Kalaviṅka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kalaviṅka (Sanskrit: कलविंक kalaviṅka; Pali: karavika; Chinese: 迦陵頻伽 Jiālíngpínqié;[1] Japanese: 迦陵頻伽, romanized: Karyōbinga,[2] Korean: 가릉빈가;[3] Vietnamese: Ca Lăng Tần Già; Burmese: ကရဝိက် karawik; Thai: การเวก, Malay: karawek) is a fantastical immortal creature in Buddhism, with a human head and a bird's torso, with long flowing tail.[4]
The kalaviṅka is said to dwell in the Western pure land and is reputed to preach the Dharma with its fine voice.[4] It is said to sing while still unhatched within its eggshell.[citation needed] Its voice is a descriptor of the Buddha's voice. In the Japanese text, it goes by various titles such as myōonchō (妙音鳥, "exquisite sounding bird"),[5] kōonchō (好音鳥, "goodly sounding bird")[5] among others.
Edward H. Schafer notes that in East Asian religious art the Kalaviṅka is often confused with the Kinnara, which is also a half-human half-bird hybrid mythical creature, but that the two are actually distinct and unrelated.[6]