalaxmi started hurting Her chest with his beak. Mother Sita tolerated all the hurt and pain so that Lord Sri Ramachandra will not get disturbed in His sleep. Their body is not prakruta, not made out of mundane material elements. No one can inflict wounds or cause blood to flow. Still Lord acted as if sleeping and Sita acted as if blood flowed from Her body through the agency of yoga maya. Lord Sri Ramachandra woke up due to blood flow and Dharantachara still continued his foolish act even when Lord was awake.
Seeing this Lord Sri Ramachandra thought this way. Jayanta is my devotee since long time. He has come under the bad influence of Kurangasura. Therefore I will forgive his offence and will release Jayanta from the daityavesa (bad influence of Kurangasura’s mentality, and protect him.) The crows have given a place to an asura demon and have done small offence. Still I should not kill them. For their offence I will destroy one part of two chakshurindriya seeing power. I will not destroy the eyes. Till now chakshurindriya, the power of seeing was present in two eyes differently at the same time. Because of this they were able to see objects in front straight. Once they loose one part of chakshurindriya power, then the chakshurindriya power of seeing will manifest in right eye when they turn towards right side. They can perceive the objects on right side but not objects in left side. Similarly when the crows turn towards left side, then the chakshurindriya power of perception will manifest in left eye. Then it becomes aware of objects on left side but not the objects on right side. This way I will destroy one part of the chakshurindriya power of seeing perception in all crows of the world for their offence. But I will protect their life. This process will not cause any pain for them. They will be able to conduct their life chores with only one chkshurindriya power by My Grace.
Kuranga demon has done great offence to Me and to My devotees. He has inflicted pain on Sita who is no different from his mother through Jayanta. Through his passion not only he committed offence but also got it done through Jayanta. By destroying one part of chakshurindriya power of seeing in one eye, I will make the boon given by Rudradeva invalid. Hence Kuranga may die. But he must be killed by a powerful person capable of killing him. I am that Person. Therefore I will kill Kurangasura by destroying one part of seeing power of all crows at the same time.
Even if Kuranga dies now he may be reborn again by the boon of Rudradeva if future crows are born with two chakshurindriya power of seeing perception. Therefore in this day of Brahma I will make all future crows to be born only with one part of seeing power of perception.
Crows that take birth during Brahma’s next day will have normal two chakshurindriya power of seeing. Then the demon who is going to come in the place of Kuranga will conduct similar to present Kuranga and I who accepts Ramavatara will do similarly as I have done now.
Lord Sri Ramachandra picked up a small grass piece and uttered mantras. He threw that sanctified grass towards eyes of Dharantarachara. The effulgence of that grass stick was like fire at the time of universal devastation. It chased after the crow Dharantarachara who was flying with extreme fear. He flew to the abode of Brahma, Rudradeva and Indra. He took shelter of them. They all paid obeisance’s to effulgent grass stick saying “ramaya namah:” (I surrender at the lotus feet of Rama). No one in the fourteen planetary systems was able to give shelter to the crow Dharantarachara. Then he came back and surrender to Lord Sri Ramachandra’s lotus feet praying “O refuge of surrender souls and most compassionate Lord have mercy on me and protect me from this effulgent fire”.
Lord Sri Ramachandra being protector of all surrender souls accomplished what he wished. Lord’s single grass weapon assumed unlimited different forms at the same time. In a flash of a second each one of the form approached each crow. Lord in His form as grass weapon destroyed one part of chakshurindraya power of seeing in all the crows of the world at the same time. Lord also killed Kuranga demon who was living in two forms in each of all crows in the world. Kuranga demon died as all his forms were destroyed including his original form. All the crows survived without any pain. Jayanta did not die. Only the daityavesa the demonic takeover of his feelings were destroyed. Jayanata glorified Lord Sri Ramachandra for his deliverance and left for his abode. Lord Sri Ramachandra smiled lovingly looking at Sita.
This is the story in Ramayana. There will be slightly different forms of this story depending upon kalpa and it does not change the effect on the vision of crows.
When we observe crow’s motion, way of eating food, flying, sitting etc., one notices that: (1) Crow’s head sometimes bends towards left and sometimes bends towards right.
(2) When it is on a straight path, its head does not remain steady.
(3) They are easy prey for cats etc. May be cats misuse their limited vision? If a crow looking right side, then a stone thrown on left side will not draw its attention.
(4) Even though crows are known to be very intelligent animals and very community oriented to compensate for incomplete vision. One’s blocked left vision is compensated by right side vision of another crow. They give one another warning about the threat to their life from a direction that they can not perceive properly.
To prove further, one needs to study in detail about crow’s habitat systematically. However Vedic satvic scripture is always right and one can not overcome Supreme Lord’s will. It is exemplified in Srimad Bhagavatam (10-2-26) where in all the devatas (demigods headed by Lord Brahma along with many sages headed by Naradamuni) praying to Supreme Lord Sri Hari in the womb of Mother Devaki.
satya-vrataḿ satya-paraḿ tri-satyaḿ
satyasya yoniḿ nihitaḿ ca satye
satyasya satyam ṛta-satya-netraḿ
satyātmakaḿ tvāḿ śaraṇaḿ prapannāḥ


