192 Birds in Sanskrit Literature Other names are गोप्ठ, पोष्ट-कुक्कुट, गोष्ठचर, गोष्ठगोचर and शकुन्त. The first four emphasize his mean status and correspond to his European name, 'the Pharaoh's chicken' and the following synonymies connect them with the last name as also with मास:- "भासो घोष्ट-कुक्कुटगृध्रयोः”–विश्वप्रकाश. "भासस्तु भासि गृधशकुन्तयोः" "शकुन्तो विहगे भासे" -हेमचन्द्र The names based on or (a village or settlement of cowherds) refer to the bird's habit of frequenting the neighbourhood of villages but the etymology of the name wg for this particular bird is not clear and even हेमचन्द्र contents himself by merely saying- "सामान्योऽपि विशेषे वर्तते"- अभि० ferte. It is however important to note that the bird goes by the name ta (Dung-Vulture) in Hindi and this may perhaps help to etymolo- gise शकुन्त as शकं, गोमयं पुरीषं वा उनति भेदयति; or शकार्ये उनत्ति गच्छति (?)1, for he is also seen descending to farm refuse or cow-dung. The power of flight of this junior wre in regard to speed and alti- tude has been rated above that of the Sparrows and the Crows and as equal to that of birds like the Storks, Ibises, Herons, etc. () and the Fishing Eagles including the Osprey. Then come in order the commoner Eagles and Hawks, the large or true Vultures, the Swans and. Geese, and finally, the Golden Eagle : "आयः पन्थाः कुलिङ्गानां ये चान्ये धान्यजीविनः द्वितीयो बलिभोजानां ये च वृक्षफलाशना: भासास्तृतीयं गच्छन्ति क्रौञ्चाश्र कुररैः सह श्येनाचतुर्थं गच्छन्ति गृध्रा गच्छन्ति पञ्चमम् पन्था हंसानां वैनतेयगतिः परा" Rāmāyaṇa, 4.58,24-27. It is an admitted fact that the Golden Eagle (वैनतेय, सुपर्ण) soars to a greater height than any other bird (British Ency.-"Eagle"). The White Scavenger Vulture is apparently the most tame and harmless member of the group and soars high enough but not very high. The name in the following, rendered as wf by the commentator, would seem to stand for this bird : “आरण्योऽजो नकुलः शका ते पौष्णा:” -Vaj. Samhită, 24, 32. शकुन्ति means भासपक्षी in शब्दकल्पद्रुम, and गोष्ठकुक्कुट in निघण्टरत्नाकर which therefore settles its identity. God guy is regarded as the keeper of flocks and herds of goats, cattle, etc., and bringer of prosperity. Being toothless he lives on a kind of gruel and is therefore known as also. Of the three living things dedicated to this deity the first is his own mount, the second, an 1. cf. कुन्तः शरीरं उनत्ति भेदयति दारयति वा धातूनामनेकार्थत्वात् उन्द + बाहुलकात् तः। शकन्ध्यादिवत्- साधुः शब्दकल्पद्रुम Vultures and Lammergeyer 193 ichneumon which helps to protect herds of goats and farm animals against snakes and other vermin and must therefore have been a welcome tenant of the early settlements probably even before the cat was domesti- cated,' and the third, the innocuous Vulture being in attendance about the settlements, is indicative of their prosperity and well-being. Soaring low over them he typifies the supervising and protective function of gr. It is not without reason that has no teeth and is compulsorily a vegetarian, for the idea seems to be to place this guardian of the herds beyond the temptation of even killing any of his wards for what would otherwise be to him a dainty meat-dish, and the bird chosen for him is also one that rarely eats carrion and depends principally upon a very low type of soft food. The name weer (v.l. ), again, for 'a bird of prey' would appear to be this Vulture, and the name may well have something to do with (dung) and -r 'to disturb' and have the same sense as wg. Neither of these two names can be from - as this bird has nothing to deserve a name indicative of strength, and I repeat that his Hindi name of 'Dung- Vulture' lends strong support to the derivations suggested above. If, on the other hand, the name wg is also applicable to the powerful Bearded Vulture, it must be treated as a homonym and derived from the root शक्-शातो. This "base and degrading object" is clearly the दिआहमद (द्विजाधम, a mean or low bird) and कीबसउण (v.l. कीवसउण) from क्लीब शकुन 3 impotent or weak Vulture) of Prakrit Lexicons. The ag birds, again, who, according to महाभारत, 1.72.12-13 protected the infant शकुन्तला were apparently a party of these harmless Vultures. He is also the g of a story related in the , II. 438. The Asura-Panis who were the keepers of the cows of Indra and other gods stole and hid them in a deep valley. The gods therefore flatteringly addressed the bird as a gi (having excellent or powerful wings) and commissioned him to discover the whereabouts of the cows. He actually discovered them but, accepting a bribe of afer and afen from the Panis, told a lie and betrayed the trust reposed in him by 1. CI. "बञ्चको गेहनकुले" -हेमचन्द्र, for the pet ichneumon sometimes acts treacherously and kills domestic poultry. 2. The synonymy "भासो भास समाख्यातो पोष्टकुक्कुटायो:"विश्वप्रकाश, has been inadvertently mis-interpreted both in and M. Williams, for overlooking the dual termina- tion of the compound घोष्टकुक्कुटगृधयो: They have incorrectly split up घोष्टकुक्कुट (a single synonym for W) into and and rendered as (i) a cow-pen, and (ii) a Cock! The name simply means 'a bird of a cattle-settlement or of a village'. He is one of the village birds and animals (ग्रामवासिनः) in अग्निपुराण, 231.11. भास as a गुठ in the synonymy is the Pearded-Vulture or the Lammergeyer. 3. CI. क्लीब जीविका in महाभारत, 3.33.13. Prakrit गुत्थंडो for भास पक्षी in देशी नाममाला would refer to this Vulture if गुत्थंडो is from गूथ and स्वण्डिल open ground or अण्डज bird; cf. as an adnoun for the Pied Myna.
