Part 7 - Flora and fauna (found in the Śrīkaṇṭhacarita)

The term ‘flora’^[1] is used to mean the assemblage of vegetable species of a region or age, whereas ‘fauna’^[2] denotes the assemblage of animals of a region or period. A thorough study of the Śrīkaṇṭhacarita provides us information, relating to the flora and fauna of Maṅkhaka’s time. Maṅkhaka mentions various types of flowers, plants, birds and animals in many contexts.

Some of them are as follows—

Flora:

Maṅkhaka refers to Nāgaraṅga i.e. orange in the verse, kva bhānti yasminmadhupānabhūmayo^[3] ……. Here Maṅkhaka asks, in that country, where do there not appear in the cold season, Nāgaraṅga, in the wine yards of the pleasure-seekers and thereby mentions the oranges of Kāśmīrapradeśa. He also refers to the oranges in ye nāgaraṅgaphalakhaṇḍapuṭairapīpya^[4] …….. The Gujrāṭī word for it is Nāraṅgī and it is a masculine (m) word. Again, Gandhasāra (masculine), meaning sandal has been mentioned in the verse, gandhasāramṛganābhipaṅkayoḥ saṅkaraṃ^[5] …..., Kuṅkuma meaning saffron has been referred in many times, in different occasions such as in sthalādhidevīkuruvindaśekharaprabhāṅkuraiḥ kuṅkumagarbhakesaraiḥ^[6]...., itastataḥ kuṅkumareṇughoraṇīrviyoginī^[7] ……, also in some other verses.^[8] Another term for saffron i.e. Ghusṛṇa, a word in neuter (n) gender, has also been used in several places such as in viyogihṛllohitasaṃvibhāgavanmanobhava^[9] ……, vighaṭaya ghusṛṇe’dhunādhikāraṃ^[10] …….

Maṅkhaka, in sthalādhidevīkuruvindaśekharaprabhāṅkuraiḥ kuṅkumagarbhakesaraiḥ^[11] ….., states that the land of which (country) makes the mark on the forehead of the woman-kind of all the three worlds, live long with the saffron fibres, which are like the rays of the rubies in the crown of the presiding deity of the earth. Again, in the verse, viyogihṛllohitasaṃvibhāgavanmanobhava^[12] ….., the poet writes that with the saffron fibres acting as the messengers in all the quarters like the prāsas (kind of implements) of Kāmadeva (Cupid), which equally divide, as it were, the blood of the hearts of the separated, whose (of the region) fame increases.

Maṅkhaka uses some more synonymous words for sandal such as:—

Dhīraṃ as in malayajarajasā hṛtāvakāśaṃ^[13] …..,
Pītana in ghanakelivimardakīrṇakarṇa^[14] ……,
Ghanasāra in tīraprarohadghanasāravalli^[15] ….,
Bāhlīka in atraikādaśadhā vibhakttamapi^[16] ……,
Candana in cirānubhūtoṣṇamayūkhasakhya^[17] …..’,
Malayaja in jyotsnābhisāravidhaye^[18] …...,
Malayaruha in vighaṭaya ghysṛṇe’dhunādhikāraṃ^[19] …..,
Malayavīrudha in cirādasamapattriṇo bhujamakāṇḍa^[20]…..,
Śrīkhaṇḍa in saṃpādayenduvadane tvamakāṇḍa^[21] …....

Moreover, Maṅkhaka refers to the wine, prepared from grapes, that was known as Mārdvīka in the verse, cakre gatau ca giri ca^[22]….., which gives a veiled reference of production of grapes in Kashmir. There is the allusion of one kind of red sugar-cane, śoṇa by name in the verse, yo’ntarnyastānavadhinidhikaṃ klṛptavānbhūtadhātryāḥ^[23]…….

