Original Sanskrit Texts on the Origin and History of the People of India, their Religion and Institutions v2.c19.19

v2.c19.19

The monkeys despatched to seek for Sītā are desired to visit among other countries those of the following races:—Rāmāyaṇa iv., 40, 26, ff. (Bombay ed., =iv. 40, 29, ff., Gorr. ed.): *Karṇaprāvaraṇāṁś chaiva tathā chāpy Oshṭhakarṇakāḥ* | *Ghoralohamukhāś chaiva javanāś chaikapādakāḥ* | *akshayāḥ balavantaś cha tathaiva purushādakāḥ* | *Kirātāś tīkshṇachūḍāś cha hemābhāḥ priya-darśanāḥ* | *āma-mīnāśanāś chāpi Kirātāḥ dvīpavāsinaḥ* | *antarjalacharāḥ ghorāḥ naravyāghrāḥ iti smṛitāḥ*. “The Kārṇaprāvaraṇas (men whose ears served for coverings), the Oshṭhakarṇakas (people whose ears extended to their lips), the dreadful Lohamukhas (iron-faced-men), swift, and one-footed, undecaying, strong, men-eaters (a kind of Rākshasas according to the commentator), the Kirātās, with sharp-pointed hair-knots, gold-coloured, and pleasant to behold; and the dreadful Kirātas, who are islanders, and eat raw fish, live in the waters, and are men-tigers (men below and tigers above, according to the commentator).” One of the Rākshasīs mentioned in the Mahābh. iii. 6137, is called ekapādā, “the one-footed.”