There are a number of postings on Arunachala Birds, about the commonly found Peacock at Arunachala. Details of this bird can be viewed on Arunachala Birds at this link here, and excellent photos at links here and here. On my Arunachala Grace blog at this link here I have written about legendary birds in Hinduism including the Chataka (Pied Crested Cuckoo), Hamsa (the Swan), Chakor, and the Garuda. As the Peacock is so well represented in Hindu mythology, I am dedicating this posting to the legend and symbolism of this beautiful bird.
Hindu mythology describes the Peacock as vahana (vehicle) for Lord Kartikeya and Goddess Kaumari. In addition the Peacock is closely associated with Lord Krishna, as this God is often depicted with Peacock feathers on his head. The Peacock is featured in ancient Indian stories, songs and poems as a symbol of beauty and poise. Two examples of such literature are the epic poems of Kalidasa (Meghadutam and Kumarasambhava). This bird is often a prominent motif in Rajasthani and Mughal schools of paintings. In the Jataka tale “Mahamayur Jataka” the earlier birth of Lord Buddha is described as being that of a golden Peacock.
Legend states that the bird was created from the feathers of Garuda, another semi-divine bird of Hindu mythology. In images of the Peacock as a mythical bird, it is depicted as killing a snake, which according to a number of Hindu scriptures, is a symbol of the cycle of time. The feathers of this bird are often used to dust sacred items and implements used in Hindu ceremonies and ritual.
As the bird’s mating season coincides with the onset of monsoon rains, many songs of rains have the Peacock-dance mentioned in them. One possible origin of the name of the famous Maurya dynasty of ancient India is believed to be derived from the word “Mayura” as the ancestors of the Mauryas were thought to be Peacock-keepers of a Royal Court in eastern India.
As the bird’s mating season coincides with the onset of monsoon rains, many songs of rains have the Peacock-dance mentioned in them. One possible origin of the name of the famous Maurya dynasty of ancient India is believed to be derived from the word “Mayura” as the ancestors of the Mauryas were thought to be Peacock-keepers of a Royal Court in eastern India.
Child’s Fable, Tortoise and the Peacock
A Peacock and a tortoise became great friends. The Peacock lived on a tree on the banks of the stream in which the tortoise had his home; and daily the Peacock after he had a drink of water danced near the stream and displayed his gay plumage to his friend.
One day, a bird-catcher caught the Peacock and was about to take him away to market when the unhappy bird begged of his captor to allow him to bid his friend the tortoise farewell. The bird-catcher allowed him his prayer and took him to the tortoise, who was greatly moved to see his friend a captive.
The tortoise asked the bird-catcher to let the Peacock go; but the rogue laughed at the request, saying bird-catching was his means of livelihood. The tortoise then offered the bird-catcher a valuable present in exchange for releasing his friend. Whereupon the tortoise dived into the water and came up with a beautiful pearl and the bird catcher released the Peacock.
A short time after, the man returned and threatened to catch the bird again if he wasn’t give more valuables. The tortoise, who had already advised his friend to hide in the distant jungle on being set free was enraged at the man’s greed, thereupon he took the first pearl from the bird-catcher on the pretext of finding an exact match for it. The tortoise swam out to the middle of the lake and wasn't seen again -- leaving the bird-catcher to be sorry that his greed had caused him the loss of his first pearl and no chance of any additional treasures.
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In general, the Peacock is representative of glory, clarity of vision, spirituality, awakening, refinement, immortality, royalty, and incorruptibility. In history, myth, legend and lore, the Peacock is considered an emblem of protection, nobility, watchfulness, guidance, and holiness. All Peacocks are considered sacred, but the White Peacock is the most sacred as it represents purity of Consciousness. The Peacock is possessor of many admired human characteristics. Themes of renewal are also link to this bird and many traditions compare the resurrecting Phoenix to the modern-day Peacock.
Because of this birds’ loud and raucous call, Peacocks were often used in Temples and important places as guardians as their loud call sounded an alarm when visitors approached. In other traditions the Peacock is a symbol of immortality because ancients believed that the Peacock had flesh that did not decay after death. As this bird replaces its feathers annually, it is also regarded as a symbol of renewal. Alchemists thought the tail-fan of the Peacock to be associated with certain texts and images useful in turning base metals into gold. The Peacock has the ability to eat poisonous snakes without harm and the shimmering colours of its tail feathers were explained by his supposed ability to transform snake venom into solar iridescence.
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A recent report about “Why Peacock tails are attractive,” (to the female Peahen) recently appeared on the BBC website:-
“Scientists in the US have used eye-tracking cameras to work out exactly what peahens find alluring in a peacock's tail fan. The male birds grow their trains of iridescent feathers during the mating season, fanning them out and rattling them to attract a mate.
This team of biologists fitted peahens with eye-trackers to find out what they looked at during this display. The eye-tracking footage revealed how difficult it is to keep a peahen's attention, which helps explain why such a large and elaborately decorated tail fan evolved.
It also gave clues about what a peahen looks for in this tail fan. Side-to-side eye movements suggested that females were gauging the fan's width and that they were most interested in the striking eyespots on the feathers.
To find out why the peacock's train is quite so cumbersome and elaborate, the scientists set out to understand what it takes to impress a peahen. The researchers trained 12 peahens to wear eye-tracking equipment. This consisted of two tiny cameras on a head mount. One recorded the scene in front of the bird and the other recorded eye movement.
Rather than looking up at the high crescent of the fan above the peacock's head, the eye-trackers revealed that females looked primarily at the lower portions of the train. The experiments showed that females constantly shifted their attention between the environment and the peacock's tail. “If females are not alert and focus completely on a displaying male, they may end up as a tiger's dinner!”
The research suggests that the peacock's tail has had to evolve to eclipse all the other things competing for a female's attention. It also raised the question of why the tail fans are held so high if the females focus most of their attention on the lower portion. The researchers hypothesis is that, “In their natural habitat in India, vegetation is very high and all you can see is the upper train of their fan-tail . . . so we think it's a long-distance signal to the hen."
