पृष्ठम्:Birds in Sanskrit literature.djvu/१५८

Birds in Sanskrit Literature Appreciation of this Pheasant, one of the most beautiful birds of the world is indicated by the fact that it was considered as a fit present for young कार्तिकेय :- 278 "सुपर्णोऽस्य ददौ पुत्रं मयूरं चित्रबहिणम् ।" "गरुडो दयितं पुत्रं मयूरं चिवबर्हणम् ।" "चित्रबर्हणनामानं स्वपुत्रं गरुडो ददौ । अरुणस्ताम्रचूडाख्यं बलिनं चरणायुधम् ॥” - शिवपुराण 17. इन्द्राम as a name for this Pheasant has been defined by हेमाद्रि as a particular bird resembling a कडक, the Brahminy Kite, and of a variegated plumage ("पक्षिविशेषः कङ्कसदृशो विविधवर्ण:"--अष्टाङ्गहृदयकोश). Now this bird with a square tail, unlike most other Pheasants, and a large hooked bill does bear a certain amount of resemblace to the Brahminy Kite and for this reason has been considered as mystically related to गरुड as his son. The मयूर said to have been born out of the tip of a feather or सुपर्ण knocked out by the bolt of इन्द्र in सुपर्णाध्याय, 28, is obviously this Pheasant. "छिन्नं विधा तत्कुलिशेन पत्र तस्याग्रखण्डादभवन्मयूरः ।" -M.Bh. 13.86,21 -स्कन्दपुराण This clearly explains the relationship with Garuda and also the converti- bility of the terms मयूर and बहिण for the Peacock and this Pheasant as already indicated above. चित्रबई again in the महाभारत list of Garuda's progeny is evidently this bird, the चित्रबर्हण of the Puranas. One of the Naga Kings of the Buddhist Literature was named after this bird as इन्द्रायुध शिखिन्, which simply means a Cock with feathery crest and body-plumage of the colours of a rainbow-cf. इन्द्राभ Goddess नारायणी, i.e., पार्वती, is said to live in the midst of मयूरकुक्कुट birds :- "मयूरकुक्कुटतृते महाशक्तिधरे ऽनघे । कौमारी रूपसंस्थाने नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥" - मार्क. पुराण 88, 14 and the doubting commentator has fortunately reproduced the following alternative note on मयूर कुक्कुट from the commentary of शन्तनु चक्रवर्ती on सप्तशतिका :- "मयूराः कुक्कुटा इव चित्रपुच्छवर्जिता मयूरकुक्कुटाः तैः वृते । यदभ्युधु :- आरक्तनेत्रपिच्छायो मयूरः कुक्कुटः स्मृतः । बहॅण वजितो वहीं यः स मयूरकुक्कुटः ॥" 1. I कौमारिका खण्ड Ch.30. 2. 2nd रुद्र सं०, कुमार खण्ड. 5.49. 3. महाव्युत्पत्ति 168.47. Peafowls, Junglefowls, Pheasants, and Quails 279 The eyes of the Monal are brown and to this extent the above definition is incorrect but it would be equally so for the Peacock as well for there is no red in or about its eyes. It would be ridiculous to take the phrase "बहॅण वजितो वहीं" as the common Peacock devoid of its splendid train, for then the reference to पार्वती living in the midst of Peacocks shorn of their glory would be a most graceless one and there seems to be little doubt that what is meant is "a Peacock-like bird which does not possess a long tail like the Peacock's". The identity of मयूरकुक्कुट ( a Cock resembling a Peacock without the latter's long tail) with the Monal or Impeyan Pheasant should thus be beyond doubt. Nevertheless, the compound name has been misunder- stood and rendered as two different birds, viz., the Peacock and the Common Cock, in a later Purána. A gift again to कार्तिकेय :- "गरुडादतिसृष्टी हि पक्षिणी द्वौ प्रभद्रकौ । मयूरः कुक्कुट व, पताका चैव वायुना ॥" In this verse the singular "मयूर. कुक्कुट:" of the been mistaken for two different birds :- ब्रह्माण्डपुराण following would seem to have "मयूरः कुक्कुटचं व पताका चैव वायुना।" वायुपुराण The मयूर as the mythological mount or vehicle of कार्तिकेय should therefore be this Pheasant and not the Peacock but here too the position has often been misunderstood. The Monal has been mentioned as मयूरादिविया (दिव्य 'living in heaven, i.e., in the Himalayas' or 'shining) in verse 26 of किचिदजातकs and as "सुवण्ण वण्ण मोर" or सुवण्ण मोर (सुवर्णमयूर ) in मोरजातक, 4 described as :- "दस्सनीयो पासादिको पक्खानं अंतरे सुरत्तराजि विराजिते ।" It is said to pray to the sun morning and evening, referring to the whistl- ing calls of the bird, quite unlike the केकाध्वनि of the Peacock related to thundering clouds. "परखानं अंतरे सुरतराजि" refers to the rather longish cinnamon-chestnut tail between the wings. The name सुवर्णमयूर has its analogue in Persian-"Murgh-i-Zarreen", the Golden Cock, for this Pheasant. C. TRAGOPANS, BLOOD PHEASANTS & PARTRIDGES 1. "The Horned Pheasants or Tragopans are amongst the most beauti- fully coloured of all game-birds, the males being more or less clad in red, with white or grey spots, and armed with a stout spur. The male has an 1. 2.10.47. 2. उत्त 11.46. 3. No. 511. 4. No. 159.