Bird Watching ....

THE BIRDS OF GURBANI

Gurbani has many shreds of evidence of metaphoric and personified mention of birds. The extensive use of allegories and metaphors convey the spiritual message and draw parallels with needs of the soul. Around dozen birds have been used to depict behaviors such as eternal love, dancing for the divine, and some elucidating social fallacies such as lying and greed.

Herons - Swans: hansaa vaykh tarandi-aa bagaaN bhe aa-yaa chaa-o….. SGGS Ang585. Seeing the Swans swim in water the Herons became envious and also wanted to swim; but drowned and died with head down and feet up. The message for us is to first acquire virtues and only then copy the virtuous, otherwise there is embarrassment.

Herons stand still in shallow water for long period, then strikes at the fish. This twin personality of a Bagula Bhagat; an idealistic person but on the other hand, being an adulterated being of lust and greed.

Swans: The great swans are imbued with the Word of the Shabad; they enshrine the True Name within their hearts. They gather Truth, remain always in Truth, and love the True Name. They are always pure and immaculate - filth does not touch them; they are blessed with the Grace of the Creator Lord.

Papiha: Guru Nanak Dev Ji lyrical masterpiece Barah-Maah personifies the cuckoo bird with the lover of God. The bird gazes at the skies and cries for more of the ‘swanti-boond’ and chirps in the blessing of the Lords. “You must love the Master as Papiha loves a special raindrop’ There is water all around but she longs for the Swanti raindrops’.

Owl: Not seen as wise hence the hymns say “You swing in the swing of wealth, intoxicated with Maya, and you wander around like an owl.

Falcon: Being attached to Maya the Guru tells us overcome and subdue this mind; “your mind wanders around continually, like a falcon”. The mortal's life-night passes painfully, in constant hope and desire.

SGGS Ang 776 . You move things from here to there, like the hawk swooping down on the flesh of its prey.

Parrot; jajaa jaanai ha-o kachh hoo-aa…. SGGS Ang 255 When someone in his ego, believes that he has become something, he is caught in his error, like a parrot in a trap.

Chackvi Duck: ray man aisee har si-o pareet SGGS Ang60... O mind, love the Lord, as the Chakvi duck loves the sun. She does not sleep, for an instant or a moment; the sun is so far away, but she thinks that it is near. We humans must realize too, the Lord is always close.

The Crow in Gurbani is displayed as the master of his will, a treacherous being who feeds on the flesh of those who are dead. Sheikh Farid, articulated the conversation with a crow saying “Kaaga Karang Dhadholya, Sagla Khaya Maas…. where he says that the crows have encroached my skeleton and eaten all my flesh, but please do not touch my eyes; I still have hope to see my beloved Lord.

Peacocks and Peahens: In the Guru Granth Sahib, the association of the peafowl is connected to the blissful dance of joy. The clouds hang low, the clouds thunder and with that, the mind dances joyfully like a peafowl.

Nature and its magnificent glory help us humans to learn more about human life as compared to our rhetoric behavior.