Birds in Sanskrit Literature Herself undergoing severe penance in ice-cold water to secure union with her beloved Siva, Pärvati pities quite naturally the couple separated for the night: परस्पराक्रन्दिनि चक्रवाकयोः पुरोवियुक्त मिथुने कृपावती । 452 - कुमारसंभव, 5.26 The poetic conventions regarding the painful separation of the couples and the closing of the lotus flowers at night have been utilized with considerable effect in the following verse: विश्लेषाकुलचक्रवाकमिथुनैरुत्पीडमाक्रन्दिते कारुण्यादिव मीलितासु नलिनीष्वस्तं च मित्रे गते । शोकेनेव दिगङ्गनाभिरभितः श्यामायमानैर्मुख- निःश्वासानलधूमवर्तय इवोद्गीर्णास्तमोराजयः ।। -नलचम्पू, 5.75 See also नेमिनिर्वाण काव्य, 9.11 People living in the country, somewhere in or beyond the Hima- layas, are truly happy since they are free from marital jealousy: एकैकमनुरक्ताच चक्रवाकमिव ध्रुवम् । अनामया ह्यशोकाश्च नित्यं मुदितमानसाः || -मत्स्यपुराण, 113.76 The desolate condition of Sità in the garden of Rävaņa: सहचररहितेव चक्रवाकी जनकसुता कृपणां दशां प्रपन्ना । - रामायण, 5.16.30 All Swans, Geese and Ducks pair for life but as the Geese are seen moving in flocks as against the , always seen in pairs, the indirectly attributes promiscuity to the Grey Lags get and a conversation between a - . The former, seeing a number of pretty women sporting amorously with a prince na hill overlooking a lake, praises the good luck of the women and the latter criticising their behaviour as unworthy of good women makes the following reply: कलहंसि ! पतिधंन्यो मम धन्याहमेव च । यस्यैकस्यां चिरं चित्तं यस्याकन संस्थितम् ॥ 62.18 of river and lake or The , it will be seen, occupies a status of its own in Hindu cul- ture and this explains why it is particularly named in scenic descriptions the protective clauses of all works on ima. It is quite useless as a table bird, nevertheless sportsmen abuse and defame it for its alertness and the timely warning of approaching danger it gives to its cousins. There is not a single eye-witness or other authentic evidence, e.g.. examination of stomach contents, in support of the vile charge made Swans, Geese, Ducks and Mergansers 453 against it that it feeds on dead human bodies. If there were any truth in the allegation the observant Indians would not have missed the fact. On the contrary there is evidence that it is mainly a vegetable feeder and does. not eat fruit or flesh. The of the as named after it, No. 434, makes the following reply to a Crow who envied the former's golden plumage: न अण्णवे संति फलानि ढंक ! मंसं कुतो खादितुं चक्कवाके । सेवालभक्ख' म्ह अवाकभोजना, न घासहेतुं पकरोम पापं ।। What, however, seems probable is that, the bird being held sacred in India, some shrewed Brahman assistant of a sporting Sahib of the old John Com- pany told his boss a deliberate lie to protect the bird and the lie is still persisting. 9. The Mallard or Wild Duck (24") breeds in the Himalayas as else- where in Europe and Asia, is resident in Kashmir, and descends to the plains of North India from the Punjab to Assam and South to Rajasthan and through Madhya Pradesh to Bombay. It prefers large open sheets of water but does not disdain small rivulets, ponds and even ditches. The drake is greyish-white with the head and upper neck glossy emerald-green separated by a white collar from the chestnut breast. It possesses a beauti- ful violet-purple speculum bordered both above and below with black and white bands. The four central tail feathers are black glossed blue- green and curled up backwards. It is a most handsome Duck and "one of the greatest dandies of the bird-world". It is known in Hindi as tafere नीरएगी and लिलगही (fr. नीलशीर्ष or नीलग्रीवक) after the drake's bright green head and neck. पालकाप्य mentions नीलग्रीवक as a water-bird in हस्त्यायुर्वेद, ch. 13, p. 198 and the name clearly refers to the Mallard, The name , in a wider sense, serves as a common base with appropriate epithets to denote quite a number of water-birds including the Mallard (Art. 58). The Mallard with a yellow bill is the stages ; •see पीतवुण्ड in Apte and शब्दकल्पद्रुम' As the most beautiful Duck it is the बन्धुर (Goose-like or beautiful) a and (charming Duck or water- bird) of धन्वन्तरि: अथ बन्धुरः कारण्डवः प्लवो मञ्जुः T in the following example is the Mallard as an ornamental bird on a garden-tank: 1. The synonymy-"चञ्चुसूचिस्तु सुगृहः पीततुण्ड:" with an alternative reading of पीतमुण्ड for पीततुण्ड in विकाण्डशेष has been misunderstood by the commentators in the सारार्थचन्द्रिका and editions (Bombay) and as frage is a kind of Duck or reg the first two names, which really belong to the Weaver Bird, have been incorrectly appropriated to the reg. M. Williams also renders all the three incorrectly but as 'Sylvia sutoria', the Tailor Bird, though his rendering of us as the Weaver Bird (Loxia philippensis) is correct. The entire synonymy with the correct reading of faqe refers exclusively to the Weaver Bird-Art. 22.
