Note 611 — Chapter I
Reading edition
Meteors are also held to be the agār or charak (i.e., excreta) dropped either by a curious water-bird,600 or by Garud, the favourite eagle, and vehicle of Vishnu,611 or by a fabulous bird Anal.612 The latter is said to fly at an immeasurable height from the surface of the earth, and to take food only once a day.612 It is almost impossible to catch the charak when it falls to earth: but if ever it can be secured, the application of it to the eyes of a blind man will restore his eyesight. It also furnishes an effective remedy for leprosy, and gives a golden lustre to the body of a person suffering from that disease.611