A blogger "Bach" called those "flesh eating crows" and I had to express...
I came across a blog referencing "कागा सब तन खाइयो चुन चुन खाइयो मांस; दो नैना मत खाइयो मोहे पिया मिला की आस"(://bachodi.in/2021/03/20/flesh-eating-crows-and-other-songs/)
The theme of self-sacrifice/self-torture is not alien to someone who is slightly also familiar with Sufi songs or Kabir Dohas. To my understanding these kind of verses suggest that love is difficult- be it divine or physical-ephemeral. Painfully poignant, the said lines reminds me of a verse: “Kabir yeh ghar prem ka, khala ka ghar naahi; sees utaare bhui dhare, tab paithe ghar maahi” The beheading here, is a metaphor for dissolving of ego and not real imagery that conjures upon the mind. I do believe there is another metaphysical dimension to eating of flesh.
The reference of eating of flesh also reminds me of torture of Prometheus for stealing of fire.
The difference between the torture of Prometheus and baba Fareed or Kabeer doha is self afflicted pain vs pain imposed by someone else on you.
Many religions practice self-flagellation (Christianity, Judaism, Jainism, some sects of Hinduism and most noticeably Shia Islam) as a form of penance and becoming closer to God. Pain and suffering is a major part of understanding the depth of spirituality, love and passion. It signifies the importance of being mortal and what it means to have a body in which resides the soul with the capacity to be immortalized– essentially to recognize one's own value system. I do not actually support the physical act of self-violence beyond a point but can understand the psyche and religious practices.
When the lover invites the crow to eat his flesh but to leave his eyes to catch the last glimpse of his beloved, to me, it symbolizes as an ultimate theological virtue and a metaphor. The flesh is going to be worn out eventually but not the experience that the soul has lived with. Believers hang on to their values, even if it seem at times that they are tarnished and worn out; even when they are actually being tortured, betrayed and turned inside out, they go on only because of the constant desire of being one with the soul. Eyes are often portrayed as windows to soul. Eyes also signify vision and self-reflection. The flesh here is something in line with the song ""Sixteen Tons"- an instrument, a tool.
Pain in inevitable, suffering is optional. Facing conflict and adversity irrespective of the triumph, just for the sake of being transformed into a better version of oneself is part of Hero’s journey. To me, not worrying about the end result, being passionate about one's true calling (even on the death-bed) and endure the pain with a smile is what makes a real hero. It's the audacity of hope. As Obama states, it's the pervasive spirit of determination, self-reliance coupled with relentless optimism. A kind of faith in the love and hope in humanity.
P.S. I do not support/endorse sadism or real life crazy behavior/torture in real relationships. To me such extreme examples (sometimes grotesque) are given and stories are created to make one understand the fragility of being human and become humble.