444 Birds in Sanskrit Literature कादम्बकारण्डवहंसजुष्टाः पद्माकुलाः पुष्करिणीरपश्यन् । मानसं हंसकारण्डवाकुलम् -- पद्मपुराण, सृष्टिखंड, 43.178, (ix) In अन्योक्ति poetry हंस, राजहंस, हंसकुलावतंस, मराल, राजमराल and मरालकुलनायक are all used for a Swan as representing the highest standard of personal grace, dignity and ethical behaviour for an honourable person. 8. A pilgrimage to the मानस Lake, south or south-east of the कैलास range in the inner Himalayas, has been dear to the religious-minded and enterprising Indians from very ancient times and they thus became familiar not only with the breeding grounds of myriads of Bar-headed Geese and Cranes but also the valley or valleys by which they crossed the Himalayas to and back from India. This association of the or राजहंस with the great Lake and the कोचर valley recurs quite often in Sanskrit literature. Incidentally, it also helps to solve the equation, "सर:काकस्तु हंस: स्यात्" -विकाण्ड- शेष, where "सर" stands for "मानसर" and "काक" either for a bird in general or a Crow. The reference is thus to the Bar-head as the bird of the मानस Lake or to its being as common a bird there as the Crow is elsewhere. A few relevant references to राजहंस for the Bar-head are given below : (i) हंसद्वारं भृगुपतियशोवर्त्म यत, क्रौञ्चरन्ध्रम् । (ii) -म.भा. 3.164.5. अद्यापि छिद्रं तत्पार्थ क्रोश्वस्य परिवर्तते । येन हंसाच क्रौञ्चाश्च मानसाय प्रयान्ति च ॥ - स्कन्दपुराण, कौमारिकाखण्ड, 33.181. (iii) सम्पत्स्यन्ते नभसि भवतो राजहंसाः सहायाः । (iv) मेघश्यामा दिशो दृष्ट्वा मानसोत्सुकचेतसाम् । कूजितं राजहंसानां नेदं नूपुरशिञ्जितम् || -मेषदूत, 11. -विक्रमोर्वशीय, 4.14. (v) यस्य सानुमतां पृष्ठे सरः काञ्चनपङ्कजम् । कारण्डवसमाकीर्णं राजहंसोपशोभितम् ।। -मेघदूत, 59.
वामन पुराण, 85.16.
(vi) आहारो बिसपल्लवा: पुलिनभूर्तीलाविहारास्पदं रेवावारिणि राजहंसशिशवस्तिष्ठन्ति धन्याः सुखम् ॥ -नलचम्पू, 5.71. The first four examples refer to the last homeward flights of the Bar-heads late in spring or in early summer when a few spring-showers are common. Swans, Geese, Ducks and Mergansers 445 This has been poctically associated with the beginning of the rainy season, unless the Geese stayed on much longer or the rains set in much earlier some two thousand years ago than they do now. The convention has been followed by all poets as कविसम्प्रदाय or poetic fiction. 9. The ancients also knew from their visits to the northern Himalayas that the Geese, like almost all members of the family, lose their wing- quills after the breeding season and are helpless for some time. This is clear from the following verse where the female (who is now busy attending to her young ) is said to be happy in the thought that her mate must be feeding amongst the lilies somewhere, little knowing that the poor fellow •deprived of his power of flight, is almost starving in the muddy reeds : हंसी वेत्ति परागपिञ्जरतनुः कुत्रापि पद्माकरे प्रेयान्मे बिसकन्दलीकिसलयं भुङ ङ्क्ते ह्ययं निर्वृतः । नो जानाति तपस्विनी यदनिशं जम्बालमालोडयन् शैवालाङ्करमप्यसौ न लभते हंसो विशीर्णच्छदः ।। -सुभाषित, 222.34. 10. Some additional appreciative references to the Geese and a couple of examples of striking poetic imagery showing in what high regard they have been held in India may now be given: (i) The sonorous 'honking' calls of the Grey Lag high up in the sky, or their conversational notes when feeding in the fields have been greatly admired: कर्षन् नितान्तमधुरान् कलहंसनादान् कुन्दमाला, 2.4. या पुरा कलहंसानां कलेन कलभाषिणी-- रामायण, 4.30,9. श्रोत्रं हंसस्वनोऽयं सुखयति दयिता नूपुरह्लादकारी – प्रियदर्शिका, 1.15. (ii) The distant 'gaggle' of long lines of the Bar-head Geese, flying high in different directions and ach flock answering the call of another, in the cloud-free autumnal sky has inspired a truly picturesque image. 'The goddesses presiding over the Cardinal Points are, as it were, carrying ona lively conversation accross the skies': सितच्छदानामपदिश्य धावतां रुतैरमीषां ग्रथिताः पतव्रिणाम् । प्रकुर्वते वारिदरोधनिगंता: परस्परालापमिवामला दिशः ॥ -किरातार्जुनीयं, 4.30. (iii) Flights of Geese in lines or V-formation have served as excellent similes. Thus arrows feathered with the brown wing-quills of Eagles resemble Grey Lags on the wing: रुक्मपुङखा व्यराजन्त हंसा: श्रेणीकृता इव - म.भा. 6.137.7. Warriors ( dressed in light grey ) marching in single file to battle likened to a flight of the Bar-heads: शरद ध्रप्रतीकाशा हंसावलिरिवाम्बरे - रामायण, 6.69.36.