Maṅkhaka refers to Vicakila, a kind of Jasmine in the verse, madanagaṇanāsthāne lekhyaprapañca^[24]…... Again, Ketaka, a kind of flower, which is called Ketakī in Assamese, has been referred to in svapne tatra dadarśa sa svapitaraṃ^[25]…... Aśoka has been mentioned in cāpamāpa karapaṅkaruhāṅkaṃ^[26]…...., Kaṅkellivalli or the Aśoka creeper has been alluded in vyakttānalolkākṛtimadhyamadhya^[27]……, Pāṭali or trumpet flower has been mentioned in pathikayuvatibhiḥ kṛtābhiṣeko^[28]…... Again Pāṭala has been cited in jalamānuṣīcikurabhāraśithila^[29]……, also in kāmisaṃtatihṛdantaravāsakrāntarāga^[30] ….... Moreover, Palāśa, a kind of flower also known as Kiṃśuka, has been mentioned in sphuratpalāśoṣṭhpuṭo viloladvirepha^[31] …… Kiṃśuka has also been mentioned.^[32] Again, there are references of fragrance of Elā, a product of Malaya mountain of south India in madasahacaragandhanirdhutailāparimala^[33] ……. Here in this verse, it is stated that the wind from the Malaya Mountain, which overpowers the scent of Elā (cardamom) by the fragrance, similar to that of the rut of an elephant, arouses passion in the worlds. This verse, thus indicates that, on that mountain, there were the plants of cardamom or Elā. References of Bakula has been found in madanahutavahe’dhvagotpalākṣījanahṛdayāhuti^[34] ….. Maṅkhaka mentions about Sindhuvāra in manasi dhṛtilatāṃ vibādhamāno^[35] ….., also in teṣāṃ dairghyaprasarasuhṛdo rejire^[36] …… Again, Tamāla or betel-nut has been referred in nairmalyatastulitasādhujanāśayo yaḥ^[37] ….., synonymous word for Tamāla i.e. Tāpiccha^[38] has also been used. The mango tree has been referred to by the term Cūta in udyadrajobhirghanapatraśobhai^[39] …… Maṅkhaka mentions synonymous word for Cūta i. e. Sahakāra in rasāyurutsaṅganilīnajāniranaṅga^[40] ……

Besides, Nārikelī i.e. coconut, a product of Karṇāṭaka, which is found in almost every nook and corner of India, mostly in the seashore, that has been referred to in rohatkandukakeleyastaralitairye^[41]…… Campaka has been referred to in puṣpāvṛtāṅgo nibiḍālinādaḥ^[42] ….. Atasī, a kind of flower has been mentioned in gaṇḍaprabhābhirapahastita^[43] …... Again Irā, a type of flower has been mentioned in bimbitārkadhṛtāpāṇḍuśarīro yo^[44] ….. There also references of Akṣa in yā kvāpyudāttataradakṣakula^[45] ….., Mandāra^[46], a flower of coral tree, Pārijāta^[47], a heveanly flower, Vāsantikā meaning Mādhavya^[48] Karṇikāra in vivṛṇvatā saurabharoradoṣaṃ^[49] ……. It may be mentioned here that Maṅkhaka has been bestowed with title of karṇikāramaṅkha for composing this verse, which is similar to Kālidāsa’s getting the title of dīpaśikhākālidāsaḥ, Bhāravi’s chatrabhāraviḥ, Māgha’s ghaṇṭāmāghaḥ, Ratnākara’s tālaratnākaraḥ, Trivikramabhaṭṭa’s yamunātrivikramaḥ.^[50] There are references of Karṇikāra in some other verses also.^[51] There are the references of Tilaka plant in niṣpannapuṣpātithibhirdvirephairupāsyamānastilaka^[52] ….., Kuraba or Kurabaka, a species of amaranth has been mentioned in rarāja mūrtyā kurabo navodyatpuṣpopahūtai^[53] ……. Again Kanakaketakī^[54] has also been mentioned.

