rAjahaMsa in the ha?sasa?des ´a

[Christophe Vielle]

Without being a specialist, the ha.msa seems rather to be connected 
with yoga in this case : the ha.msa as migrant bird being in some 
yoga texts a metaphor of the the Soul escaping from the sa.msaara 
(see Ha.msa-Up 1.5, K.surikaa-Up 1.22), with also puns on the 
repetition of the word "ha.msa" (breathing in making "ham" and out 
"sa", Dhyaanabindu-Up 1.62, or ha.msa as the reverse of so'ham). The 
para-ha.msa would be the one who has attained perpetual mukti from 
the nets of living. I rely here on the writings of the late Jean 
Varenne, Aux sources du yoga, Paris, 1989, pp. 68-70, and Upanishads 
du yoga, Paris, 1971, pp. 24-25, 110-11, 163.
There probably exist more complete studies on the subject.
Best wishes,
Christophe Vielle


>I am aware of the fact that the hamsa is the Anser Indicus, a kind of goose.
>Could anyone explain why the hamsa has been used as a metaphor of a special
>type of world-renouncer, the socalled paramahamsa? Is there anything in the
>behaviour of the bird that could have led to calling certain renouncers
>paramahamsa's? I know this is sidetracking, but it seems relevant in
>connection with the discussion of the bird hamsa.
>
>Victor

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