Do Swans (Hans) really eat pearls (Moti)?

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Ang 960 - Sri Guru Granth Sahib jee
ਹੰਸਾ ਹੀਰਾ ਮੋਤੀ ਚੁਗਣਾ ਬਗੁ ਡਡਾ ਭਾਲਣ ਜਾਵੈ ||
The swans peck at the diamonds and pearls, while the crane chases after frogs.

Quote
Bhai Gurdaas Jee
ਲਹਰੀ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਹੰਸੁਲੇ ਮਾਣਕ ਮੋਤੀ ਚੁਗਿ ਚੁਗਿ ਖਾਹੀ||
From the waves of the pond, the swans pick up only pearls and gems to eat.

Guru Pyaario, Gurbani over and again states that Hans (swans) search and eat Moti (pearls).

Is this metaphorical or real because I have seen swans in lakes and rivers which I assume eat fish, so I wondered which swans does Sache Paatishaah refer to.

Please help.

Thanks in advance.

Manvir Singh

i think the swans guru sahib is talking about are gursikhs. the pearls and diamonds are naam and gurbani. so yes, it's a metaphor.

real swans eat grasses and insects. also, i don't think there are literal diamonds and pearls in most bodies of fresh water.

It is not purely a metaphor, I think. We need more information about the bird.

further reading shows that in hindu, tibetan, and chinese mythology, swans (hamsa) live on lake mansarovar in tibet (this lake is the source of the sutlej river) during the summers. the water of this lake is said to purify the soul of sins, and hindus say if you drink this water, you will go to the abode of lord shiva when you die.
the lake is said to be filled with a mixture of milk and water. when the swans drink the mixture, their purity of soul allows them to drink only the milk, separating it from the water as they drink. they're also said to eat pearls that line the bottom of the lake.

bhai gurdas jee describes them as follows:

Vaar 16 Pauri 8

ਮਾਨ ਸਰੋਵਰੁ ਆਖੀਐ ਉਪਰਿ ਹੰਸ ਸੁਵੰਸ ਵਸੰਦੇ ।
maan sarovaru aakheeai upari hans suvans vasanday|
It is said that on Manasarovar (lake) resides swans of the highest breed.

ਮੋਤੀ ਮਾਣਕ ਮਾਨਸਰਿ ਚੁਣਿ ਚੁਣਿ ਹੰਸ ਅਮੋਲ ਚੁਗੰਦੇ ।
motee maanak maanasari chuni chuni hans amol chuganday|
In the Manasarovar are pearls and rubies and there invaluable jewels are picked up by swans to eat.

ਖੀਰੁ ਨੀਰੁ ਨਿਰਵਾਰਦੇ ਲਹਰੀਂ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਫਿਰਨਿ ਤਰੰਦੇ ।
kheeru neeru niravaaraday|ahareen andari dhirani taranday|
These swans separate water from milk and go on floating on the waves.

ਮਾਨ ਸਰੋਵਰੁ ਛਡਿ ਕੈ ਹੋਰਤੁ ਥਾਇ ਨ ਜਾਇ ਬਹੰਦੇ ।
maan sarovaru chhadi kai horatu daai n jaai bahanday|
Leaving Manasarovar, they go nowhere to sit or reside.

ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਸੁਖ ਫਲੁ ਸਾਧਸੰਗੁ ਪਰਮ ਹੰਸ ਗੁਰਸਿਖ ਸੁੋਹੰਦੇ ।
guramukhi sukh dhalu saadhasangu param hans gurasikh suohanday|
The pleasure fruit of gurmukhs is the congregation of holy persons wherein gurmukhs in the form of superior swans adorn the place.

ਇਕ ਮਨਿ ਇਕੁ ਧਿਆਇਦੇ ਦੂਜੇ ਭਾਇ ਨ ਜਾਇ ਫਿਰੰਦੇ ।
ik mani iku dhiaaiday doojay bhaai n jaai dhiranday|
With single-minded devotion they concentrate upon the Lord and do not go astray to any other thought.

