History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c89.302

v7.c89.302

Śāntis are connected with *śakunas* also. The word śakuna means 'a bird' in the Ṛgveda (IV. 26. 6, IX 86 13, IX. 96. 19 and 23, IX. 107. 20, IX. 112 2, X. 68. 7, X. 123. 6, X. 165. 2) and is a synonym of *śakuni* (Ṛg II. 42. 1, II. 43. 2 and 3) and *śakunti* (Ṛg II. 42. 3, II. 43. 1) In Ṛg X. 16. 6 (yat te kṛṣṇaḥ śakuna ātutoda) the crow is referred to as 'the dark bird'. It has been seen above that birds like *kapota* were regarded even in the Ṛgveda as harbingers of impending evil and misfortune. Hence the word śakuna gradually came to mean premonition of evil conveyed by cries, movements, positions of birds and then any prognosticatory sign (not necessarily connected with birds). There is an extensive literature on śakunas. Some of it is mentioned here, viz. the Matsyapurāṇa (chap. 237, 241, 243), Agnipurāṇa (chap. 230-232), Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa II. 163-164, Padmapurāṇa (IV. 100. 65-126), Bṛhat-saṁhitā (chap. 85-95), Bṛhad-yogayātrā (chap. 23-27), Yogayātrā (chap. 14), the Nimitta of Bhadrabāhu (ms. in Bhau Daji collection of BBRAS No. 385 in Prof. Velankar's Catalogue pp. 126-127), Vasantarāja-śākuna,¹³⁰⁹ Mānasollāsa of king Someśvara Cālukya (1126-1138