There are references of Kunda^[55], Karavīra^[56] Kokanada^[57] i.e. red lotus, Kadalī^[58] i.e. banana, Mecakotpala^[59] or Nīlotpala^[60], Śephālikā^[61] i.e. night Jasmine, Dūrvā^[62], Tumbīphala^[63], a gourd, Aguru.^[64] Again, there is the reference of Kairava, meaning lotus in the verse, pānataḥ kharamayūkharociṣāmāttatāpamiva^[65] …… Mallī(-ka), a particular kind of the flower Jasmine, is referred to in yatkaṅdarpayaśonuvādaviduṣāṃ mallīdalānāṃ^[66] …... Again, Indīvara, a blue lotus has been mentioned in ghanakelivimardakīrṇakarṇapraṇayīndīvara^[67] …….. Atimukta, a kind of flower has been mentioned in sa surapramadājanastadānīṃ^[68] ……. The flower Tagara has also been referred in trailokyopaplavaśamamayotsāhamāhātmyabhājāṃ^[69] ……. Kuvalaya, also, has been referred.^[70] There are references of Kumuda^[71], Utpala^[72] a blue lotus, Saṅtānaka, a kind of creeper in antaḥśayānācyutanābhipadmagandhānusaṅdhiṃ^[73] …..., Mālatī in adhikuntalaṃ tilakitaṃ^[74] ……, Nāsīra^[75] etc. Thus, it has been noticed that Maṅkhaka mentions various kinds of flowers, among which lotus predominates. Again, he uses the words Utpala, Mecakotpala, Nīlotpala, Indīvara etc. to denote blue lotus. Kairava means a white lotus. Again, Kumuda, meaning white water-lily said to open at moon-rise. Kuvalaya denotes a blue water-lily, Kokanada is taken to mean red lotus.

Fauna

Among animals, Kaṇṭhīrava^[76] i.e. lion has been mentioned in palāśaraktārdranetre vasantakaṇṭhīrave^[77] …... Lion has been mentioned by the very word Siṃha in preṅkholannakhaghorahuṃkṛtimahāsiṃhādhirūḍha^[78] ….., Pañcāsya^[79] also refers to a lion. There is the allusion of Gandhasindhura, a kind of elephant, whose strong aroma defeats the opposite elephants in a battlefield^[80], Gandhagaja^[81] Gandhadantīndra.^[82] The bull has been referred to by the word Vṛṣa^[83] and by Sairibha.^[84] The cow has been referred by the word Gau.^[85] To denote a dog, the poet uses the terms Śva^[86], Sārameya.^[87] The monkeys are referred, by the term Plavaṅga in the verse, dṛḍhaprarūḍhā śatapatrayoneḥ kiyatyaho^[88] …….There is reference of spotted antelope by the name Kṛṣṇsāra in the verse, surabhimanugṛhāṇa devi nṛtyanmadhukara^[89] ….., the black antelope has been referred by another synonymous word Eṇa in sakṛdeva vilocanadvayīyaṃ kṛtavatyeṇa^[90] ……. The very word Mṛga has been used to denote deer.^[91] Again, the word Kamala has also been employed to mean a deer in vyañjannagūḍhamudare kamalaṃ^[92] …... Even the fishes cannot escape the eyes of the poet, as he uses the term Śafara in udapaśyadāśu kutukena gaṇaśaśi^[93] …… and Timi^[94], meaning whale.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Chamber’s Twentieth Century Dictionary, page 500

[2]:

Ibid., page 477

[3]:

kva bhānti yasminmadhupānabhūmayo na nāgaraṅgaiḥ śiśire vilāsināṃ/
śanairmano bhaṅkttumupoḍhadhanvanaḥ smarasya śoṇāśmabṛhadgulairiva//
Śrīkaṇṭhacarita., III. 5

[4]:

Ibid., XIV. 65

[5]:

Ibid., X. 36

[6]:

Ibid., III. 6

[7]:

Ibid., III. 26

[8]:

madhuśriyaḥ kuṅkumapatrabhaṅgānadhyāvasatkiṃśukakuḍmalāni/
alistadīyaiśca ghanai rajobhiḥ prāṇāgnihotrakramamanvatiṣṭhat//
Ibid., VI. 52, page 85; also, cf. VIII. 28; IX. 44; X. 24; XXIII. 34 etc.

