Kalaviṅka
Kalaviṅka · kala-viṅka, “the house-sparrow”
Grammar: masculine noun: the sparrow; the Telugu glosses it as the house-sparrow.
Meaning: the house-sparrow, a small bird of the dwellings and lakes.
In the scriptures: the Brahma Purāṇa names the kalaviṅka twice.
At the wedding of Devī Pārvatī, Brahmā tells the munis, when the six ṛtus came to serve, cool fragrant breezes blew from the lakes, which were full of padma, utpala and fish and of water birds with wings of many colours, such as the ṭiṭṭibha, the kalaviṅka and the balāka. The breezes shook the branches and twigs and let the flowers fall, and the grounds around the wedding maṇḍapa shone with the signs of all the seasons together (Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 36).
In the rules of śrāddha, Vyāsa teaches the Vārāha śrāddha-kalpa, the śrāddha-kalpa seen by Vārāha, which names what must not be given to brāhmaṇas at the śrāddha nor eaten. Among the creatures whose offering brings the Raurava naraka are the cakravāka, the madgu, boneless fish, the kurara, the kalaviṅka, the peacock, the bhāradvāja bird, the śārjaka, the mongoose, the owl, the tittiri, the jackal, the tiger, the bear and the hyena. One who offers these goes to the Raurava naraka, and casts even the pitṛ-devatās who are in svarga into naraka. If they are offered or eaten by mistake, unknowingly, prāyaścitta must be done (Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 220).
Related terms: Śrāddha · Raurava · Naraka · Prāyaścitta · Ṛtu
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Chapters 36, 220