ਸਬਦੁ ਸੁਰਤਿ ਲਿਵ ਅਲਖੁ ਲਖੰਦੇ ॥੮॥
sabadu surati|iv alakhu|akhanday ॥8॥
Merging their consciousness into the Word they behold that imperceptible Lord.

ਸਰਵਰ ਹੰਸ ਧੁਰੇ ਹੀ ਮੇਲਾ ਖਸਮੈ ਏਵੈ ਭਾਣਾ ॥
saravar hans dhhurae hee maelaa khasamai eaevai bhaanaa ||
The union between the lake of the True Guru and the swan of the soul was pre-ordained from the very beginning, by the Pleasure of the Lord's Will.
ਸਰਵਰ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਹੀਰਾ ਮੋਤੀ ਸੋ ਹੰਸਾ ਕਾ ਖਾਣਾ ॥
saravar andhar heeraa mothee so hansaa kaa khaanaa ||
The diamonds are in this lake; they are the food of the swans.
ਬਗੁਲਾ ਕਾਗੁ ਨ ਰਹਈ ਸਰਵਰਿ ਜੇ ਹੋਵੈ ਅਤਿ ਸਿਆਣਾ ॥
bagulaa kaag n rehee saravar jae hovai ath siaanaa ||
The cranes and the ravens may be very wise, but they do not remain in this lake.
ਓਨਾ ਰਿਜਕੁ ਨ ਪਇਓ ਓਥੈ ਓਨ੍ਹ੍ਹਾ ਹੋਰੋ ਖਾਣਾ ॥
ounaa rijak n paeiou outhhai ounhaa horo khaanaa ||
They do not find their food there; their food is different.
ਸਚਿ ਕਮਾਣੈ ਸਚੋ ਪਾਈਐ ਕੂੜੈ ਕੂੜਾ ਮਾਣਾ ॥
sach kamaanai sacho paaeeai koorrai koorraa maanaa ||
Practicing Truth, the True Lord is found. False is the pride of the false.
ਨਾਨਕ ਤਿਨ ਕੌ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਮਿਲਿਆ ਜਿਨਾ ਧੁਰੇ ਪੈਯਾ ਪਰਵਾਣਾ ॥੧॥
naanak thin ka sathigur miliaa jinaa dhhurae paiyaa paravaanaa ||1||
O Nanak, they alone meet the True Guru, who are so pre-destined by the Lord's Command. ||1||

There are definite behaviour indications about food of these birds in Gurbani, so anthropology should be looked for clarifications.

As far as the milk and water mixture is concerned, we know that milk is simply suspension of milk solids ( fat and solids not fat) in water. The bird might have the ability to take in only solids. Semi permeable membranes allow only water to pass through it.

More googling please.

i found this whilst researching the link between Swans and Pearls

Swans are revered in Hinduism, and are compared to saintly persons whose chief characteristic is to be in the world without getting attached to it, just as a swan's feather does not get wet although it is in water. The Sanskrit word for swan is hamsa or hansa, and it is the vehicle of many deities like the goddess Saraswati. It is mentioned several times in the Vedic literature, and persons who have attained great spiritual capabilities are sometimes called Paramahamsa ("Great Swan") on account of their spiritual grace and ability to travel between various spiritual worlds. In the Vedas, swans are said to reside in the summer on Lake Manasarovar and migrate to Indian lakes for the winter. They're believed to possess some powers such as the ability to eat pearls. They are also believed to be able to drink up the milk and leave the water from a saucer of milk adulterated with water. This is taken as a great quality, as shown by this Sanskrit verse:

Hamsah shwetah, bakah shwetah, kah bhedah hamsa bakayo?
Neeraksheera viveketu, Hamsah hamsah, bakah bakah!

Maybe Bhai Kulbir Singh jee has more to add..........

[www.ornithology.com]

MB Singh Ji, the science of birds is Ornithology, not Anthroplogy. May be the links like above can help.

MB Singh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> [www.ornithology.com]
>
> MB Singh Ji, the science of birds is Ornithology,
> not Anthroplogy. May be the links like above can
> help.


