Figure 1
Hindu tradition posits that all living organisms have descended from a common ancestor. The common ancestor of all birds is said to be tAmrA. Her sisters like kadru or surasA are the ancestors of the reptiles. The origin of birds from tAmrA is narrated in the pakShi sarga that is found in both the itihAsa-s and many of the mahApurANa-s (see below). Collation of the pakShi sarga-s from several major texts followed by construction of a parsimony network allows us to follow its evolution through these texts (see figure 1). The pakShi sarga in the epics states that tAmrA spawned 5 branches, which in turn spawned several other lineages of birds. The agni purANa preserves a degenerate version of this account. The remaining purANa-s increase the number of lineages emerging from tAmrA to 6. However, in the majority of them the apparently zoologically-challenged sUta makes the sixth lineage one of mammals- i.e. ungulates. However, the brahmANda purANa and padma purANa correct this to make the 6th lineage additional avian lineages. The Pauranic versions themselves can be divided into two categories: 1) using the term sutA for the descendents of tAMrA and 2) using the term kanyA for the same. The pakShi-sarga from all major texts with is given below with a summary of their views on the avian “phylogeny” shown as a network (Figure 2).
The word bhAsa is commonly translated as vulture or a bird of prey. It is an old vedic word (e.g. bhAsa sAman). bhAsI is the founder of an avian lineage according to 11 of the 12 texts. Included in the bhAsI lineage (considering all the 12 texts) are various birds, such as the bhAsa, mayUra (peacocks), kukkukTa (fowl), tittiri (patridge) and several other birds. Occasionally ulUka-s (owls) and kAka-s (crows) are included in the bhAsI clade but shyena-s and gR^idhra-s are not. Only the padma and matsya purANa-s consider the bhasi as a lineage of falconiform birds and place the kurara-s (osprey?) in it. From the view point of Indo-European faunal elements we find that Greek and Indo-Iranian share some specific isoglosses:
1) Grk: iktinos; Avs:saena; Skt: shyena => hawk
2) Grk: ortuks; Skt: vartaka => quail
3) Grk:kerkos; Avs: kahrka; Skt:kR^ikavAku =>rooster
In light of this one wonders if bhAsa and Greek phasianos/phasis are cognates and bhAsa originally probably pheasant rather than a falconiform in Old Indo-Aryan.
From the graph one can infer that the original Hindu system of avian classification included the shyenI, bhAsI and gR^idhrI clades for certain. Additionally, the shukI clade seems to have been most likely present. The shuchI clade might have been created originally from a mutation of the shukI clade, but it was intentionally reassigned to remain largely distinct from shukI by most pauraNic authors. The krau~nchI, kAkI, bhAsI, shuchI, shukI and dhR^itharAShTrI clades show overlap in contents, suggesting that they represented the major bulk of the doubtful relationships – an attempt to fit the remaining bird groups into the remaining 2-3 lineages. However, a large water-bird lineage and the owl-nightjar lineage are frequently associated with them. Finally, sugR^idhrI appears only in the padma purANa – an apparent attempt to correct the zoological gaffe (i.e. sugrIvI) occurring in the ancestral purANa sarga narrative.
