A History of Sanskrit Literature c9.24

c9.24

Of the birds of the *Rigveda* I need only mention those which have some historical or literary interest. The wild goose or swan (*haṃsa*), so familiar to the classical poets, is frequently referred to, being said to swim in the water and to fly in a line. The curious power of separating soma from water is attributed to it in the *White Yajurveda*, as that of extracting milk from water is in the later poetry. The latter faculty belongs to the curlew (*kruñch*), according to the same Veda.