420 Birds in Sanskrit Literature. Artistic use of this association between bird and clouds was made in summer-houses of royal palaces where a row of Flamingos sculptured in marble, set against a ceiling painted with dark clouds, showered water from their rose-fitted beaks : क्वचित्स्फटिकबलाकावलीवान्तवारिधारा लिखितेन्द्रायुधाः सञ्चार्यमाणा मायामेघमाला: कादम्बरी, p. 323. 15. The Flamingo is undoubtedly one of the "भद्रपक्षिण:" or auspicious birds of India and has naturally won for itself a place of honour with the Rain-god, पर्जन्य, as we have seen, just like the Golden Eagle ( सुपर्ण) of Lord विष्णु, the Peacock of कार्तिकेय, and the Swan of ब्रह्मा and सरस्वती. We have also noticed the Flamingo as the बरहंस of the morning गायत्री and as the wise ॠ of इन्द्राग्नी. It now remains to cite a few examples from litera- ture just to show how well the ancients had observed the bird and its ways in nature. Hume, struck with the beauty of these birds massed near the water or flying above it exclaims: "How shall I describe the countless myriads of Flamingos that are seen either massed upon the water, huge rosy islands, or floating above it like a sun-set cloud, in all the larger lakes of Sind ? But the great poet वाल्मीकि anticipated this description, though in a different setting, a couple of thousand years ago : स तया शुशुभे श्रीमान् लतया कण्ठसक्तया । मालयेव बलाकानां ससन्ध्य इव तोयदः ॥ - रामायण, 4.12.41. Here a garland of white गजपुष्पी flowers set against the dark reddish body of सुग्रीव is compared with a flight of Flamingos seen against a dark cloud in the glow of sun-set. Their aerial westward migration to their breeding grounds during June-July when the rain clouds are advancing from the East is more often described than their return in autumn : मेघाभिकामा परिसंपतन्ती संमोदिता भाति बलाकपङ क्तिः । वातावधूता वरपोण्डरीकी, लम्बेव माला रुचिराम्बरस्य || विद्युत्पताका सबलाकमालाः... गर्जन्ति मेघाः 2. 3. गजपुष्पी - रामायण, 4.28.23. -Ibid. 4.28.20. विद्युन्मण्डलसंनद्धाः सबलाका इवाम्बुदा:-- Ibid 4.42.36. 1. The expression सञ्चार्य माणा मायामेघमाला shows that some sort of moveable screen painted with clouds in different shades was fitted to the ceiling above the sculptured row of Flamingos. Stray Feathers, Vol. 1.257. according to हिन्दीशब्दसागर is the नागदौन plant, Staphylea Emodi which bears white flowers in panicles. See Brandis, p. 181, and Forest Flora by B. L.. Gupta (1928). p. 138, Flamingos 421 This striking association between these white birds and the dark rain- clouds became so very fixed that a convention grew up among the poets. not to refer to the return flights, quite impressive enough though they must have been, in their descriptions of the शरत् or autumn season. Even Kālidāsa could not resist this tradition and is forced to sing : धन्वन्ति पक्षपवनेनं नभो बलाकाः । पश्यन्ति नोन्नतमुखाः गगनं मयूरा ॥ The हरिवंश has the following :- -ऋतुसंहार, 3.12. विजला विमला व्योम्ति विबलाका विविद्युतः |— 2.16.13-15. Not that the poet's eye is blind to the Flamingos' return in autumn but it is naturally more sympathetic to the newer and more varied arrivals, the Cranes, Geese and Ducks that are quite conspicuous both in the air and at all waters throughout North India : क्रौच्चहंससमाकीर्णा शरत्प्रमुदिताभवत्- महाभारत, 3.923.90. Nevertheless, the Flamingos are not forgotten altogether, for the unconven- tional author of the ब्रह्मवैवर्तपुराण has actually defied the poetic tradition: मालतीमालया श्यामकण्ठवक्षःस्थलोज्ज्वलम् । बकपडक्त्या यथाऽऽकाशं शारदीयं सुनिर्मलम् ॥” – 4.21.41. Needless to say that to translate expressions like बलाकमाला, बकपंक्ति or बलाका as 'a flight of Cranes' or of Egrets is entirely incorrect. Cranes, with the exception of the resident Sarus which flies low and in small numbers, are not to be seen in India during the rains while the Egrets are always with us and though they too often fly in V-form like the Sarus they do so at a very low level. It is only the Flamingos, Cranes and the Geese that fly very high, almost at the level of the clouds. In the following verse वराहमिहिर, describing the beauty of the skies (आकाशम्) at the beginning of the rainy season pictures the dark clouds as huge elephants with Flamingos in V-form for their white tusks: तडिद्वैमकक्ष्यैर्बलाकाग्रदन्तः स्रवद्वारिदानश्चलत्प्रान्तहस्तैः । विचितेन्द्र चापध्वजोच्छ्रायशोभैस्तमालालिनीलवृतं चाब्दनाः ॥ - बृहत्संहिता, 24.17.