Figure 2
mahAbhArata (Pune “critical” edition)
tAmrA tu suShuve devI pa~nchaitA loka vishrutAH || 54||
ulUkAn suShuve kAkI shyenI shyenAn-vyajAyata |
bhAsI bhAsAn ajanayad gR^idhrAMsh-chaiva janAdhipa || 55||
dhR^itarAShTrI tu haMsAMsh-cha kalahaMsAMsh-cha sarvashaH |
chakravAkAMsh-cha bhadraM te prajaj~ne sA tu bhAminI || 56||
shukI vijaj~ne dharmaj~na shukAneva manasvinI |
kalyANa guna sampannA sarva-lakShaNa pUjitA || 57||
rAmAyaNa (Baroda “critical” edition)
krau~nchIM bhAsIM tathA shyenIM dhR^itarAShTrIM tathA shukIm || 3.13.17||
tAmrApi suShuve kanyAH pa~nchaitA lokavishrutAH |
ulUkA~n janayat krau~nchI bhAsI bhAsAn-vyajAyata || 3.13.18 ||
shyenI shyenAMsh-cha gR^idhrAMsh-cha vyajAyata su-tejasaH |
dhR^itarAShTrI tu haMsAMshcha kalahaMsAMsh-cha sarvashaH || 3.13.19 ||
chakravAkAMsh-cha bhadraM te vijaj~ne sApi bhAminI |
shukI natAM vijaj~ne tu natAyA vinatA sutA || 3.13.20 ||
…
vinatA cha shukI pautrI kadrUsh-cha surasA svasA || 3.13.31||
kadrUr-nAga-sahaskraM tu vijaj~ne dharaNI-dharam |
dvau putrau vinatAyAstu garuDo.aruNa eva cha || 3.13.32||
tasmAj-jAto.aham aruNAt-sampAtish-cha mamAgrajaH |
jaTAyuriti mAM viddhi shyenI-putram-arindama || 3.13.33||
agni purANa (VSP edition)
shyenI bhAsI tathA krau~ncI dhRtarAShTrI shukI tathA |219.009ab
harivaMsha (Gita Press text)
ShaT-sutAH su-mahA-sattvAs-tAmrAyAH parikIrtitAH
kAkI shyenI cha bhAsI cha sugrIvI shuchi gR^idhrikA ||1.3.106 ||
kAkI kAkAn ajanayad ulUKI pratyulUkakAn |
shyenI shyenAMs tathA bhAsI bhAsAn gR^idhrAMsh-cha gR^idhry-api ||1.3.107||
shuchir audakAn pakShi gaNAn sugrIvI tu paraMtapa |
ashvAn-uShTrAn-gardabhAMsh-cha tAmrA vaMshaH prakIrtitaH ||1.3.108 ||
brahma purANa (P. Schreiner’s text)
ShaT-sutAH su-mahA-bhAgAs tAmrAyAH parikIrtitAH || 3.92|
krau~nchI shyenI cha bhAsI cha sugrIvI shuchi gR^idhrikA |
krau~nchI tu janayAmAsa ulUka pratyulUkakAn || 3.93|
shyenI shyenAMs tathA bhAsI bhAsAn gR^idhrAMsh-cha gR^idhry-api |
shuchir audakAn pakShi gaNAn sugrIvI tu dvijottamAH || 3.94|
ashvAn uShTrAn gardabhAMsh-cha tAmrA vaMshaH prakIrtitaH |
garuDa purANa (Sanskrit Pratishthan text)
ShaT-sutAsh-cha mahA-sattvAs tAmrAyAH parikIrtitAH |
shukI shyenI cha bhAsI cha sugrIvI shuchi gR^idhrike || 1.6.56 ||
shukI shukAn ajanayad ulUkI pratyalUkakAn |
shyenI shyenAMs tathA bhAsI bhAsAn gR^idhrAMsh-cha gR^idhry-api || 1.6.57 ||
shuchy-audakAn pakShi gaNAn sugrIvI tu vyajAyata |
ashvAn-uShTrAn-gardabhAMsh-cha tAmrA vaMshaH prakIrtitaH || 1.6.58 ||
viShNu purANa (VSP edition)
ShaT sutAH su-mahA-sattvAs-tAmrAyAH parikIrtitAH |
shukI shyenI cha bhAsI cha sugrIvI shuci gR^iddhrakA || 1.21.15 ||
shukI shukAn ajanayad ulUka pratyulUkikAn |