[9]:

Ibid., III. 17

[10]:

vighaṭaya ghusṛṇe’dhunādhikāraṃ racaya ca sūtritasaṅgamaṅgamaṅgaṃ/
malayaruharasaiḥ smarapratāpajvalanavilīnaśaśiprabhāsapatnaiḥ// Ibid., VII. 15; also, cf. VII. 47; IX. 7, 32, 40; XI. 43; XII. 57;XIII. 2; XXII. 14, 16; XXIII. 52 etc.

[11]:

Ibid. III. 6

[12]:

Ibid. III. 17

[13]:

Ibid., VII. 16

[14]:

Ibid., VIII. 2; also cf. IX. 33, 34; XVIII. 35 etc.

[15]:

Ibid., XII. 53

[16]:

Ibid., XVI. 36; also, cf. XVII. 2; XXII. 56

[17]:

cirānubhūtoṣṇamayūkhasakhyapravṛddhatāpaglapanecchayeva/
digdakṣiṇā candanasaurabhārdramaruttaraṅgapraṇayaṃ pupoṣa//
Ibid., VI. 6; also, cf. VI. 42; VII. 47

[18]:

Ibid., XI. 33; also, VII. 16, XII. 69

[19]:

Ibid., VII. 15

[20]:

Ibid., VI. 67

[21]:

saṃpādayenduvadane tvamakāṇḍa eva śrīkhaṇḍakāṇḍarasapaṅkilamaṅgamaṅgaṃ/
yenātra ketakaśaro vicaranpadāni noddhartumarhati javena ratidvitīyaḥ//
Ibid., XI. 35; also in VI. 68; X. 43, 44

[22]:

Ibid., XIV. 55

[23]:

 yo’ntarnyastānavadhinidhikaṃ klṛptavānbhūtadhātryāḥ kroḍaṃ krīḍāviharaṇacaṇaḥ śoṇapādāṃśupuñjaiḥ/
rakṣāhetoriva racayati nyastasindūramudraṃ sa drāgrudrāvanatavadanastvāṃ kuberaḥ stavīti// Ibid., XVI. 40

[24]:

Ibid., VI. 70, also in VII. 4, 23; XII. 97

[25]:

Ibid., III. 73; also in VII. 10, 45; XI. 57

[26]:

cāpamāpa karapaṅkaruhāṅkaṃ pāṭalaṃ daladaśokakulena/
sarvataḥ pariṇatādhararāgaṃ cumbanādiva jagajjayalakṣmyāḥ// Ibid., XII. 4; VI. 17, 18, 30, 31, 1, 61; also, VII. 16, 41, VIII. 22, 23, 24; 26, 27, 28, 31, 42; IX. 19

[27]:

Ibid., VI. 15; also, VII. 49

[28]:

Ibid., VII. 17

[29]:

Ibid., IX. 32

[30]:

kāmisaṃtatihṛdantaravāsakrāntarāgalaharīsamarītiḥ/
pāṭalāpaṭalamayyudagacchadvīrapaṭṭaghaṭanādhilalāṭaṃ// Ibid., XII. 2

[31]:

sphuratpalāśoṣṭhpuṭo viloladvirephamālātaralīkṛtabhrūḥ/
phullābjaniḥspandadṛgāsta nūnaṃ śṛṅgārakāvyonmukhadhīrvasantaḥ//
Ibid., VI. 5; also VI. 8, 19; VII. 20

[32]:

Ibid., VI. 52; VIII. 35

[33]:

