6. Kalavinka = Sanskrit, Sperling, belongs to the sacred order of
birds and scenes, in this place to be intended for the Kokila. (Jülg.)
The Kokila, or India cuckoo, is as favourite a bird with Indians as
the nightingale is with us. For a description of it see "A Monograph
of Indian and Malayan Species of Cuculidæ," in Journal of As. Soc. of
Bengal, xi. 908, by Edward Blyth.
7. You are not to imagine that by "four parts of the universe"
is meant any thing like what we have been used to call "the four
quarters of the globe." The division of the Indian cosmogony was
very different and refers to the distribution of the (supposed) known
universe between gods of various orders and men, to the latter being
assigned the fourth and lowest called Gambudvîpa [71].
8. Concerning such religious gatherings, see Köppen, i. 396, 579-583;
ii. 115, 311.
At such a festival held by Aravâla, King of Cashmere, on occasion
of celebrating the acceptance of the teaching of Shâkjamuni as the
religion of his dominion, it is said in a legend that there were
present 84,000 of each order of the demigods, 100,000 priests, and
800,000 people.
9. The parrot naturally takes a prominent place in Indian fable,
both on account of his sagacity, his companionable nature, and his
extraordinary length of days. He did not fail to attract much notice
on the part of the Greek writers on India; and Ktesias, who wrote
about 370 B.C., seems to have caught some of the peculiar Indian
regard for his powers, when he wrote that though he ordinarily spoke
the Indian's language, he could talk Greek if taught it. Ælianus says
they were esteemed by the Brahmans above all other birds, and that
the princes kept many of them in their gardens and houses.