རྒྱལ་པ་ལ་གདམས་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད notes.13

notes.13

13. so bya nya sdod ’dra. In Tibetan, so bya, or “watchman-bird,” is listed in dictionaries as a “large black bird which eats fish.” Skilling translates it as “heron,” which fits well with the image of a bird standing still waiting for its prey. Although black herons are not native to India or Tibet, the black color has some relevance for the simile here, so it has been included in the translation.