When comparing the sins of the Crow and Ravana against Sita Piratti, it is clear that the crime of the crow was far worse than that of Ravana. Certainly, Ravana did not physically hurt Her to the extent of making the blood flow. Our acharyas have determined that had Ravana kept Sita in the battlefield instead of in the Ashoka Vana, while waging the war with Sri Rama, he too would have survived. It is for this reason that Pillai Lokachariar said "ivaL sannidhiyAlE kAkam thalaipetRadhu. adhillAmaiyAlE rAvaNan mudindhAn".

Is it sufficient that She just be nearby? Should not the chetana perform sharaNAgati to gain His protection? The crow was protected only after it surrendered. Ravana would never surrender. So, how would he be saved just by Her presence?

The answer is - It is not right to think that the crow was saved because it surrendered. The crow went to all three worlds and unable to find refuge anywhere it simply fell down near Sri Rama. It did not seek to surrender to Him. This is clearly said in the Paadma Purana. Sri Ramayanam also says that the crow fell to the ground ("sa tam nipatitam bhUmau"). In the vyakhyanam for Stotra Ratnam shloka 63 ("raghuvara! yadabhUtastvam tAdrusho vAyasasya praNata iti dayALu"), Vedanta Desikan states that the crow did not perform sharanagati and that it was the divine heart of Sri Rama that considered the crow as having taken refuge. He also states in Adaikkala Paththu "eththisaiyum uzhanROdi iLaiththu vizhum kAgam pOl" - that is, the crow fell unable to move anymore (and not that he performed sharanagati).

However, there is also a way to say that kAkAsura had indeed performed sharaNagati. Sharanagati has been defined in different ways. One of them is 'the state of not hindering His grace by one's own acts'. This can be seen with kAkAsura.

This state is also seen with Ravana when He was defeated by Sri Rama in the battlefield and stood with nothing ("chachAla sApanjcha mumocha vIra:"). It is therefore that He told Ravana to go back that night and return the next day. So, He should have not killed Ravana who had committed the lesser sin than the crow, in the end. But, it was because of the absence of the Sita that He killed him.

The meaning of ka: dharmagya: is therefore established through the words of Sita "dharmagya: sharaNAgatvatsala:" and Janaka "mama sutA sahadharmacharI tava".