Birds in Sanskrit Literature

[G.J. Meulenbeld]

Dear colleague,

Information on the identities of the kaara.n.dava and cakravaaka is 
available in my "A history of Indian medical literature", vol. IB, p.43, 
n.588 and p.46--47, n.611.

Dave (299--301) identifies it as the coot. The Caraka translations of  the 
Gulabkunverba team and by R.K. Sharma and Bhagwan Dash simply say goose 
without any specification. P.V. Sharma's translation has white-fronted 
goose; the same name is employed by P. Ray and H.N. Gupta in their Caraka 
Sa.mhitaa (A scientific synopsis).
The white-fronted goose, Anser albifrons albifrons (Scopoli), however, is 
described as a sparse and rare winter visitor in northwest and northern 
India by S. Ali and S.D. Ripley in their "Handbook of the birds of India and 
Pakistan" (I, 126--128).

All the sources mentioned on kaara.n.dava agree that the cakravaaka is the 
ruddy sheldrake, Tadorna ferruginea (Pallas), described in vol. 1, 141--144 
of the work by S. Ali and S.D. Ripley.

Caraka regards the two birds as distinct.

With best wishes and regards,

G. Jan Meulenbeld
De Zwaan 11
9781 JX Bedum
The Netherlands


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen Hodge" <s.hodge at PADMACHOLING.PLUS.COM>
To: <INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk>
Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 4:02 AM
Subject: Birds in Sanskrit Literature


> Dear Colleagues,
>
> Does anybody have a copy of Dave's "Birds in Sanskrit Literature" to hand" 
> ?  If so, could you do me a kindness ?
>
> I would like to know what he says about the "kaara.n.dava" and the 
> "cakravaaka".  The "kaara.n.dava" is often identified with the 
> "cakravaaka", but it also seems to be a different bird on occasion as I 
> have encountered the two names side by side in texts.
>
> Many thanks in advance.
>
> Stephen Hodge