Evolution of Poetic Tropes: Birds (5)

Harunaga Isaacson
May 25, 2020

kapota

There are no doubt many species of doves/pigeons in South Asia; as

usual Dave has extensive details, at least partly based, evidently, on
personal observation. It is possible that in this case there really is a
distinction intended by Sanskrit authors between, on the one hand, a
greyish/blue-grey bird (most likely not a single species, but a number
of different but closely related ones) called kapota, pārāvata and kalarava,
three names taught by Amara as synonyms (note that the last may also
be a name for the koel), and on the other hand a green bird called hārīta.

The amorous/lustful nature that is associated with, in particular, the

turtle-dove in European literature is not ignored in Sanskrit. The follow-
ing verse is one of those attributed to Pāṇini himself:

asau gireḥ śītalakandarasthaḥ

pārāvato manmathacāṭudakṣaḥ|
gharmālasāṅgīṃ madhurāṇi kūjan
saṃvījate pakṣapuṭena kāntām|| 11 1
SaKaA 2021 (pārāvata, attributed to
Pāṇini.
Again, the following is given as an example of svabhāvokti regarding
kriyā by no less an author than Daṇḍin:

kalakvaṇitagarbheṇa kaṇṭhenāghūrṇitekṣaṇaḥ|
pārāvataḥ paribhramya riraṃsuś cumbati priyām|| 22 2
Daṇḍin’s Kāvyādarśa 2.10; also SaKaA
2023 (pārāvata, attributed to Daṇḍin).
An unusually detailed and seemingly life-like description of the
pigeon emerging from his nest is found in the two old Eastern antholo-
gies:

pakṣābhyāṃ sahitau prasārya caraṇāv ekaikaśaḥ pārśvayor

ekīkṛtya śirodharopari śanaiḥ pāṇḍūdare pakṣatī|
nidrāśeṣaviśeṣaraktanayano niryāya nīḍodarād
āsṛkkāntavidāritānanapuṭaḥ pārāvato jṛmbhate|| 33 3
SuRaKo 1153 (jātivrajyā, attributed to
Bhṛṅgāra), SaKaA 2025 (attributed to
No anyokti seems intended; this is purely a svabhāvokti again; a descrip- Śṛṅgāra).
tion that is meant to capture some kind of essence of the bird.

smarasamarasamayapūritakambunibho dviguṇapīnagalanālaḥ|
śīrṇaprasādopari jigīṣur iva kalaravaḥ kvaṇati|| 44 4
Govardhana’s Āryāsaptaśatī 597.