MB Singh is responding to MB Singh?

real life swans do not eat real pearls. they eat grass and insects. the mythology of swans eating pearls exists in both hindu and chinese mythology, but i'm having a hard time finding the source of this ancient mythology.

gurbani uses vedic mythology as metaphor all the time... that doesn't mean it's all based in literal fact. we know the world doesn't really rest on a bull, for example. we accept this as myth. i believe the swans eating pearls is also based in myth.

This is the explanation dass recalls, cant recall who did the Katha.Sorry for that.

"Natural Pearl are formed when some some dirt or a small piece of stray food gets inside the shell of an oyster by mistake.To protect itself, the creature covers the intruding object with the same stuff its shell is made of, a mineral known as nacre. The oyster or other mollusk continues covering the object with multiple layers of nacre, eventually forming a pearl."

Now Swans actually eat that "stray food" in the water which could have become a PEARL formed inside the oyster .

That's why it is said:

ਹੰਸਾ ਹੀਰਾ ਮੋਤੀ ਚੁਗਣਾ ਬਗੁ ਡਡਾ ਭਾਲਣ ਜਾਵੈ ||
The swans peck at the diamonds and pearls, while the crane chases after frogs.


Chatrik can be wrong tho.

So, moorakhpan di khimma bakshni veer Manvir jee....

Chota veer

but the dust and sand and grit isn't what makes the pearl... the lining of the mollusk makes the pearl. (interesting- are pearls non-veg? )

heres something from wikipedia...

"Swans feed in the water and on land. They are almost entirely herbivorous, although small numbers of aquatic animals may be eaten. In the water food is obtained by up-ending or dabbling, and their diet is composed of the roots, tubers, stems and leaves of aquatic and submerged plants."

sorry for not elaborating in detail.

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Phen ji 1kaur
but the dust and sand and grit isn't what makes the pearl... the lining of the mollusk makes the pearl.

The whole process of "making a pearl" requires an irritant to enter the mussel/oyster. In the pearl industry, even cultured pearls need to be implanted with irritants, before the oysters start making pearls.

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Natural Pearls
Natural Pearls
# In nature a pearl forms when some type of irritant enters the mussel or oyster. The irritant may be a food particle, a piece of shell, bacteria or even a piece of sand. The protective process begins. Nacre is secreted in layers around the irritant. The result is a pearl.

From this link: [www.ehow.com]

without an irritant the question of mollusk forming in the oyster just doesn't arise. So Gurbani might be referring to these "irritants" which could have become "pearls", but the swans picked and consumed them before they could have become pearls.

Veer manvir singh ji let us know if you have come across other resources, this is what roughly dass recalls hearing.


moorakhpan di khimma ji....

Chota veer

i think we're reaching a bit here...

why does gurbani have to be taken literally? why can't we seek the deeper meaning and be satisfied? was guru sahib really concerned with the dietary habits of aquatic birds? or was he trying to tell us to nourish our souls with the pearls of gurbani and naam?

The reason I asked the question because I was listening to Kathaa and the Bhai Sahib was saying that swans eat pearls and refuse to eat anything else - they will starve to death but not eat anything else other than pearls.

He compared this to the Manmukh who eats everything and eats bad foods like fish and meat etc.

Swans are revered in many religions and cultures, especially Hinduism. The Sanskrit word for swan is hamsa or hansa , and it is the vehicle of many deities like the goddess Saraswati. It is mentioned several times in the Vedic literature, and persons who have attained great spiritual capabilities are sometimes called Paramahamsa ("Great Swan") on account of their spiritual grace and ability to travel between various spiritual worlds. In the Vedas, swans are said to reside in the summer on Lake Manasarovar and migrate to Indian lakes for the winter, eat pearls, and separate milk from water in a mixture of both. Hindu iconography typically shows the Mute Swan. It is wrongly supposed by many historians that the word hamsa only refers to a goose, since today swans are no longer found in India, not even in most zoos. However, ornithological checklists clearly classify several species of swans as vagrant birds in India.

