हंसो हंस: बको बकः
(A Swan is a Swan, a Stork is a Stork)
Our scriptures and literature are full of references to nature, to animals, plants, mountains, rivers etc. Here is a shloka telling us how to evaluate two simliar things.
A swan is white. A stork is white. When it comes to neeraksheervibhaaga, i.e., separating water from milk, you see that a swan is a swan and a stork is stork. When a swan drinks milk, some chemical in its beak turns the milk into a solid substance and water. It swallows the solid and spits out the water.
A wise man is conversant with neeraksheeravibhaaga i.e. discriminate between right and wrong. He accepts the former and rejects the latter.
A similar shloka ends with " kaakaH kaakaH pikaH pikaH" - a crow is a crow, a koel is a koel.
Vadantakaale sampraapte i.e. when spring comes, a koel begins singing and you can easily spot it and shoo off a cawing crow.
As you know, a swara shadja is picked from a peacock's cry. Peacock's cry indicates that rain is imminent. Like the rain tree. Well, monsoon is mating season for peacocks and they are in singing mood.
Oour Gods are connected with particular animals and trees. The significance is lost to us. We should try to search for the significance and not join the westerners in laughing at it.
In one upanishad, recommendations are found to choose the sex of child before conception. In the book Samskaara, they give special food to be taken by an expecting lady to chose the main charactetristic of the child- intelligent, devoted , warrior , etc. The prescribed food is the brains of different birds!
The cow is the most sacred animal for reasons now clear to science.
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