Birds Sanskrit Literature The "पक्षिणः काञ्चनप्रख्यान् नानाशब्दसमाकुलात्" उत्तर खण्ड, 16.23 mentions it as the sweet voiced me, and also describes its behaviour at the sight of poison:- 80 "खगैर्मधुररावंच चारुचामीकरप्रभैः” 136, 15; "चामीकरोऽन्यतो याति, मृत्युं कारण्डवस्तथा" ... 220, 20. The Black-headed Orioles (maroon or yellow) occur in the Himalayas according to the वायुपुराण:- "सुग्रीवकाञ्चनरवः कलविस्तैस्तथा" 36, 4. The gives for for 'a kind of bird', and looking to its derivation from fपज्जलं (हरिद्राभे—विश्वप्रकाश ) or पिज्जालं, 'gold', it can only be the Oriole. The name seems to be allied to Hindi fr and for for the Black-headed variety. Our classical poets have been more than partial to birds like the f , and, and it is a pity that the common and charming Orioles should have been completely ignored. 20 GRACKLES OR HILL-MYNAS 1. The Grackle is popularly known as the Hill- or the Talking Myna. Apart from its glossy black plumage its distinctive features are fleshy yellow wattles on the head, bare yellow skin on the sides of the face, and orange yellow bill and legs. 2. In the Rg-Veda (1.50,12) it has been called from , 'causing a cicatrix' (also perhaps a cicatrix or healed wound) in reference to the wattles and the bare skin that characterize the bird. These features are supposed to be healed scars as it were. Its later name वरण्डा s also derived from, a boil or pimple on the face. There are other bird-names as well formed on the same lines, e.g., the Black Ibis is called from, a scar, because of the bare and pimpled head of the bird and the Red-wattled Lapwing सदालूता (लूता चमंत्रणे- धन्वन्तरि carrying permanent pimples on the face ) :- "टिट्टिभी पीतपादश्च सदालूता नुजागर: # धन्वन्तरि निषन्दु, means 'the dart of the god 3. रोपण also means an arrow i.e., शलाका which latter has formed the basis for its name or simply war in the Lexicons. The name of Love' because the bird was aught professional trainers (cf. arfer ser as one of the 64 Fine Arts) to repeat little 'bons mots' and love-phrases to remind busy aristocrat or king, passing through his age or harem, of the undying love for him of its (bird's) lady-patron, or to invite him to a particular queen. I doubt if the Vedic name was derived from in the sense of 'an arrow', but - शलाका is certainly comparable with "कामशल्यामिषुं" in AV. 3,25, 2. 4.. The Grackle or Talking Myna was also known in Sanskrit by the name 'मदनसारिका'. Names like कादम्बरी (कद्+अम्बर, black-plumaged) and the allied couples like, gft and areT ('love messenger', and 'one-exerting for a lover' respectively), and (giving pleasure), and (a good talker) for the bird are merely lexical pedantry. They seem to have been invented for use in a double sense in puzzles (f) and puns (श्लेष). 5. It shares also the name wf (v.1 arfer) with the Common Myna (Art 21), and which of the two birds is intended in a given passage must be made out from the context. fr as a talking cage-bird is the
