ha.msa in parama-ha.msa and ha.msa-sa.mde/sa

Fri Apr 17 16:00:52 UTC 2009

There is also the story of God Brahmaa going to 
the top of the sky in the shape of a ha.msa 
(looking for the end of the li;nga, while Vi.s.nu 
goes under the Earth in the shape of a boar) as 
reminded by Puur.nasarasvatii:

ruupa.m bibhran na.ta iva sakhe rocamaa.na.m tvadiiya.m
maatu.m dhaataa madanadamanajyotir uurdhva.m gato 'bhuut | 7ab

(the story is at least told in Li;ngaP 1,17,5-52)

I wonder what are the oldest (textual or 
iconographical) sources for the ha.msa(s) as 
vehicle of Brahmaa, and what is the original 
symbolical relationship between the god and the 
bird.

Christophe Vielle 

>I suspect a factor in the soul being compared to 
>it, and the sannyasis being called paramahaMsa, 
>is that it flies very high and also fast and 
>without stop, seeming to make it almost 
>completely detached from the earth.
>
>The Wikipedia article Bar-Headed Goose says:
>
>"The Bar-headed Goose is one of the world's 
>highest flying birds, having been seen at up to 
>10175 m (33,382 feet). It has a slightly larger 
>wing area for its weight than other geese and it 
>is believed this helps the goose to fly high.[2] 
>Studies have found that they breathe more 
>efficiently under low oxygen conditions and are 
>able to reduce heat loss.[3] The haemoglobin of 
>their blood has a higher oxygen affinity than 
>that of other geese.[4]
>The Bar-headed Goose migrates over the Himalayas 
>to spend the winter in India, Assam, Northern 
>Burma and the wetlands of Pakistan. It migrates 
>up to Magadi wetlands of Gadag district of 
>Karnataka in the southern part of India. The 
>winter habitat of the Bar-headed Goose is on 
>cultivation where it feeds on barley, rice and 
>wheat, and may damage crops. The bird is can fly 
>the 1000-mile migration route in just one day as 
>it is able to fly in jet stream. [1]"
>Allen
>

