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The purple heron. ਹੰਸਾ ਵੇਖਿ ਤਰੰਦਿਆ ਬਗਾਂ ਭਿ ਆਯਾ ਚਾਉ ॥ hansaa vaekh tharandhiaa bagaan bh aayaa chaao || Seeing the swans swimming, the herons became envious.
The Indian Vulture. In the United States, the species of vulture we have here is called Cathares aura or "the golden purifier." Among the aboriginal or native American peoples, the vulture is a power animal, one that uses the energy of the earth to sail in the sky and to pull away from the forces of gravity. The vulture cleans the earth of carrion and death, and never kills to feed itself. ਜਿਥੈ ਡਿਠਾ ਮਿਰਤਕੋ ਇਲ ਬਹਿਠੀ ਆਇ ॥੨॥ jithhai ddithaa mirathako eil behithee aae ||2|| - wherever the vulture sees a dead body, he flies down and lands. ||2|| In many religious traditions, the vulture is not a symbol of something disgusting. Rather it symbolizes purification. To dream of a vulture is considered a positive omen. The vulture indicates that all that is rotten in the core of the self will be eaten away.
ਜਉ ਤੁਮ ਗਿਰਿਵਰ ਤਉ ਹਮ ਮੋਰਾ ॥ jo thum girivar tho ham moraa || If You are the mountain, Lord, then I am the pea{censored}. In Sikhi, the pea{censored} symbolizes the soul's craving for the Lord. In Shinto pea{censored}s symbolize compassion. I found this on the web, related to the Buddhist tradition: "The association of this jewel-tone bird with its sun-like fan of a tail evocative of the Wheel of Dharma -- the Buddha's teachings, its connection to the ideas of immortality and compassion, and the unification of views or opposites, as well as the correspondence with the Garden which is the Pure Land, demonstrate in Mahayana Buddhism the archetypical nature of the relationship between the pea{censored} and Amitabha. 'In the depiction of this Buddha of Eternal Light, he is seated under a tree; we see its flowers and leaves peeking through the pavilion. Tenga Rinpoche says, " . . . birds, in particular, have strong desire and craving, so, as a symbol of craving transformed into discriminating wisdom, Amitabha's throne is supported by pea{censored}s." 'There are actually eight pea{censored}s that support his throne, one at each corner of the base. They stand for the idea that no matter the misdeeds committed during one's lifetime[s], rebirth is possible in Sukhavati, the Pure Land of Great Bliss that is the Western Paradise of Opameh [Tibetan for Amitabha]. Any and all evil-doing is eventually absorbed."
The house crow. In the Punjab, these crows sit in groups on the rooftops of village houses. Although a familiar sight in the villages, in Gurbani, the crow is the symbol of spiritual doubt. And Guruji often compares the crow to those spiritually lost who wander from one deserted house to another. Guru Nanak said, ਕਿਆ ਹੰਸੁ ਕਿਆ ਬਗੁਲਾ ਜਾ ਕਉ ਨਦਰਿ ਕਰੇਇ ॥ kiaa hans kiaa bagulaa jaa ko nadhar karaee || Which is the swan, and which is the crane? It is only by His Glance of Grace. ਜੋ ਤਿਸੁ ਭਾਵੈ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਕਾਗਹੁ ਹੰਸੁ ਕਰੇਇ ॥੨॥ jo this bhaavai naanakaa kaagahu hans karaee ||2|| Whoever is pleasing to Him, O Nanak, is transformed from a crow into a swan. ||2|| And from Sant Kabir, ਉਰ ਨ ਭੀਜੈ ਪਗੁ ਨਾ ਖਿਸੈ ਹਰਿ ਦਰਸਨ ਕੀ ਆਸਾ ॥੧॥ our n bheejai pag naa khisai har dharasan kee aasaa ||1|| Her heart is not happy, but she does not retrace her steps, in hopes of seeing the Blessed Vision of the Lord's Darshan. ||1|| ਉਡਹੁ ਨ ਕਾਗਾ ਕਾਰੇ ॥ ouddahu n kaagaa kaarae || So fly away, black crow,
The purple heron. ਹੰਸਾ ਵੇਖਿ ਤਰੰਦਿਆ ਬਗਾਂ ਭਿ ਆਯਾ ਚਾਉ ॥ hansaa vaekh tharandhiaa bagaan bh aayaa chaao || Seeing the swans swimming, the herons became envious.
The Hawk-Cuckoo, this bird is also a member of the chatrik family. ਊਨਵਿ ਘਨਹਰੁ ਗਰਜੈ ਬਰਸੈ ਕੋਕਿਲ ਮੋਰ ਬੈਰਾਗੈ ॥ oonav ghanehar garajai barasai kokil mor bairaagai || The low-hanging clouds crack with thunder and burst. The cuckoos and the pea{censored}s are filled with passion, The chatriks of Gurbani are a family of songbirds that include the peafowl, nightingale, cuckoo and kohel.
Another chatrik, similar to the partridge in Europe and North America. The chatrik in sriRaag is a symbol of the soul bride. ਅਨਦਿਨੁ ਸਦਾ ਫਿਰੈ ਬਿਲਲਾਦੀ ਬਿਨੁ ਪਿਰ ਨੀਦ ਨ ਪਾਵਣਿਆ ॥੪॥ anadhin sadhaa firai bilalaadhee bin pir needh n paavaniaa ||4|| She wanders around continually, crying out, night and day. Without her Husband Lord, she cannot get any sleep. ||4||
The Sheldrake or in Gurbani, the chakvi duck ਰੇ ਮਨ ਐਸੀ ਹਰਿ ਸਿਉ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਕਰਿ ਜੈਸੀ ਚਕਵੀ ਸੂਰ ॥ rae man aisee har sio preeth kar jaisee chakavee soor || O mind, love the Lord, as the chakvee duck loves the sun. In Gurbani, the chakvi duck is connected to a Hindu legend. Hindu legend says that the male and female cry all night for one another, and only become content when they meet again in the morning. This was the result of a sorcerer's curse on a princess and her forbidden lover. At night the male and female sleep apart on opposite banks of the river or pond. When the sun rises they are united. ਕਬੀਰ ਚਕਈ ਜਉ ਨਿਸਿ ਬੀਛੁਰੈ ਆਇ ਮਿਲੈ ਪਰਭਾਤਿ ॥ kabeer chakee jo nis beeshhurai aae milai parabhaath || Kabeer, the chakvi duck is separated from her love through the night, but in the morning, she meets him again. ਅਨਿਕ ਸੂਖ ਚਕਵੀ ਨਹੀ ਚਾਹਤ ਅਨਦ ਪੂਰਨ ਪੇਖਿ ਦੇਂਹ ॥ anik sookh chakavee nehee chaahath anadh pooran paekh dhaeneh || The chakvi duck does not desire many comforts, but it is filled with bliss upon seeing the dawn
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The purple heron. ਹੰਸਾ ਵੇਖਿ ਤਰੰਦਿਆ ਬਗਾਂ ਭਿ ਆਯਾ ਚਾਉ ॥ hansaa vaekh tharandhiaa bagaan bh aayaa chaao || Seeing the swans swimming, the herons became envious.

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