Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The great swans keep what's good and true tucked in their hearts, and stay clean and clear.
Nothing muddy sticks to them — they live in what's real and lasting.
The Vaar of Wadahans opens with the raag's signature image: the hans, the great swan. In Indian poetry the swan is the discerning, pure soul — legend says it can drink milk from a mixture of milk and water, and eats only pearls. "The great swans are imbued with the Word... always pure and immaculate — filth does not touch them." A Vaar is a long ballad; this one, by Guru Ram Das (the Paurees) with Shaloks by Guru Amar Das, sings the inner journey through the figure of the swan-soul that stays clean amid the world. For a child: some hearts are like great swans — they keep what's good inside and stay clean and clear no matter what.
How can you stay 'clean and clear' inside even when things around you get muddy?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI