How a buck/stag could have become a lion!

[Dominik Wujastyk]

n Tue, 1 Jul 1997, Georg von Simson wrote:

> >A vyaala is a hunting predator: lion, tiger, etc.
> >A m.rga is a not a predator: mongoose, jackal, cat.
> 
> I fail to understand this. Mongoose, jackal and cat are also hunting
> predators, or do you think they eat grass? :-)

You're right, of course.  Umm.  I'm not sure how to express this any
better in English.  "Big predator v. ordinary animal?"  There *is* a
sensible difference between, say, a lion and a cat.  Is is just a matter
of the danger level?  We talk about "Big cats" meaning much more than
"large moggies".  There must be a way of capturing the Sanskrit
distinction in idiomatic (not my idiotic) English. :-)

Best wishes,
Dominik


--
Dominik Wujastyk               Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine
email: d.wujastyk at ucl.ac.uk          183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, England
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