shyenI shyenAMs tathA bhAsI bhAsAn gR^irdhyAMsh cha gR^idhry-api || 1.21.16 ||
shuchy-audakAn-pakShi gaNAn sugrIvI tu vyajAyata |
ashvAn-uShTrAn-gardabhAMsh-cha tAmrA vaMshaH prakIrtitaH || 1.21.17 ||
brahmANDa purANa (VSP edition)
ShaT kanyAs-tvabhi-vikhyAtAstA mrAyAsh-cha vijaj~nire || 2.7.445 ||
gR^idhrI bhAsI shukI krau~ncI shyenI cha dhR^itarAShTrikA |
aruNasya cha gR^idrI tu vIryavantau mahAbalau || 2.7.446 ||
saMpAtiM cha jaTAyuM cha prasUtA pakShi-sattamau |
saMpAter vijayAH putrA dvirAsyAH prasahash-cha ye || 2.7.447 ||
jaTAyuShaH purAH putrAH kaka-gR^idhrAsh-cha karNikAH |
bhAryA garutmatash-chaiva bhAsI krau~ncI tathA shukI || 2.7.448 ||
dhR^itarAShTrI tathA shyenI tAsvapatyAni vachmite |
shukI garutmataH putrAn-suShuve ShaT parishrutAn || 2.7.449 ||
sukhaM sunetraM vishikhaM surUpaM surasaM balam |
teShAM putrAsh-cha pautrAsh-cha garuDAnAM mahAtmanAm || 2.7.450 ||
chaturdasha sahasrANi purANAM pannagAshinAm |
putra-pautra-visargAchCha teShAM vai vaMsha vistaraiH || 2.7.451 ||
…
shaila shR^i~NgANi vyAptAni gAruDaistair-mahAtmabhiH |
bhAsI-putrAH smR^itA bhAsA ulUkAH kAka-kukkuTAH || 2.7.455 ||
mayUrAH kalavi~NkAshcha kapotA-lAva-tittirAH |
krau~ncA vAdhrINasAH shyenAH kurarAH sArasA bakAH || 2.7.456 ||
ity-evamAdayo .anye .api kravyAdA ye cha pakShiNaH |
dhR^itarAShTrI tu haMsAsh-cha kala-haMsAMsh-cha bhAminI || 2.7.457 ||
chakravAkAMsh-cha vihagAn-sarvAMsh-chaiva udakAndvichAn |
shyenyanantaM vijaj~ne tu putra-pautraM dvijottamAH || 2.7.458 ||
matsya purANa (Raghavan text)
ShaT-kanyA janayAmAsa tAmrA mArIcha-bIjataH |
shukI shyenI cha bhAsI cha sugrIvI gR^idhrikA shuchiH || 6.30 ||
shukI shukAn ulUkAMsh-cha janayAmAsa dharmataH |
shyenI shyenAMs tathA bhAsI kurarAn apya-jIjanat || 6.31 ||
gR^idhrI gR^idhrAn kapotAMsh-cha pArAvata-vihaMgamAn |
haMsa-sArasa-krau~ncAMsh cha plavA~n-Shuchir-ajIjanat || 6.32 ||
ajAshva-meShoShTra-kharAn sugrIvI chApy-ajIjanat |
eSha tAmrAn vayaH prokto vinatAyAM nibodhata || 6.33 ||
padma purANa (Setzer edition)
ShaT-kanyA janayAmAsa tAmrA mArIcha-vIryataH ||1.6.62||
shukIM shyenIM cha bhAsIM cha sugR^idhrIM shuchiM |
shukI shukAn ulUkAMsh-cha janayAmAsa dharmataH ||1.6.63||
shyenI shyenAMsh-cha bhAsI cha kurarAn apya-jIjanat |
gR^idhrI gR^idhrAn su-gR^idhrI-cha pArAvata-vihaMgamAn |
haMsa-sArasa-kAraNDa-plavA~n-Shuchir-ajIjanat || 1.6.64 ||
ete tAmrA sutAH proktA vinatAyA nishAmaya || 1.6.65 ||
kUrma purANa (VSP edition)
tAmrA cha janayAmAsa ShaT kanyA dvija-puṅgavAH |
shukIM shyenIM cha bhAsIM cha sugrIvA~N gR^idhrikAM shuchim || 1.17.11 ||
bhAgavata purANa (Gita Press edition)
tAmrAyAH shyeNa-gR^idhrAdya muner-apsarasaM gaNAH || 1.6.27cd||
mAnasa-taraMgiNI 