The demigods prayed: O Lord, You never deviate from Your vow, which is always perfect because whatever You decide is perfectly correct and cannot be stopped by anyone. Being present in the three phases of cosmic manifestation — creation, maintenance and annihilation — You are the Supreme Truth. Indeed, unless one is completely truthful, one cannot achieve Your favor, which therefore cannot be achieved by hypocrites. You are the active principle, the real truth, in all the ingredients of creation, and therefore you are known as antaryāmī, the inner force. You are equal to everyone, and Your instructions apply for everyone, for all time. You are the beginning of all truth. Therefore, offering our obeisances, we surrender unto You. Kindly give us protection.

If proven that crows vision is limited to single eye at any one time and the perception changes from left to right, and then right to left- then the scientists have to come up with answers for many questions.

(1) Is this perception only found in crows? If so why?

(2) How is it possible that only a single species of crows has this problem?

(3) How does this fit in to Darwin evolution or neo Darwin evolution theory?

(4) Can evolution scientists explain this anomaly properly without loosing ground?

(5) Is perception switch is carried out at optical sensory level (physical)?

(6) If the switch is not physical, is it subtle or suksma?

(7) How can we possibly understand what we can not perceive directly?

(8) If switching is subtle or suksma, what is its nature?

(9) Is there correlation or location in DNA/RNA corresponding to perception switch?

(10) Can a modification to DNA/RNA accomplish the correction of vision?

(11) If not then is it that DNA/RNA coding is final or intermediary level?

(12) What is that dictates DNA/RNA coding directly or indirectly?

(13) Can the Vedic model explain the crow’s vision properly?

(14) Does this most profound phenomenon of Zoology provide overwhelming evidence for the Ramayana?

[Gita dasi]

Dear Maharaja,

Please accept my dandavats. Jaya Srila Gurudeva!

When I was a child I always wanted to be a zoologist, but I upon joining ISKCON at age 17 I gave up any idea of continuing my education. I really relished this Hari katha, and also found it in Mahabharatha Tatparya Nirnaya Chapter 5.

1) Is there some way I can assist in this project?

2) Do I need a scientific degree?

3) If so, can you and/or Florida Vedic college assist me to easily get that degree?

4) Do you know any story from sastra about Supreme Lord or his devotees incarnating as a mole (Soricomorpha Talpidae - blind creature with pink nose which digs a home underground)?

Yours in Gurudeva's service,
Gita dasi

[Swami B.V. Vishnu Daivata]

Dandavats didi,

You can certainly help us do further research.

Your servant,
Swami BV Vishn Daivata