Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s14.16

v1.c3.s14.16

Cakra-vāka is the name, apparently derived from the nature of its cry, of a species of gander (Anas casarca), the modern Chakwā, as it is called in Hindi, or Brahmany duck in English.¹ It is mentioned in the Rigveda² and in the list of victims at the Aśvamedha, or horse sacrifice, in the Yajurveda,³ while in the Atharvaveda⁴ it already appears as the type of conjugal fidelity, its characteristic in the classical literature.