432 Birds in Sanskrit Literature 9. The Whooper and the White Ibis have an entirely white plumage and black bill and legs, and these form the slender basis of comparison between the two in several सुभाषित verses where the Ibis is always taunted for not being able to match the Swan either in its graceful movement or the power of separating out milk from water. In verse 229 at page 229 of the सुभाषित (1933 Edn.) a pure white body a pleasant voice (the boom- ing call of this Ibis is well known) and even a slow-stepping gait ( during fishing) are conceded to the Ibis, while in verse 230 it is despised for its animal diet and for not enjoying the honour of serving as a mount for god रह्मा. Nt may be added that the comparison is hardly fair to the Swan but it is allowable in अन्योक्ति which chiefly involves a satire upon a person of false perfections. 10. The large size and strength of पाकहंस are clearly stated in the Jataka story 534- "पाकहंसा महब्बला", the वेस्संतर जातक (547)- "पाकहंसा अतिबला" verse, 2106, and also in जातकमाला, 22.40"सज्जपवरथी बली" and we can now see that the हंसा: described as दलवीयपपन्न, बली हंस or simply as बलिन् in the following verses are no other than Swans:- बलवीर्योपपन्नानां रूपयौवनशालिनाम् । पष्ठस्तु पन्था हंसानां वैनतेयगतिः परा ॥ रामायण, 4.58 28. कथं नु हंसं बलिनं चक्राङ्गं दूरपातिनम् -- महाभारत, 8.41.23. सामिषं कुररं जघ्नु: बलिनो ये निरामिषा:– भागवत, 11.9.2. 11. The golden-coloured हंस caught by love-distracted Nala was no other than a young Whooper: स ददर्श ततो हंसाञ्जातरूपपरिष्कृतान्- महाभारत, 3.54-13,1 The bird promised to plead Nala's cause with Damayanti and was there- upon released. He flew with his party to her place and allowed himself to be caught by her and then performed his mission. The circular flight of the bird before it settled down is described in the verse below :- भ्रमणरयविकीर्णस्वर्णभासा खगेन क्वचन पतनयोग्यं देशमन्विष्यताधः । मुखविधुमदसीयं सेवितुं लम्बमानः शशिपरिधिरिवोध्वं मण्डलस्तेन तेने नैषधचरित, 2.108. The talking धार्तराष्ट्र birds with a beautiful voice engaged upon a mission similar to the above are again the Whooper Swans :-- 1. It is to be noted that a majority of Swans visiting India are young birds who have not yet attained the adult whire plumage. 2. Damayanti found the bird to be अद्भुतरूप ie, quite unlike the Geese she had been accustomed to see. It will be seen that जातरूप हंस is the same as सुबष्ण हंस of the जातक. Swans, Geese, Ducks and Mergansers ततो हंसान् धार्तराष्ट्रान् देवलोकनिवासिनः हरिवंश, 2.91,36. ते व नदन्तो मधुरं संस्कृतापूर्वभाषिणः - Ib. 2.92.3. आलपन्तं सुमधुरं धार्तराष्ट्रा जनेश्वर - Ib 2.92.5. सकान्तैधर्तिराष्ट्रश्च राजहंसः सुरप्रियैः - Ib.2.41.61. It may be added that the Swans have also been described as देवपक्षिण: (Ibid. 2.91 37 ) ; हंससत्तमाः, 'best of their kind (Ibid.2.91.39). • The occurrence of adult Swans in Kashmir is mentioned in the पद्मपुराण where मृणालधवला देवहंसाः and मृणालवर्चसो हंसा: are referred to-VI. उत्तर खंड, 176.70, and the Whoopers are placed on the Himalayan waters : हंसान्सुमधुराचापि तत्र शुश्राव पार्थिवः । 433 -महाभारत, 13.54,14, The normal change from the juvenile grey-brown to the all-white plumage of the adult धार्तराष्ट्र has been utilized, though not quite artistically, to glorify the purifying effects of a certain holy place on the Narmada in the Padma Purāna, II भूमिखंड, ch. 92 and the adult birds are described a little earlier as entirely white but with the bill and feet black : सितेतरैचञ्चुपादैरन्यतः शुक्लविग्रहाः - Ib. 90.43. भट्टनारायण has used धार्तराष्ट्रा with a double meaning in the following, as (i) the कौरवाः, the sons of घृतराष्ट्र and (ii) the Whooper Swans :- सत्यक्षा मधुरगिर: प्रसाधिताशा मदोद्धतारम्भाः । निपतन्ति धार्तराष्ट्राः कालवशान्मेदिनीपृष्ठे ॥ -वेणीसंहार, 1.6. Again the visiting (अभ्यागत) सुरप्रिय and चारुविशालपक्ष are Swans and हंसा: the Geese in the following : अभ्यागतंत्र्वारुविशालपक्ष सर (सुर ? ) प्रियंः पद्मरजोवकीर्णैः । महानदीनां पुलिनोपयातः क्रीडन्ति हंसाः सह चक्रवाकैः ।। - रामायण, 4.30.31. Nothing brings out the true significance of the name विशालपक्ष better than a comparison of the size and wing-expanse of a Swan with that of a Goose. The former is sixty inches long and has an expanse of ninety to nintyfive inches as against only thirtytwo and sixty inches respectively of the latter सुरप्रिय are the Swans, हंसा: the Geese, and चक्रवाक the Ruddy Sheldrakes, and the verse gives a picture of a great river with these birds, sporting on the sands (and presumably some on the waters as is their habit). The Swan of god वरुण is described in रामायण, 7.18.28 as "गङ्गातोय- विचारिन्" and this supports the above identification of विशालपक्ष 1. राजहंस here refers to the Mute Swan. 2. The expression कालवश refers to (i) the severity of winter which forces the Swans to move from the higher latitudes to the lower and warner one in India, and (ii) the adverse fate awaiting the कौरवाः 3. विशालपक्ष qualifying सुरप्रिय may also mean a large party' of Swans.