Ibid., VII. 21

[34]:

madanahutavahe’dhvagotpalākṣījanahṛdayāhutidānadīkṣitasya/
alitatiriyamājyadhūmarājiḥ surabhimunerbakuloṭajādudeti//
Ibid., VII. 25; also,VIII. 20, 25, 44

[35]:

Ibid., VII. 37

[36]:

Ibid., XXIV. 27; also, VII. 49; VIII. 37; XII. 64; XIII. 10

[37]:

Ibid., IV. 58; also, VII. 41; X. 54

[38]:

Ibid., III. 73

[39]:

udyadrajobhirghanapatraśobhai rundhadbhirāśāḥ parapuṣṭanādaiḥ/
adhvanyalokaḥ surabherbibhāya kaṅdarpasainyairiva bālacūtaiḥ//
Ibid., VI. 11; also, VI. 25, 45, 49; VII. 42, 50; VIII. 8, 56

[40]:

Ibid., VI. 55; VI. 58;VIII. 30, 46; also, ākulānkalakalānanubadhnannagrataḥ paravṛto’jani bandī/
yaḥ pṛṣatkasahakāraparāgairapyanīyata paraṃ paritoṣaṃ// Ibid., XII. 9, page 163

[41]:

Ibid., VI. 62; also, XXIII. 48

[42]:

puṣpāvṛtāṅgo nibiḍālinādaḥ kelīvaneṣunnatacampako’bhūt/
caitraśriyo nūpuraniḥsvanāṅko nṛttodyatāyā iva daṇḍapādaḥ//
Ibid., VI. 27; also, VI. 43, 48, 51, 52; VIII. 32, 33, 56

[43]:

Ibid., VII. 52

[44]:

Ibid., IV. 32

[45]:

Ibid., IV. 54; also, XIX. 42

[46]:

Ibid., IV. 59

[47]:

Ibid., V. 1

[48]:

Ibid., VI. 12, 62; XIII. 49; also, ithyaṃ tatkṣaṇakalpyamānavividhākalpāñcitairaṅgakaiḥ kāñcīkaṅkaṇanūpurādiraṇitānyeṇīdṛśastenire/
tatkolāhalamākilatvamanayannādo’lināṃ cādhika-krīḍāsaṃbhramalolakuntalavasadvāsantikāvandināṃ// Ibid., XIII. 44

[49]:

vivṛṇvatā saurabharoradoṣaṃ bandivrataṃ varṇaguṇaiḥ spṛśantyāḥ/
vikasvare kasya na karṇikāre ghrāṇena dṛṣṭervavṛdhe vivādaḥ// Ibid., VI. 13

[50]:

cf. Jonarāja’s vṛtti-karṇikārasya varṇasaubhāgyaṃ saugandhyābhāvaśca kavinā yuktyā pratipādita iti karṇikāramaṅkha iti prasiddhiḥ/

also cf. fn—etacchlokanirmāṇādeva maṅkhasya ‘karṇikāramaṅkhaḥ’ iti nāma jātaṃ,
evameva tattadapūrvakalpanāyuktaślokanirmāṇāt dīpaśikhākālidāsaḥ,
chatrabhāraviḥ, ghaṇṭāmāghaḥ, tālaratnākaraḥ,
yamunātrivikramaḥ ityādiviśiṣṭanāmāni kavīnāṃ jātānīti jñeyaṃ//
     Śrīkaṇṭhacarita., VI. 13, page 77

[51]:

Ibid., VIII. 19; IX. 3

[52]:

Ibid., VI. 28; also, VIII. 21

[53]:

rarāja mūrtyā kurabo navodyatpuṣpopahūtairvṛtayālijālaiḥ/
sadyo’ṅganāliṅganataḥ prasaktakucāgrakastūrikapaṅkayeva// Ibid., VI. 53

[54]:

Jonarāja comments–vasante suvarṇaketakyo bhavantīti …../
Ibid., VI. 67, page 90

[55]:

