In Indian folklore the swan is a symbol of purity, with sublime traits and a unique quality of discernment. It lives on the shores of Mansarovar, a lake with crystal clear water situated at a high altitude in the Himalayas. The swan is spotlessly clean, it only associates with birds of its own kind, it eats pearls and has the power of separating milk from water.

The Saints have called the realized soul a swan. In this hymn Kabir describes the qualities of the Saints by calling them swans who, though moving about and acting in the world, always remain in their spiritual state of unalloyed purity. Mansarovar, according to the Saints, is the lake of bliss situated in the inner realms of pure spirit, beyond the bounds of matter, mind and maya. The Saints, though present in the world, are spiritually always beyond these regions and thrive on the pearls of divine love. Like swans separating milk from water, they separate their soul from matter and mind — with which it is blended in this world — and they merge in the Lord.

The man of God moves about in the world,
Yet stays pure like the swan.
From him flows the nectar
Of the immaculate Name,
And he always sings
The praises of the Lord.
Within he dwells
On the celestial shores
Of the lake, Mansarovar;
His heart, detached from all else,
Remains absorbed
In the Lord's lotus feet.
He never opens his beak
For anything but the pearls
Of divine love and grace;
He stays silent, or he speaks
In praise of the Lord.
The crows of depravity
Cannot come near him;
Such a swan, O friend,
Has realized his true self.
He alone, O Kabir,
Is the man of God;
He alone is dear to Him,
Who separates milk from water.

K.G., p. 153:344
Harijan hans dasā liye dolai