Question on Jātaka 277

Dear Friends,

Does anyone know the meaning of the word "romaka"? It occurs in Jātaka 277 and is usually tranlsated "feathered"  (from Pāli roma/loma meaning "hair"), but there are so many variants, that it is evident the word was not understood by the scribes and/or bhāṇakas. Here is the verse and the commentary:


♦ 79.
♦ “vassānipaññāsa samādhikāni [var. Bi, samīdhītāni, Bd, samadhikāni],
vasimhaselassa guhāya romaka [var. Bid, romakā],
 asaṅkamānāabhinibbutattā [var. Bi, abhinippaticittā,
Pd, abhinibbūticittā],
hatthattam [var. Ck, hatthattham, Cs Bd, hattatthaṃ] āyantimamaṇḍajā pure.
For fifty years we have lived (vasimha, 1st pers. plural aorist?) in this cave of rock,
O feathered ones (romakā; Lüders does
not think it means “feathered” per 1954: 32, footnote 4). Formerly they came, the
egg-born ones, not hesitating, with a calm mind, taking my hand.

Commentary:
♦ tatthasamādhikānīti [var. samadhitāniti, samādhikāniti] samādhikāni [mama adhikāni]. romakāti[ropakā]rūmaya uppanna [dumāya uppanna/uppannā],sudhotapavāḷena [var., -lena]samānavaṇṇanettapādatāya [sahanavaṇṇe
netta pādamakāya]  bodhisattaṃ pārāvataṃ [var. pārāpataṃ,
pārāsataṃ] ālapati.asaṅkamānāti evaṃ atirekapaññāsavassāni imissā pabbataguhāya vasantesu amhesu ete aṇḍajā ekadivasampi mayi āsaṅkaṃ akatvā abhinibbutacittāva [abhinibbutacitā] hutvāpubbe mama hatthattaṃ [hatthatthaṃ] hatthappasāraṇokāsaṃ[pasāraṇokāsaṃ] āgacchantītiattho.
samādhikāni means abundant. romaka means “Born from a
tree (romaka/ropakā/rūmaya/dumāya? or born with feathers?), he addresses the
bodhisattva who is a pigeon, with the same feet, eyes and colour with
thoroughly clean sprouts(?pavāla).”
Lüders call this “unverständlich” and I agree.
asaṅkamānā means thus, for more than fifty years, when we were
dwelling in this mountain cave, these egg-born (birds) each day had no fear of
me and were perfectly tranquil formerly,  and came and took my hand whenever it was stretched out.
The word has four different forms: romaka, ropaka, ruumaya and dumaaya in the different recensions, so it seems like no one was quite sure of its meaning. The commentator's explication of the word does not seem to make sense (unless I am translating it wrong). Any help would be appreciated,

Metta, Bryan

Lüders, H. 1954. Beobachtungen über die Sprache des Buddhistischen Urkanons. Berlin: Akademie - Verlag.


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