>Hoping not to "grind flour" too much, I would 
>say that the double ha.msa's quality of 
>travelling freely the world and distinguishing 
>milk mixed with water (cf. Slouber's post), as 
>reminded in Puur.nasarasvatii's Ha.msa-sa.mde/sa 
>(9) :
>
>pauna.hpu.nyaad bhuvanam akhila.m bhraamyata.h svairav.rtte.h
>/saktasyoccair api samudite k.siiraniire vivektum |
>maarga.m taavanmahita mahataa.m notsahe te pravaktu.m
>jñaatajñaana.m na khalu sudhiyaa.m tu.s.taye pi.s.tape.sa.h ||
>
>is enough for explaining why the name of this 
>migrating and vivekin bird, as "parama" denotes 
>a all-discriminating and super-liberated ascetic 
>(=? in the poem the su-dhii to whom the path, 
>maargam, to liberation is already known, 
>jñaatajñaanam).
>
>>I am grateful for the references, also the ones 
>>from the Yoga Upanishads. But they do not 
>>explain to me why this bird was selected as a 
>>model of a high type of (yogic performer? and) 
>>world-renouncer.
>>But already many thanks
>>Victor van Bijlert
>
>>Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:13:10 +0200
>>From: Christophe Vielle <christophe.vielle at uclouvain.be>
>>Subject: Re: rAjahaMsa in the ha?sasa?des´a
>>
>>
>>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 parama-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
>>
>
>
>>-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
>>Van: Indology [mailto:INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk] Namens Michael Slouber
>>Verzonden: vrijdag 17 april 2009 11:54
>>Aan: INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk
>>Onderwerp: Re: rAjahaMsa in the ha.msasa.mde/sa
>>
>>It's the traditional notion of the ha.msa's viveka that is the source
>>of comparison:
>>
>>n¥rak.s¥raviveka.m ca ha.mso vetti na cÇpara?
>>(Garu.dapurÇ.na 3,17.48)
>>
>>Other examples are abundant.
>>
>>Michael Slouber
>>PhD Candidate
>>UC Berkeley
>>
>>
>>
>>On Apr 17, 2009, at 3:16 PM, victor van Bijlert wrote:
>>
>>>  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
>>>
>>>  -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
>>>  Van: Indology [mailto:INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk] Namens John C.
>>>  Huntington
>>>  Verzonden: vrijdag 17 april 2009 4:37
>>>  Aan: INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk
>>>  Onderwerp: Re: rAjahaMsa in the ha?sasa?des´a
>>>
>>>  Historically it is not a Swan but the Anser Indicus
>>>
>>>  John
>>>
>>>
>>>  On Apr 16, 2009, at 7:16 AM, victor van Bijlert wrote:
>>>
>>>>  In the logo of the Ramakrishna Mission a real swan also figures,
>>>>  not a
>>>>  goose. Apparently in the nineteenth century one regarded the hansa
>>>>  as a
>>>>  swan. The latter perhaps as an allusion to the image of the swan
>>>>  that will
>>>>  sing its most beautiful song when it feels it is going to die; a
>>>>  famous
>>>>  image found in Plato's Phaedo, 84e-85b? The idea in Phaedo is that
>>>>  Socrates
>>>>  as a philosopher knows he is going to die and expects to be united
>>>>  with the
>>>>  God Apollo.
>>>>  Victor van Bijlert
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>  -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
>>>>  Van: Indology [mailto:INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk] Namens Christophe
>>>>  Vielle
>>>>  Verzonden: donderdag 16 april 2009 11:21
>>>>  Aan: INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk
>>>>  Onderwerp: Re: rAjahaMsa in the ha?sasa?des´a
>>  >>
>>>>  It is a real "swan"  messenger that Raja Ravi
>>>>  Varma painted in his famous "Ha.msa-Damayantii"
>>>>  (1899) now displayed in the Sri Chitra Art
>>>>  Gallery, Tiruvanantapuram. See at:
>>>>  http://www.temple-trees.com/ravivarma/urrvprints.asp?printtype=2&pg=2
>>>>  Best wishes,
>>>>  Christophe Vielle
>>>>
>>>>>  I expect you are familiar with this book:
>>>>>
>>>>>  Vogel, J. P., 1962,  The Goose in Indian
>>>>>  Literature and Art.  Memoirs of the Kern
>>>>>  Institute No. II. E. J. Brill, Leiden.
>>>>>
>>>>>  According to my notes, Vogel (good name?)
>>>>>  identified haMsa and rAjahaMsa with a mainly
>>>>>  white form of the Indian goose (Anser indicus),
>>>>>  and kalahaMsa with the greylag goose (Anser
>>>>>  anser).
>>>>>
>>>>>  Valerie J Roebuck
>>>>>
>>>>>  At 7:12 am -0700 15/4/09, Oliver Fallon wrote:
>>>>>>  I would like some help on the identity of the
>>>>>>  ra¯jaha?sa which is the subject of
>>>>>>  Veda¯ntades´ika's Ha?sasa?des´a. He tells us
>>>>>>  little of the bird except that he repeatedly
>>>>>>  stresses that it is a pure white water bird and
>>>>>>  that it has a beautiful call as it flies to
>>>>>>  which that of the peacock is unfavourably
>>>>>>  compared. I was first provoked into considering
>>>>>>  that this is not a goose by a comment in
>>>>>>  Shastriar's 1902 Madras edition of the poem,
>>>>>>  where he says: "ra¯jaha?sa is a species of swan
>>>>>>  with red legs and bills (sic). Compare
>>>>>>  'ra¯jaha?sa¯s tu te cañcucaranair lohitais
>>>>>>  si¯ta¯?'"
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>  --
>>>>
>>>>  http://belgianindology.lalibreblogs.be
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>  --
>>>>  BEGIN-ANTISPAM-VOTING-LINKS
>>>>  ------------------------------------------------------
>>>>
>>>>  Teach CanIt if this mail (ID 846616205) is spam:
>>>>  Spam:        https://antispam.osu.edu/b.php?c=s&i=846616205&m=c5358c6a05a6
>>>>  Not spam:    https://antispam.osu.edu/b.php?c=n&i=846616205&m=c5358c6a05a6
>>>>  Forget vote: https://antispam.osu.edu/b.php?c=f&i=846616205&m=c5358c6a05a6
>>>>  ------------------------------------------------------
>>>>  END-ANTISPAM-VOTING-LINKS
>>>>
>
>
>--
>
>http://belgianindology.lalibreblogs.be

-- 

http://belgianindology.lalibreblogs.be