Sanskrit word for civet

[viswan]

What is the accurate sanskrit word for civet? Some dictionaries say that
गन्धमार्ज्जारः, मार्ज्जारकस्तूरि, खट्टशः etc.But I think that these are not
accurate sanskrit word for the said.

[Hnbhat B.R.]

Monier Williams:

CIVET, CIVET-CAT, s. gandhamārjāraḥ, gandhotuḥ m., khaṭṭāśaḥ -śī, pūtiśārijā,

VS Apte :

Civet,-Cat, s. गंधमार्जारः.

In spite of Indian and European Lexicographers' assertion of what they mean by the English word, if you feel it is not proper You can find yourself the accurate word from the classical or Vedic literature or coin a new word you feel accurate.

​

[VKG]

How about the word Kasturi? This is traditionally used.

[Hnbhat B.R.]

कस्तूरिकाजननभृता मृगेण किं सेव्यते सुमनसां मनसापि गन्धः।

Here is the word कस्तूरीमृगः ---

 कस्तूरी-मृग

(H3) कस्तूरी--मृग [L=46893] m. the musk-deer Comm. on Kum. i , 55.

Are both the same?  

The reference to the deer in the commentary on Kumarasambhava:

m.rganaabhigandhi - the commentary of Vallabhadeva =

m.rgaa.naam+kastuurikaakura"ngaa.naam

Is the कस्तूरीमृग known as कुरङ्ग - deer or cat? called civet cat? Or are there two animals cat and deer that produce musk = कस्तूरी. Or the same, called as cat in English, and Deer in Sanskrit? This seems the base of the query though it is not mentioned explicitly.

This is what the English word means as per English Dictionary:

Cat-like mammal typically secreting musk used in perfumes

civet cat

Here is the Oxford Dictionary Entry for the English word civet:

civet

Pronunciation: /ˈsɪvɪt/

noun

(also civet cat)

1a slender nocturnal carnivorous mammal with a barred and spotted coat and well-developed anal scent glands, native to Africa and Asia.

Family Viverridae (the civet family): several genera and species. The civet family also includes the genets, linsang, and fossa, and formerly included the mongooses.

 [mass noun] a strong musky perfume obtained from the secretions of the civet’s scent glands.

2US the ring-tailed cat or cacomistle.

Origin:

mid 16th century: from French civette, from Italian zibetto, from medieval Latin zibethum, from Arabic zabād, denoting the perfume

I think now it throws some light. ​

​

​Now, according English dictionaries, civet is native of Africa and Asia.

Now the question is the same sharpened: \

Is it civet and कस्तूरी-मृग are both the same or two different animals and if different, both produce the scent or any confusion there? 

[sadasivamurty rani]

Musk is Kasturi. Kasturi Mrga is Musk deer. I have mentioned in my previous reply that the word "Gandha Mrga" is used in two meanings: 1. Civet and 2. Musk deer.

 

Dr. Rani Sadasiva Murty

On Sunday, 27 October 2013 6:34 AM, VKG <vkghan...@gmail.com> wrote:

How about the word Kasturi? This is traditionally used.

--
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[V Subrahmanian]

One can see a picture of a civet and read related information here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civet

subrahmanian.v

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[Ajit Gargeshwari]

Civet is not Musk deer anyway. According to wiki Civets have a broadly cat-like general appearance, though the muzzle is extended and often pointed, rather like that of an otter or a mongoose.

​ Small Indian civets are known to occur in so one can probably get  a sanskrit equvalent for  Small Indian civet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Indian_Civet​

​
Sorry to quote wiki. I thought this might be useful.​

Regards
Ajit Gargeshwari
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे।।2.20।।

[sadasivamurty rani]

Yes. Exactly the same kind of civets are there on the Tirumala Balaji hills the liquid that flows from these civets used in Upacaras for Sri Balaji. 

Dr. Rani Sadasiva Murty

[Hnbhat B.R.]

Now the question is pointed. Whether the Monier William's explanation  [5] कस्तूरीमृग / कस्तूरी--मृग m. the musk-deer Comm. on Kum. i , 55. [#48380] [Img:266,2] 

based on the commentary on कस्तूरी-मृग -नाभिगन्धि - as मृगाणाम् = कस्तूरिका-कुरङ्गाणाम्, नाभिगन्धो विद्यते  यत्र - by Vallabhadeva, Edn. M.S. Narayana Murti

Wiesbaden 1980 is wrong.

or both the deer mentioned in Kumarasambhava, 1.53 and the wild cat called civet, both produce the perfumery scent called कस्तूरी or both have different names? I remember, I had seen the civet cat, fed in cage, in our home, in childhood. It is called "puṇuṅgu" named in TN Burrow's dictionary :

4313 Ta. pur̤uku, puṉuku civet; civet cat. Ma. pur̤uku, pur̤u id. Ka. pur̤a, pur̤u, puṇugu, puṇagu, punagu, punugu, pula civet. Koḍ. pu·-bekkï civet cat. Tu. puṇuṅgu, puṇugu, punugu civet. Te. punūgu id. DED 3538.

