Editing Swan (section)

===Hinduism===
{{See also|Hamsa (bird)}}
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'' and the "Raja Hamsam" or the Royal Swan is the vehicle of Devi [[Saraswati]], which symbolises the ''Sattva Guna'' or purity par excellence. The swan, if offered a mixture of milk and water, is said to be able to drink the milk alone. Therefore, Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, is seen riding the swan because the swan thus symbolizes ''Viveka'', i.e. prudence and discrimination between the good and the bad or between the eternal and the transient. This is seen as a great quality, as shown by this [[Sanskrit]] verse:

{| style="width=100%;"
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:{{lang|sa-Latn|haṁsaḥ śveto bakaḥ śvetaḥ ko bhedo bakahaṁsayoḥ ।}}
:{{lang|sa-Latn|kṣīranīraviveke tu haṁso haṁsaḥ bako bakaḥ ॥}}
|width=50% valign=top|
:The swan is white, the crane is white, what is the difference between the swan and the crane?
:During discriminating between water and milk, the swan is a swan while the crane is a crane!
|}
It is mentioned several times in the [[Vedas|Vedic]] literature, and persons who have attained great spiritual capabilities are sometimes called [[Paramahamsa]] ("Supreme Swan") on account of their [[Divine grace|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 are believed to possess some powers, such as the ability to eat pearls.