cAkrika

[John Smith]

On Wed, 11 Aug 1999, Sudalaimuthu Palaniappan wrote:

> Dear Indologists,
>
> For the word , cAkrika, Monier Williams gives "bard" as one of the
> meanings. (He cites Wilson for this.) I would appreciate if someone
> can give any actual examples of its occurrence in that meaning in
> Sanskrit texts? Thanks in advance.

Note that MW himself, under the closely related sense "proclaimer", cites
Yajn. [yAjJ] 1.165, Hariv. 9047. The word occurs once in the MBh at
12.69.49a, bhikSukAMz cAkrikAMz caiva kSIbonmattAn kuzIlavAn. This is a
list of people who should be removed from a city that comes under military
threat, since they will otherwise cause harm (doSAya syur hi te 'nyathA):
beggars, cAkrikas, eunuchs, lunatics and kuzIlavas. The pairing of
cAkrikas with kuzIlavas perhaps suggests that some sense such as "bard" is
intended, and it would make some sense to banish street performers at a
time of crisis. (However, Nilakantha glosses cAkrikAn as zAkaTikAn,
"carters", and kuzIlavAn as phAlalekhAn kInAzAn "hoe-wielding cultivators"
-- perhaps not his most convincing interpretation.)

Your word does not occur in the Ramayana.

John Smith

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