206 Birds in Sanskrit Literature For the reason why the female ft becomes the (masculine) see section D, para, 3, of this article. It will be seen that the term really stands for the female bird. The highest compliment to the courage of this Eagle is paid when it is said that, during a drinking bout, the courage of god flowed out of his heart in the form of a श्येन – “हृदयात्विषिरस्रवत् स श्येनो पाठिहा भवद् वयसां राजा”-शत. www.¹. The significance of the epithet af (killing with the claws) would be clear when it is remembered that the powerful hind claw of the Golden Eagle with which, backed by the impetus of the swoop, the prey is struck down, is as large as three inches and more round the curve as against two inches of the Imperial and still less of the other Eagles. No wonder, therefore, at the well-deserved epithet or name of gre for him. This reminds one of the name for a kind of bird included in the list of birds quoted from the old refer (probably no longer extant) in the भट्टोत्पलटीका on बृहत्संहिता 2 मुक्तक means a missile like a javelin (cf.
- ) and the term has probably been extended also to Falcons and
Hawks discharged from the hand strike or bring down other birds. Expressions like हस्तमोक and मुष्टिमोक (from root मुच्) used in the सैनिक शास्त्र, lend strong support to this supposition. Applied to other birds the qualifying adjective 'g' clearly signifies their large size in their own class, e.g. फौच and महाकौव्व; हंस and महाहंस महामुक्तक, therefore, would seem to be a Golden Eagle trained to hunt for his master. The simile of 'a great bird sent forth or cast away ft in RV.4 is probably based upon the use of a large bird of prey for hawking. In वाज. संहिता, 24.25 this Eagle has been called a महासुपर्ण distinguish it from the Smaller Imperial or Tawny Eagle called simply g (Kandika 37 of the same chapter) 5, and the almost reverential respect paid to this great bird may be seen in references like : वैनतेयत्र पक्षिणाम् भगवद्गीता 10.30. सुपर्णोऽहं पतत्रिणाम्-भागवत, 11.16.15. where Lord sur identifies himself with him. A few of the other names attributed to this Eagle may now be consi- dered. Fr, golden-winged, is after the light rufous-brown on shoulders of the dark-brown wings. The equation "fr"-eating for a long 1. 12.7.1.6. 2. page 1018. 3. 4.2-3. 4. 9.86.13. 5. In this kandika the imposing Blue-bull or Nilgao, the beautiful Peacock and the lordly looking Tawny Eagle (g) are offered to the handsome af:. These latter are also very noisy (hence named ET, ) singers and the three victims selected for them are also noisy. The है. सं. 5.5.16 substitutes श्येन for सुपर्ण.. In classical litrature also the Tawny Eagle is referred to as vi, see para. (iv) below. Eagles, Falcons and Allied Birds time or taking long over one's meal-would seem to refer to the snake- eating birds like the Serpent-Eagles or the White-bellied Sea-Eagle; or again it may be a purely mythical name referring to taking a long time to finish off an elephant! frarre is the Golden Eagle who builds as a rule on cliffs and only occasionally on a tree; cf. the description of the sun at dawn as a reddish Golden Eagle who has no nest i.e. who knows no rest and is ever soaring in the heaven - अरुणः सुपर्ण आ यो महः शूरः सदानीक:" RV.A and its synonyms, e.g. it, are truer of the Serpent and Sea- Eagles than this and must be treated as epithets based on a mythical assumption only. The name me refers to the Eagle perching for prefer- ence on a large tree of that name or occasionally nesting on it. Names like Tere, f (mythical, with reference to Indra's bolt made ineffective by सुपर्ण), विशालाक्ष, विष्णुधर्मा (mythical, being the vehicle of God विष्णु) etc. in the rare-list belong to him. The name is perfectly true of him but may also be shared by the Lamb or Bearded Vulture according to popular belief though the latter is wholly incapable of lifting a lamb or kid. (ii) The Imperial Eagle is a sluggish heavy bird, some 5-6 inches smaller than the Golden Eagle. He is of a glossy blackish-brown colour with the lanceolate feathers of the head, back of the neck and sides tawny buff, the head being very much lighter than the Golden Eagle's. The plumage of an adult Imperial is very like that of an adult Golden but a young Imperial has the whole upper plumage tawny buff, wing-quills blackish to brown and the lower parts pale fulvous-buff. The young of both take several years to acquire the adult plumage. In strength, courage, method of flight and of obtaining food they are poles apart. If the Golden Eagle is the most powerful and the boldest of the larger birds of prey, living on Snow cocks, Pheasants, Pigeons, Tahr, Barhel (species of Himalayan goats and sheep) and Musk-deer, the Imperial is inferior in every respect, can hardly kill anything for himself and is content for the most part with carrion and is a constant attendant at slaughter houses. He is also more of a plains bird and places his nest always on trees. He is found throughout the Punjab. Because of his outward similarity with the Golden Eagle the latter has frequently been credited by less expert observers with the ignoble habits of the Imperial Eagle (Donald). This and other Eagles are the carrion eating (म्याद) सुपर्ण and श्येन of the अथवंवेद, महाभारत, etc. 1. X.55.6. 2. XI.26, 3. XI.10.24. 207 मर्माविधं रोरुवतं सुपर्णैरदन्तु दुश्चितं मृदितं शयानम्- अथर्ववेद सर्वानदन्तु तान्हतान्गृधा: श्येनाः पतत्रिण:- Ibids
