Part 7.7 - Poetic conventions regarding to the Birds

In poetic conventions there are the famous one convention regarding to the birds. There are numerous types of birds are found i.e.

1. Haṃsa (swan),
2. Mayūra (peacock),
3. Kokila (cuckoo),
4. Cakravāka (goose),
5. Cakora (partridge) and
6. Cātaka (hawk cockoo).

(1) Poetic conventions relating to the haṃsa birds:

In poetic description there are three types of conventions are related with Hamsa birds i.e.

1. The Haṃsas (swans) go to the Mānas lake in Varṣā-kāla,
2. The Haṃsas (swans) are seen as a reservoirs and
3. The description of Haṃsas quality of separating milk from the mixture of water and milk.

(a) In this description of poetic convention, the Haṃsas are connected with the Mānasa Lake or Brahmasaras in the top of Himālāya Mountain.

There the Haṃsas are go to the Mānasa lake in Varsā-kāla. viz.

“prāleyādrerupataṭamatikramya tāṃstānviśeṣānhaṃsadvāraṃ bhṛgapatiśayovartma yatkrauñcaradhram |
tanodīrcī diśamanusare stiryagāyāmaśobhī śyāmaḥ pādo baliniyamanābhyudyatasteva viṣṇoḥ || ”

- Meghadūta of Kālidāsa: 1/60

Therefore, Kālidāsa also depicted the Rājahaṃsas to Mānasa Lake as:

“kartuṃ yacca prabhavati mahīmucchilīndhāmavandhyāṃ
  tacchrutvā te śravaṇasubhagaṃ garjitaṃ sānasoktāḥ |
ā kailāsādbisakisalayacchedapātheyavantaḥ
  saṃpatsyante nabhasi bhavati rājapaṃyāḥ sahāyāḥ || ”

- Meghadūta of Kālidāsa:1/ 11

In the Varṣā-kāla the water-reservoirs, tanks and rivers are full of fresh rainwater. Thus Haṃsas are going to the lake for fresh-water. This may be the causes for in this type poetic convention.

(b) In this convention Haṃsas (swans) are describe to live in the water reservoirs only.

In the description of Rāmāyaṇa we see that the beauty in the presence of Mayūras and Haṃsa birds as:

“gomatīṃ cāpyatikramya rāghavaḥ śīghraigarayāḥ |
mayūrahaṃsābhirutaṃ tatāra syanadikāṃ nadīm || ”

- Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: II/ 19 /2

Therefore in the Kāvyamīmāṃsā it is illustrated by the Rājaśekhara in following śloka:

“āsīdasti bhaviṣyatīha sa jano dhanyo dhanī dhārmikaḥ
  yaḥ śrīke śavavatkariṣyati punaḥ śrīmatku ḍuṅgeśvaram |
helāndolitahaṃsasārasaku lakre ṅkārasammūrcachitairityāghoṣayatīva
  tannavanī yacceṣṭitaṃ vīcibhiḥ || ”

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XIV, Pp- 79

(c) In the type of Haṃsa’s quality of separating milk from the mixture of water and milk convention is illustrated by the śloka. viz.

“haṃsaḥ śveto vakaḥ śveto ko bhedo vakahaṃsayoḥ |
nīrakṣīravibhāge tu haṃso haṃsaḥ vako vakaḥ || ”

- Subhāṣitaratnabhāṇḍāgāra, p-231

(2) Poetic conventions relating to the mayūras (peacocks):

In poetic compositions the Mayūra’s (peacocks) are described to dancing in Varṣā-kāla (rainy season). It is a lovely bird remembered for the beauty, sonorous cries and the graceful dance. In poetry poets are describes the overwhelming beauty of Mayūra in Varṣā-kāla, but this is also seen in other times also thus it is under the poetic convention. In the Amarakoṣa, the name ‘Meghanadanulasi’ of Haṃsa’s (peacocks) is very much significant for this convention. In the works of Vālmīki and Bhāravi described about this conventions.

In the Rāmāyaṇa says:

“nabhaḥ samīkṣyāmbudhairarvimuktaṃ vimuktabarhābharaṇā vaneṣu |
priyāsvaraktā vinivṛttaśobhā gatotsavā dhyānaparā mayūrāḥ || ”

- Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: IV/ 30/ 33

In the Kirātārjunīya, Mahākavi Bhāravi described it as:

“vihāya vāñchāmudite madātyayādaraktakaṇḍhasya rute śikhaṇḍinaḥ |
śrutiḥśrayatyunmadahaṃsaniḥ svanaṃ guṇāḥ priyatve'dhikṛtā na saṃstavaḥ || ”

- Kirātārjunīya of Bhāravi: IV/ 25

Rājaśekhara explain about this convention by the śloka as:

“drāgga (kta)rjayantī vimadānmayūrānpragalbhayantī ku raradvire phān |
śaratsamabhabhyeti vikāsa padmānunmīlayantī ku mudotpalāni || ”

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XVIII, Pp- 101

Therefore in the works of Kālidāsa, Bhavabhūti and Bhāravi described the Mayūra in excited with ‘Muraja’ sound hearing. i.e.