Are puṇuṅgu and  कस्तूरी used as Tilaka, ae one and the same or two?  In the case of first, why Vallabhadeva commented it as Kuranga? which was taken up by MW for the interpretation of कस्तूरी-मृग and is it a confusion for Vallabhadeva? In the context, do Himalayan forests have musk-deer or wild cats called civets?

This seems to be the root cause of the question. And suggestion of कस्तूरी-मृग as the Sanskrit word, for civet, needs to be reconsidered if they are different. In the second case, it has taken to be granted, that musk-deers are found in Himalayan forests and in south, civet cats produce the perfumed scent. 

[Ananta Acharya]

I think मार्ज्जारकस्तूरि is the better translation because civet is omnivorous Mexican mammal which secrets musk used in perfumes. It has the characters of both  मार्ज्जार=  cat and कस्तूरि= a type of deer which secrets musk. 

[sadasivamurty rani]

There is a striking difference between the civet and musk deer. Civet is an animal of cat's family. Where as a musk deer is a kind of stag.
The fragrant substance which in regional languages is called PUNUGU is produced from Civet and it is produced from the perineam glads (situated between its anus and genitals) of it.
The KASTURI is produced from MUSK DEER's naval part. Kasturi is  different from PUNUGU. Kasturi is much costlier than PUNUGU.  The Species of  Kasturi Mrgas is in danger now. Civets are still available. I have seen both KASTURI and PUNUGU.
There is lot of difference between their medicinal utility of both of them in the system of Ayurveda.

With warm regards,

 Dr. Rani Sadasiva Murty

[Hnbhat B.R.]

On Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 2:39 PM, sadasivamurty rani <ranisada...@yahoo.com> wrote:

There is a striking difference between the civet and musk deer. Civet is an animal of cat's family. Where as a musk deer is a kind of stag.
The fragrant substance which in regional languages is called PUNUGU is produced from Civet and it is produced from the perineam glads (situated between its anus and genitals) of it.
The KASTURI is produced from MUSK DEER's naval part. Kasturi is  different from PUNUGU. Kasturi is much costlier than PUNUGU.  The Species of  Kasturi Mrgas is in danger now. Civets are still available. I have seen both KASTURI and PUNUGU.
There is lot of difference between their medicinal utility of both of them in the system of Ayurveda.

With warm regards,

 Dr. Rani Sadasiva Murty

​Thanks for the clarification of the doubt. So this sets the query at rest. Civet is correctly translated by the compilers translating the civet cat into Sanskrit and ​now the correct word for the civet cat, is to be picked up from Ayurvedic texts, as the are expected to name it and use the name in their works. Both Monier Williams and VS Apte have not given any reference to their usage in Sanskrit classical literature, probably they didn't have access to the technical medical literature in Ayurveda. 

So Kalidasa, had referred to the species of musk-deer मृगनाभिगन्धि and was correctly translated by the commentator. Now, the remaining for the tracing of Sanskrit Words for both, गन्धमार्ज्जारः, and कस्तूरिका-मृग in the medical literature so that the query would be completely solved.

There is no entry of both in the Sanskrit Dictionaries on a random search in MW though there is  गन्धगज, there is no गन्ध-मार्ज्जारः 

But शब्दकल्पद्रुम has the entry:

 खट्टाश

[L=9969] [p= 2-272] खट्टाशः, पुं स्त्री, (खट्टः आत्मा वृतः सन् अश्नाति

इति । अश् अच् । अश्नुते व्याप्नोति गात्र-

गन्धेन वा । अशूङ् नव्याप्तौ अच् ।) 

वनजन्तु- विशेषः । खटाश इति गन्धगोकुला इति च

भाषा । तत्पर्य्यायः । 

गन्धौतुः २ वनवासनः ३ ।

इति त्रिकाण्डशेषः ॥ खट्टाशी ४ वनाखुः ५ । इति

शब्दरत्नावली ॥ खट्टासः ६ गन्धमार्जारः ७

वनश्वा ८ शालिः ९ । इति जटाधरः ॥ पुष्य-

लकः १० । इति दुर्गादासधृतवचनम् ॥

Hope any of the synonyms would be found in medical literature.But those quoted above are all lexical literature. None from the classical literature also.

 

--

Dr. Hari Narayana Bhat B.R. M.A., Ph.D.,
Research Scholar(Retd),

Ecole française d'Extrême-OrientCentre de Pondichéry

16 & 19, Rue Dumas