[www.reference.com]

As Bhein Ji suggests, understanding the Gurmat principle, carried through a metaphor is, of course the primary objective. Nevertheless, the metaphor itself is also important, I think. It carries literary, cultural, historic, scientific, mythological information in it.

Why only the irritants & why not the pearls itself are consumed. They have organic origin. They have important nutrients like calcium in it. They are not toxic, at least. Natural pearls are also reportedly used in Ayurvedic medicines. So, I do not think there is an evidence to say that pearls can not be consumed by Swan. Birds like pigeon have small stones in the gizzard (stomach), which act like teeth.

As Bhai Gurdaas ji says, ਮਾਨ ਸਰੋਵਰੁ ਆਖੀਐ ਉਪਰਿ ਹੰਸ ਸੁਵੰਸ ਵਸੰਦੇ , may be those swans are of different species. And those were particularly found at that lake only. And may be this behaviour of these birds is extinct now.

phen ji,
personally not sure what the truth is, on Sri Guru ji referring swans eating pearls.It was just something dass heard from a kathakar at the local gurughar.As dass said, it can be wrong tho.

Dass stopped listening to katha by kathakars a few years ago, to be honest.

Chota veer

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Why only the irritants & why not the pearls itself are consumed

there's a simple explanation for this.

pearls are formed by oysters which live in salt water.
swans live in fresh water.

so it's very unlikely that swans would ever happen across a pearl in the wild.

There are some birds that are mentioned in Gurbani and have no English name or reference e.g. Garud is a bird that feeds on snakes and is used by Vishnu as his vehicle.

Same way, It seems like the bird Hans may not mean Swan and may be a rare bird that indeed feeds on Moti. This bird may have lived at one time and became extinct. If Gurbani says it eats moti, then it eats moti and not fish. The opposing bird that eats fish is called Bagla which looks like Hans but is not a Hans and has different habits.

In any case, as Bhain jee 1Kaur has mentioned, the example of Hans and Bagla has been used to teach us spiritual lessons and that's all we should derive from them.

Kulbir Singh

[www.pearl-guide.com]

There is so much information available on fresh water pearls, I am doubtful, if I am able to understand what Bhein Ji has explained.

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There is so much information available on fresh water pearls, I am doubtful, if I am able to understand what Bhein Ji has explained.

veerjee, freshwater pearls are "cultured", that is, they're man-made and grown in "farms". they occur very rarely in nature.

either way, i agree with kulbir singh veerjee that hans (hamsa) is not a species of swan that we are familiar with. swans no longer live in india at all. from vedic literature we know they existed in the past, so it's possible that the species mentioned in gurbani is now extinct.

VAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA, VAHEGURU JI KI FATEH

Do we have the wrong bird? So far, there seems to be some debate as to whether it is the Mute Swan or the Bar headed goose that is the hans. Note that the Bar headed goose does migrate to Tibet.

[en.wikipedia.org])

Perhaps it is the bar-headed goose? Check the crystal carving on the right side of the above link:



Also see this representation:



The neck seems shorter like the bar headed goose rather than a swan.

Is this the hans then?



Confuzzled I am...

Pearls are made from pressure and dirt. Perhaps the meaning of this pangti

ਲਹਰੀ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਹੰਸੁਲੇ ਮਾਣਕ ਮੋਤੀ ਚੁਗਿ ਚੁਗਿ ਖਾਹੀ||

is that the Gurmukh-Bibeki Hans take the pearl ( Naam) from the oyster ( the world) instead of taking the dirt ( maya) ?

here is the whole pauri

[www.sikhitothemax.com]

Agree with Bhai Kulbir Singh Jee. A few days ago I was speaking to a premi of Gurbani a little bit about the many references to Hans and Bagla in Gurbani, they believe that Hans do eat Moti, I said is that a swan? They said it is not actually a swan, but an animal like a swan that lived many centuries ago. So perhaps Hans is translated as Swan as it is the nearest thing to describe what a Hans actually is.

Similarly, in the English translation Bagla is translated to be a Heron or Stork, but it may actually be none of them.