Animal Kingdom (Tiryak) in Epics
by Saranya P.S | 2019 | 51,616 words | ISBN-10: 8190396315 | ISBN-13: 9788190396318
An English study the Animal Kingdom (Tiryak) in Epics.—The present thesis is based entirely on Ramayana and Mahabharata although an attempt is made to analytically compare the Animal kingdom with Mriga-pakshi-shastra—‘The ancient Indian science of of Animals and Birds’....
Chapter 4.10 - The Elephant in the Epics
In many places in the Ramayana there are references to the elephant. The elephant is described as both a tame animal as well as a wild animal.[1]
According to Mriga-pakshi-shastra, there is 13 types of elephants in the world.[2] Mrigapakshishastra specifically and correctly mentions rainy seasons as the mating season and the gestation period to be 20 months. Sexual maturity is reached at 9 or 10 years. The life span to be 60- 80 years. Amarakosha mentions 14 synonymic names of elephant. There is some are different from Mrigapakshishastra. The name Kunjara is not mentioned by Hamsadeva, which is well known synonym for elephant mentioned in Mahabharata. Mahabharata mentions Gaja, Kunjara, Naga, Matanga, Varana and Hastin. Kunjara have four tusks.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Valmiki Ramayana 1.24.15, 2.50.22, 2.54.41-43, 2.51.22, 2.55.33, 2.56.10, 2.59.15, 2.63.18, 2.63.21, 2.63.23, 2.68.20, 2.70.19-23, 2. 92.34, 2.95.18, 2.96.8, 3.11.4-6, 3.15.15, 3.60.24, 3. 73.29, 3.73.32, 3.73.35-37, 4.1.65, 4.13.11, 4. 28.28, 4.28.32-33, 4.28-41, 4.28.43, 4.30.26, 4.30.30, 4. 30.32, 4.30.35, 4.30.39,4.30.41-42,4.42.3,4.43.24, 4.67.41,5.1.7,5.4.27,5.6.32,6.4.84, 6.39.16, 7.31.20
[2]:
Mrigapakshishastra [mriga-pakshi-shastra] .I.6.232b, 265,269,274b, 278,282b, 288,294b, 300b,304b, 309,314, 319b, 325, 330b