Ibid., VI. 71

[56]:

Ibid., VIII. 49

[57]:

Ibid., XIII. 1

[58]:

Ibid., XII. 1

[59]:

Ibid., XIV. 43

[60]:

Ibid., XV. 41

[61]:

Ibid., XI. 36

[62]:

Ibid., XII. 62

[63]:

Ibid., XIV. 60

[64]:

Ibid., XIII. 6

[65]:

Ibid., X. 31; also, X. 32, 42, 43; XI. 8, 68; XII. 66

[66]:

Ibid., VI. 72; also, VIII. 47

[67]:

ghanakelivimardakīrṇakarṇapraṇayīndīvarareṇusīkareṣu/
hṛtapītanagharmabinduvṛndairadhigaṇḍasthali bubruḍe mṛḍānyāḥ//
Ibid., VIII. 2; also, XXI. 48

[68]:

sa surapramadājanastadānīṃ vanaparyantapathaprarohabhāji/
karajakṣatakarmaṇā vikārānatimukte sumanasyapi vyadhatta//
Ibid., VIII. 29; also VIII. 43, 56; XIII. 11

[69]:

Ibid., XXIV. 30; also, VIII. 34; XII. 56

[70]:

Ibid., X. 60, XIV. 45, 64

[71]:

Ibid., XI. 12, 74; XII. 67, 69; XVI. 15

[72]:

Ibid., XI. 27; XIV. 26; XV. 8

[73]:

antaḥśayānācyutanābhipadmagandhānusaṅdhiṃ divi tanvatīṣu/
saṃtyajya saṅtānakavīrudho’pi vīcīṣu nākabhramarā niṣeduḥ//
Ibid., XII. 41; also, XVII. 64

[74]:

Ibid., XIV. 30; XIV. 34, 38, 41

[75]:

Ibid., XV. 5; XVIII. 35

[76]:

Jonarāja comments–vasanta eva kaṇṭhīravaḥ siṃhaḥ/ Ibid., VI. 8, page 76

[77]:

palāśaraktārdranakhe vasantakaṇṭhīrave mānagajo’ṅganābhyaḥ/
bhīto yayau sāñjanabāṣpapaṅkticchalādvimuktāyasaśṛṅkhalāliḥ//
Ibid., VI. 8

[78]:

Ibid., I. 47

[79]:

Ibid., I. 18

[80]:

smaragandhasindhuraśarīradhuticyutabhūtivibhramamupoḍhavatā/
itarā taruṇyakṛta pāṇḍuritaṃ ghanasārareṇuvisareṇa vapuḥ//
Ibid., XIII. 4; also, XIV. 22

[81]:

Ibid., XV. 23

[82]:

Ibid., XVIII. 38

[83]:

siṣeca puṇyadrumakānanāni yaḥ samagramakṣālayadāntaraṃ rajaḥ/
vṛṣapramodāśrusamānagharmibhirdvijātihastārpitadakṣiṇāmbubhiḥ//
Ibid., III. 33, page 36

[84]:

Ibid., II. 10

[85]:

Ibid., II. 28

[86]:

Ibid., II. 14

[87]:

Ibid., II. 22

[88]:

Ibid., II. 17; herein (page 18), the commentator calls the wicked persons as khalaplavaṅga and writes–vānarasya ca pakṣā yadi syustadā viśvasyopadravaṃ kuryāt/

[89]:

Ibid., VII. 10

[90]:

Ibid., XI. 26

[91]:

vāhasthapañcāsyabhayādivārādadattajhampo mṛgaśāvakena/
devyāḥ sa vo’vyādvadanendubimbo yaścandrikāṃ dantarucā cinoti//
     Ibid., I. 18, page 5

[92]:

Ibid., XVI. 7

[93]:

Ibid., IX. 9

[94]:

Ibid., IX. 20; XII. 11