[INDOLOGY] vulture simile

[Nagaraj Paturi]

Gadda chevulu = Vulture Ears

is a Telugu idiom in reference to keen sense of hearing

On Tue, May 5, 2026 at 5:58 PM Blinderman, Radha via INDOLOGY <
indology at list.indology.info> wrote:

> Dear Professor Ferrari,
>
> I think this is similar to the Sanskrit upamābahuvrīhi गृध्रदृष्टि, which
> is used in the *Mahābhārata, *parvan xii, verse 5309 (Bombay ed.), or
> 12.138.62 and several other texts. It is helpful to check  SEARCHABLE
> AGGREGATE LIBRARY of SANSKRIT ETEXTS
> <https://searchable-sanskrit-library.org/CM-LIBRARY-ROOT/CM-LIBRARY-MAIN.php>,
> where you can find:
>
> ānandakanda
>  line: 28150 :   kurute dantadārḍhyaṃ ca dṛśau gṛdhradṛśāviva /
> <https://searchable-sanskrit-library.org/CM-LIBRARY-ROOT/CM_create_selected_file.php?file_url=.%2FETEXTS%2FGRETIL%2FGRETIL+Oliver+Hellwig%2F%C4%81nandakanda.html&search_string=%2Fg%E1%B9%9Bdhrad%E1%B9%9B%C5%9B%2Fu&file_url=./ETEXTS/GRETIL/GRETIL%20Oliver%20Hellwig/%C4%81nandakanda.html&search_type=#a1>
>
>  rasendracūḍāmaṇi 3-5 7-16 by somadeva
>
> <https://searchable-sanskrit-library.org/CM-LIBRARY-ROOT/CM_create_selected_file.php?file_url=.%2FETEXTS%2FGRETIL%2FGRETIL+Oliver+Hellwig%2Frasendrac%C5%AB%E1%B8%8D%C4%81ma%E1%B9%87i+3-5+7-16+by+somadeva.txt&search_string=%2Fg%E1%B9%9Bdhrad%E1%B9%9B%C5%9B%2Fu&file_url=./ETEXTS/GRETIL/GRETIL%20Oliver%20Hellwig/rasendrac%C5%AB%E1%B8%8D%C4%81ma%E1%B9%87i%203-5%207-16%20by%20somadeva.txt&search_type=#a1>
>  line: 239 :  kurute dantadārḍhyaṃ ca dṛṣṭiṃ gṛdhradṛśāviva /
> <https://searchable-sanskrit-library.org/CM-LIBRARY-ROOT/CM_create_selected_file.php?file_url=.%2FETEXTS%2FGRETIL%2FGRETIL+Oliver+Hellwig%2Frasendrac%C5%AB%E1%B8%8D%C4%81ma%E1%B9%87i+3-5+7-16+by+somadeva.txt&search_string=%2Fg%E1%B9%9Bdhrad%E1%B9%9B%C5%9B%2Fu&file_url=./ETEXTS/GRETIL/GRETIL%20Oliver%20Hellwig/rasendrac%C5%AB%E1%B8%8D%C4%81ma%E1%B9%87i%203-5%207-16%20by%20somadeva.txt&search_type=#a1>
> You may also find several other references on the same platform, copied in
> the PDF below.  From what I understand, though literally it means
> “vulture-eyed”, it suggests that the person has a probing or eager,
> greedy look, since गृध्र also means “covetous”, and the bird is called
> गृध्र because it’s understood to have such a look. In the case you are
> analyzing the simile seems to suggest that Radha has an eager, covetous
> look like that of a female vulture. Is Kṛṣṇa perhaps gently teasing her
> here?
>
> Sincerely,
> Radha
>
> Radha Blinderman
> College Fellow, Harvard University
> Office: 1 Bow St, Room 323, Cambridge, MA 02138
> Email: rblinderman at fas.harvard.edu
> Phone: 617-496-1802
>
>
> On May 5, 2026, at 2:49 AM, Fabrizio Ferrari via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> 
> Dear colleagues,
>
> while reading the Śrīkr̥ṣṇakīrtana, a pre-Caitanya text attributed to Baṛu
> Caṇḍīdāsa, I found a passage in which Kānāi/Kr̥ṣṇa compliments Rādhā by
> comparing her ears to those of a (female) vulture: gidhinīsadr̥śa tora
> dekhõ dui kāna (ŚKK, Dānakhaṇḍa, 16.1d). While I believe gidhinī (Sanskrit.
> gr̥dhrī) is probably the gyps bengalensis, I am not familiar with this kind
> of simile. Are you aware of this or similar expressions in either Sanskrit
> or vernacular literature?
> Any suggestion would be appreciated.
> With kind regards,
> Fabrizio
>
>
>
> Fabrizio Ferrari
>
> Professore ordinario di Storia delle Religioni
>
> Presidente del Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Scienze delle Religioni
> <https://www.dissgea.unipd.it/didattica/corsi-di-studio/corso-di-laurea-magistrale-interateneo-scienze-delle-religioni>
>
>
> Dipartimento di Scienze Storiche, Geografiche e dell’Antichità (DiSSGeA)
>
> Università degli Studi di Padova
>
> Palazzo Liviano, Piazza Capitaniato, 7
>
> 35139 Padova
>
> Tel. 049.827-4577
>
> E-mail: fabrizio.ferrari.1 at unipd.it
>
> https://unipd.academia.edu/FabrizioFerrari
>
> Link ricevimento via Zoom: https://unipd.zoom.us/j/92913939701
>
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-- 
Nagaraj Paturi
Hyderabad, Telangana-500044
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