Brihadyatra 21: adhyāyaḥ 21

Chapter 21: The Characteristics and Movements of Elephants

Lest there be excessive length here due to digression into the exposition of the marks of elephants, horses, and men,

I shall therefore state only the omens suitable for the time of departure for kings.

Elephants with copper-coloured lips, palate, and mouth, eyes like a sparrow, glossy and elevated tusk-tips, and a broad and long mouth, / with a arched, elevated, long, hidden, and submerged spine, and frontal globes like a tortoise covered with sparse single hairs,

[Elephants whose] backbones are arched like a bow, elevated, long, hidden, and depressed, and whose frontal globes resemble a tortoise, covered with fine, single hairs,

with broad ears, jaws, navel, forehead, and genitals, with eighteen or twenty nails raised like a tortoise,

with rounded trunks marked with three lines, trumpeting with the roar of a rain-filled cloud,

with long finger-like tip and red trunk-tip, trumpeting with the sound of a rain-filled cloud,

and with a large, long, and rounded neck, are auspicious for the ruler of the earth.

Those devoid of rut, with excess or deficient nails or limbs, hunchbacked, dwarfish, with horns like a ram,

with visible sheath, deficient in testicles or trunk-tip, with dusky, blue, spotted, or pale palates,

with sparse hair on the face, tuskless, broken, or a female elephant endowed with the characteristics of a male elephant,

and a pregnant one: the king should send [such elephants] to a foreign country; they produce exceedingly inauspicious results.

Leaving aside twice the circumference of the base of the tusk in length, one should examine it beyond that:

the appearance of dusky, foul, dirty, or bloody spots, and [an image] resembling a wicked creature, causes evil.

When a mark on the inspected tusk bears the shape of a royal regalia,

then there is increase of fortune, victory, wealth, and strength; and marks that are glossy, white, and pleasing are auspicious.

An auspicious sign on the right [tusk] is exceedingly auspicious; an evil one on the other is extremely inauspicious.

In the reverse case there is moderation; the details have been proclaimed by other sages.

The base, the middle, and the tip of the tusk represent the gods, demons, and mortals respectively; / therefore, the result is abundant, middling, or negligible, arising in quick, medium, or prolonged time.

The fruit is abundant, middling, or slender, arising in a quick, moderate, or long time.

Here, the result of a fracture of the tusk on the right brings the rout of the king, the country, and the army; / on the left, it kills sons, the royal chaplain, elephant-mounts, wild tribesmen, wives, and commanders.

On the left side, it destroys the sons, the purohita, the elephants, the forest-dwellers, wives, and commanders;

From the sight of a fracture of both, one should predict the destruction of the king's entire family. / With benefic ascendants, lunar days, asterisms, and the like, the good increases; otherwise, evil occurs.

Through auspicious lagna, tithi, asterism, and the like, the good increases; otherwise, it becomes inauspicious.

Against milk-trees, or trees bearing fruit and flowers, or by striking against river banks,

a fracture or chipping of the middle of the left tusk causes the destruction of the enemy; otherwise, it is the opposite.

An elephant that stumbles in its gait, suddenly has startled ears, is extremely dejected, breathes softly and very deeply, placing its trunk on the ground, / with rapidly closing eyes, prone to sleep, going backwards, eating improper food, or voiding blood and dung repeatedly, causes fear.

Having a swiftly closing gaze, prone to sleep, moving contrary, causing fear, eating improper food, repeatedly passing blood and dung,

Crushing anthills, tree-stumps, bushes, shrubs, and trees, glancing freely here and there, / moving in the direction favourable to the expedition with quick steps, holding its head high aloft,

One should march favorably aligned with the expedition, with quick-paced strides, raising one's face high.

and at the time of tightening the girth repeatedly discharging spray or trumpeting, / or obtaining rut at that very time, or wrapping its trunk around its right tusk, brings victory. || 15

Or the occurrence of rut at that time brings victory, as does winding [the trunk] around the right tusk.