पृष्ठम्:Birds in Sanskrit literature.djvu/१६९

300 Birds in Sanskrit Literature टिक्क – Hindi टीका; टिकली in Hindi is such a mark or a spangle worn by women on the forchead) fully support the interpretation of ra. Emperor Jehangir mentions the Coot by the Persian name of "Qushq-ul dagh" (Qashq being the sectarian mark of white sandal worn by the Hindus, and 'a spot')¹. It is immaterial whether the bird is actually known in Persia by the name given in the Memoirs but what is certain is that that was how. the bird's Indian name was explained to, or rendered, for hiin, and it un- doubtedly helps to get at the true significance of the epithet . The other two adjectives in the definition indicate the large feet and the dark colour of the Coot. 13. The quotation from the it has already been considered earlier and it only remains to point out that far as are is no other than the Coot and both these terms refer to its gregarious habit. It may also be pointed out here that जालपाद occurring with हंस in स्मृति or धर्मशास्त्र literature, where the birds that may or may not be caten are discussed, means the Coot, but almost all the commentators have missed the true meaning, and I need not refer to some of their absurd explanations like, पि हंसाः सन्तीति हंसानां पुनर्वचनम्."2 सायण माधवाचार्य, however, in his notes on पराशरधर्म- efnahas frankly stated that he does not know the birds named शरभ. and 14. The equation "a" stands for the Coot and not the Goose or Duck. ge incans 'crowded or standing closely together and not 'many-teethed' as assumed by M. Williams. I have not come across any reference to the teeth of a Goose in Sanskrit though the action of their bill and tongue in sifting out food ( in the sense of st) from water is often mentioned. Both the terins of the equation thus mean the same thing moving or living in dense flocks'. 15. महापक्ष in "कारण्डवो महापक्षो" again, refers to the great or large (महा) partics (8) in which the birds are always found.5 So too #ga (moving in their thousands) as a descriptive epithet of za is on a par with as explained above. Lastly may nican a bird that cannot live without water as explained in the or it may be a humorous reference to the birds in the mass as 'the devil's host'. This series of adjectives describing the gregarious habits of the Coot may be compared with the title of the Buddhist work अवलोकितेश्वर गुण कारण्ड ब्यूह, describing the thousands of the virtues of the बोधिसत्व अवलोकितेश्वरः "कारण्ड व्यूह" clearly refers to the packed mass of Coots containing hundreds of thousands of indivi- dual birds covering the surface of large waters by the square mile. The idea 1. Memoirs (Translation by A. Rogers, I.C.S.) p. 342. 2. मिताक्षरा on याशवत्वयस्मृति 1.174. 3. Ch. 6.1; Bombay Sanskrit Series No.59, Vol.II. Pt. i, 1898. 4. For the use of a-afwer in this sense see M.Bh. 3.7.18; 5.195.11; 6.56.8 (said of an army arranged in गरुडव्यूह). 5. Compare "gri faa" for a friend having a large number of supporters' in कामन्दक नीतिसार 7.66 (translated by M. Williams). Rails, Crakes, Moorhens, Watercocks and Coot 301 is that the good qualities of Lord af are as innumerable as the Coot birds in ag called . The name wf for the Coot, where शकट stands for शकटब्यूह, is fully parallel to कारण्डव्यूह. 16. It will be seen that the majority of the epithets for Coot are clever synonyms for the simple terms, सहचारी and सघातचारी of सुश्रुत and चरक, and only one, viz., has been actually used in the fa literature to avoid confusion with other bird-names. In the Purânic literature the term V has been used probably in its homonymous sense i.e. meaning both Coots and Ducks particularly in the stock phrase "हंसकारण्डवाकीर्णा". In the alternative कारण्डव would include both Ducks and Coots by उपलक्षणा, Coots being a permanent feature of all waters including slow-running rivers flanked with rushes, canes and reeds there is no mistaking them as in the following- ( महाभारत ) । "हंसकारण्डवोद्गीता सारसाभिस्तास्तथा" "कारण्डवाननविघट्टितवीचिमाला: कादम्बसारसकुलाकुलतीरदेशाः ।" "फुल्लपड कजपण्डानि प्रसन्नसलिलानि च । कारण्डवविकीर्णानि तटाकानि सरांसि च ॥” "जीवञ्जीवलसज्जीवं क्वणत्कारण्डवोत्कटम् ।" "सदा कूजितलक्षेण तत्र कारण्डवद्विजाः " ( ऋतुसंहार ) 2 ( रामायण ) 3 (स्कन्दपुराण, काशीखण्ड) 4 (ब्रह्माण्डपुराण, उत्तर. ) # 17. Because of the Duck-like appearance of Coot when on water, the name has been applied to certain Ducks with suitable adjectives (Art. 84-c). 18. The Water-Cock equals the Purple Moorhen in size but is of a slate-grey colour. The bill, the shield on the forehead and the legs are red but the shield of the breeding male grows into a long horn. The note of the male consists of loud booming calls, chiefly heard in the breeding season. It is a skulking nocturnal bird frequenting reedy tanks and is known as कोरा, कोंगरा, or कोंड़ा in the vernaculars. It is a very pugnacious bird and is often kept by people in Bengal for fighting, and it is from its fighting habit that it has been named Water-cock in English (Whistler) 19. यष्टिक for जलकुक्कुट in शब्दकल्पद्रुम and शब्दार्थचिन्तामणि can only be this bird which carrics, as it were, a stick-like horn on its head; cf. - "afcunfuta"- i.e., 'one armed with a stick' or fighter. It is also कोवष्टि (के शिरसि यष्टिरिव यस्य) in the same sense. Yet another very expressive.name for the water-cock is after its booming call notes. 1. 3,38.20. 2. शरदर्शन 3. 3.8.14. 4. 32.101 5. 35.10.