“athārdharātro stimitapradīpo śayyāृgahe supatajane prabuddhaḥ |
ku śaḥ pravāsasthakalatraveṣāmadṛṣṭāpūrvāṃ vanitāmapaśyat || ”

- Raghuvaṃśa of Kālidāsa: Canto-XVI/ 4

And in the Mālatīmādhava:

“sānandaṃ nandihastāhatamurajavāhutakaumārabarhitrāsānnāsāgrarandhaṃ
  viśati phaṇipatau bhogasaṃkocabhāji || ”

- Mālatīmādhava of Bhavabhūtī:1/ 1

In the Kirātārjuniya Mahākavi Bhāravi says:

“varorubhirvāraṇahastapīvairaścirāya khinnānnavapallavaśriyaḥ |
same'pi yātuṃ caraṇānanīśvarānmadādiva praskhalataḥ pade pade || ”

- Kirātārjunīya of Bhāravi: VIII/ 22

Then Rājaśekhara illustrated about this convention in his Kāvyamīmāṃsā as:

“maṇḍalīkṛtya bahārṇi kaiṇṭharmadhuragītibhiḥ |
kalāpinaḥ pranṛtyanti kāle jīmūtamālini || ”

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XV, Pp- 82

(3) Poetic conventions relating to the kokila birds:

The birds Kokila (cuckoo) and Kāka (crows) seems similar in structure form and becomes attractive through its sweet music.

In poetic convention prohibited the illustrates this as:

“vasante śītabhītena kokilena vane rutam |
antarjalagatāḥ padmāḥ śrotukāmā ivotthitā || ”

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XV, Pp- 82

In this śloka, describes the warbling of cuckoo in spring season. Rājaśekhara think that the singing of cuckoo occurs in seasons like winter but it not is described in poetry.

In the Kāvyamīmāṃsā, Yāyāvarīya Rājaśekhara discusses the junction between autumn and spring cuckoos used to rustle in mind^[1] and Kālidāsa says in the Abhijñānaśakuntalā as:

“karka ndhūnām upari tuhinaṃ rañjayatyayasandhā
  dārbhaṃ muñcatyuṭajapaṭalaṃ vītanidro mayūraḥ |
vediprāntāt khuravilikhitād utthitaiścaṣa sadyaḥ
  padyād uccairbhavati hariṇaḥ khāṅgam āyacchamānaḥ || ”

- Abhijñānaśakuntalā of Kālidāsa: IV/4

Therefore, in Vasanta-kāla (spring season) Kālidāsa says in Kumārasaṃbhava about cuckoo gets intoxicated with mango shoots and sing sweet song:

“cutāṅku rāsvādakaṣāyakaṇṭhaḥ puṃskokilo yanmudharaṃ cuूkaja |
manasvinīmānavighātadakṣaṃ tadeva jātaṃ vacanaṃ smarasya || ”

- Kāvyānuśāsana (of Hemacandra) of Kālidāsa: Canto-III/ 32

Here the śloka says that the male cuckoo gets infatuated and indulges in live sports with his pair. Thus, to attract its pair sings sweet voice, which is endowed with the sense of lust.

(4) Poetic conventions relating to the cakravāka birds:

The Cakravāka birds generally lives on the banks of rivers and reservoirs. They are suffering separation from their couple during night or searching for food. This is the fact of this type’s convention. In poetic description the Cakravāka pairs are as the ideal couples. They are also comparing with the breast of women. It may be the indication of the inseparableness of these couples.

In the Kumārasaṃbhava, Kālidāsa says about the cry of separated Cakravākas as:

“nināya sātyantapimotkarānilāḥ sahasyarātrīrudavāsatatparā |
parasparākrandini cakravākayoḥ puro viyukta mithune kṛpāvatī || ”

- Kumarasambhava of Kālidāsa: Canto-II/ 23

Rājaśekhara illustrated this in his Kāvyamīmāṃsā as:

“saṅkhipatā yāmavatīstaṭinīnāṃ tanayatā payaḥpūrān |
rathacaraṇāृhayavayasāṃ kiṃ nopakṛtaṃ nidādhona || ”

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XV, Pp- 82

(5) Poetic conventions relating to the cakora (partridge) birds:

In the poetic convention attributes the quality of drinking moonbeams to the Cakara. However there is another convention relating to Cakara, where it swallows blazing Coal.

In the Kāvyamīmāṃsā illustrate that the Cakara birds drink the moon-beams raising its neck as:

“etāstā malayopakaṇṭhasaritāmeṇākṣi rodhobhuvaścāpābhyāsanike
  tanaṃ bhagavataḥ preyo manojanmanaḥ |
yāsu śyāmaniśāsu pītatamaso muktāmayīścandrikāḥ
  pīyante vivṛtordhvacañcu vicalatkaṇṭhaṃ cakorāṅganāḥ || ”

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XV, Pp- 82

(6) Poetic conventions relating to the cātaka (hawk cuckoo) birds:

In poetic description the Cātaka birds are connected with rain drop thus the Cātaka’s love for clouds. In poetry the voice of Cātaka is very much appreciated.

In the Meghadūta Kālidāsa says:

“nīpaṃ dṛṣṭ vā haritakapiśaṃ kesarairardharūṭhairāvirbhūtaprathamuku
  lāḥ kandalīścānukaccham |
jagdhvā'raṇyeṣvadhikasurabhiṃ gandhamāghrāya corvyāḥ
  sāraṅgāste jalalavamucaḥ sūcayiṣyanti mārgam || ”

- Meghadūta of Kālidāsa: -Purvamegha/ 21

Here Kālidāsa describe the ardent desire to the Cātaka very cleverly and beautifully.

Thereafter in the Ṛitusaṃhāra he says about thirsty Cātaka begging the cloud for water in the rainy season description as:

“tṛṣāku laiścātakapakṣiṇāṃ ku laiḥ prayācitāstoyabharāvalambinaḥ |
prayānti mandaṃ bahudhāravarṣiṇo valāhakāḥ śrītramanoharasvanāḥ || ”

- Ṛtusaṃhāra of Kālidāsa: II/ 3

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XVIII, Pp- 108