In Hinduism

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia

Pūjanī (पूजनी).—A bird of superior intellect. The story of Pūjanī was told by Bhīṣma to illustrate that Kṣatriyas can never be believed.

There was once a king called Brahmadatta in the country of Kāmpilya. The King had a bird named Pūjanī. Pūjanī was very intelligent and all-knowing and the king treated her as his friend. Days went by and one day the queen delivered a son. At the same time Pūjanī also got a child. The prince and the little bird grew up as great friends. The little bird used to bring to the prince whatever eatable it could take in its little beak. They lived as such thick chums.

One day while Pūjanī was away from the cage, the prince caught hold of the little bird and strangled it to death. When Pūjanī came back she found her child missing and went about crying loudly. She then knew what had happened and got very angry. She flew and pricked blind the eyes of the prince and bade farewell to the King. The parting scene was very pathetic. Pūjanī declared that Kṣatriyas were not to be believed and flew away. (Chapter 139, Śānti Parva).

context information

The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Pūjanī (पूजनी):—[from pūjana > pūjaka > pūj] f. = janīyā f., [Mahābhārata; Harivaṃśa]

2) [v.s. ...] a hen-sparrow, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Starts with: Pujaniya.

Ends with: Laspujani.

Full-text: Pujaniya.

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Search found 1 books and stories containing Pujani, Pūjanī; (plurals include: Pujanis, Pūjanīs). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Mahabharata (English) (by Kisari Mohan Ganguli)

Section CXXXIX < [Apaddharmanusasana Parva]

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