Note :
In this sectionlet us understand the word hamsa and paramahamsa aspect as per vedas and upanishads, and its relevance to the divine form of natya or dance. Though one might argue on the point how is the classical dance realted to hamsa and parama hamsa aspect, as this is all about the yoga practice.
However there is always a discussion this is more or less related to the practical application of the yoga mudras which will lead to the hamsa and prama hamsa state of mind which only a few like adi shankaracharya /ramakrishna / ramana maharshi/shirdi sai baba / swamy vivakananada could attain thatyt state of mind using the regular day to day practice of the meditation on the universe was done.
However practically speaking the dancer is sri vidya upasaka, who has that innate and unusual abiltiy to reach that state of mind where he or she can control the universe in their own hands. However it requires lot of practice. That is why if we see bharatha mahamuni had inculcated the concept of brahmin or brahminical rites concept in the dance form in simple way. Though when the dancer dances he or she is simplifying the process by way of breaking the concept of hamsa and paramahamsa, at various levels.
Unless one takes control over the 72000 nadis, out of which 16500 nadis work l;ike a motar. Though here one needs to understand that, the ultimate goal is to reach to hamsa and paramahamsa level. Though there are very few of them who could attain to the position in the classical dance using the mudras. However its not an easy way to achieve this level. This requires lot of perseverance and lot of test of mind will happen.
The hamsa (swan) is the vahana, the mount or vehicle, of the god Brahma. In the Vedas and the Purânas it is a symbol for the soul/Soul. The hamsa is said to be the only creature that is capable of separating milk from water once they have been mixed; symbolically this is the display of great spiritual discrimination. It is symbolic for a spiritually advanced being who is capable of controlling the breath energy in such a way that he only absorbs pure vibrations from all the different energies the world contains. To the Paramahamsa (the supreme celestial Swan) on the other hand, the whole of creation is God himself, there is nothing else but God alone. This person is a fully realized soul, completely liberated from all bonds with the world, who knows no obligations, no likes or dislikes. He is without any needs because he is completely immersed in God.
Let us get to understand the meaning of hamsa and paramahamsa in detailed:
As for the mention of hamsa (swan), inhalation sounds like “ham” and exhalation sounds like “sa”; therefore hamsa is “inhalation followed by exhalation”. soham is no different from hamsa because it is merely the same two elements in the reverse order “exhalation followed by inhalation”.
The “death” is the death of the thought that a person has at any point of time. The thought gets dissolved, that is, it gets fully understood (during the exhalation), and enlightenment is achieved at that very moment, but life continues because the swan decides to stay back (possibly because there are other things remaining to be understood).
hamsa is the mantra that starts with inhalation and ends with exhalation. The inhalation is meant for enjoying the desires that are born in the mind, because inhalation fires the fuels in the body and releases energy. The exhalation that follows is meant to clean up the body of the waste materials generated and purify the body and mind. The meditation re: hamsa eliminates desires by fully enjoying the desires.
soham is the mantra that starts with exhalation. The exhalation (sa) is meant for renouncing the worldly pleasures, but one cannot renounce everything, even a monk who has renounced everything still has something left to enjoy. What remains to be enjoyed is the seed for the next inhalation, and that is the source of ham. sa and ham together becomes soham according to Sanskrit grammar.
Therefore hamsa and soham both lead to enlightenment, while the approaches are different. hamsa starts out with the purpose of enjoying the seeds of past works so that they do not lead to further birth, whereas soham starts out with the purpose of renouncing the future works by removing the illusion that something has to be done now.
While hamsa decides to stay back on the lake (and continue life), soham means “I am that (one material that exists)”. soham starts out with the idea of ending this life by removing the illusion that this self is different from that existence, but continuing the life only because some illusion is still left out. The bIja does not change with respect to inhalation and exhalation.
If one assumes ham to represent inhalation and sa the exhalation, this does not change irrespective of whether hamsa or soham is considered. shAstri here seems to suggest that ham is inhalation and sah is exhalation and this is where I may chose to disagree. While there are several traditions, like that of Lahiri Baba and Paramahamsa Vishuddhananda Saraswati (whose Surya Yoga involves ajapa as a main practice preceding the nine kriyA-s) that use hamsa in this pattern, I find the shAstra pramANa stating otherwise.
hakAro nirgame proktaH sakAreNa praveshanam |
hakAraH shivarUpeNa sakAraH shaktiruchyate || [shivasvarodaya]
hakAreNa bahiryAti sakAreNa vishetpunaH |
haMsahaMsetyamU mantraH jIvo japati sarvadA || [gorakSha samhitA]
shvAsaniHShvAsakAle hi hakAraH parikIrtyate |
punaH praveshakAle cha sakAraH prochyate budhaiH || [bhairavayAmaLa]
Thus, the pattern of ham and sah seem to be opposite to what shrI shAstri suggests. Again, sampradAya seems to teach both and there probably is a pramANa for the other case as well, which I have not come across though. It is however clear that both hamsa and soham can be used for such contemplation:
hamso hamsohamityevam punarAvartanam kramAt |
soham soham bhavennUnamiti yogavido viduH ||
it automatically evolves into soham and it seems simply right to stick to soham. Moreover, the amount of chi (prana) built in the nAbhi chakra (lower dan tien) with soham seems to far exceed the case with hamsa. shrI keshavAnanda giri, a great yogi in the lineage of paramahamsa.
Hamsa may be a religious pun or allegory with a philosophical meaning. One such etymology suggests that the words ‘aham’ and ‘sa’ are joined to become ‘hamsa’; aham is ‘I’ or ‘me’ and sa is ‘he’, together meaning ‘I am he’. Here, ‘I’ refers to the jivatma or jivatama, the living soul, and ‘he’ the paramatma or paramatama or supreme soul.
This relationship reflects of Advaita philosophy, which advocates the oneness of jivatma and paramatma.
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Paramahaṃsa (परमहंस).—According to the ancient tradition, ascetics who strive to gain liberation are classified into four classes. They are kuṭīcakas, bahūdakas, haṃsas and paramahaṃsas. Of these, the last represents an extremely ancient ascetic order. The paramahaṃsas live under trees, in grave yards or in deserted houses. They go naked or half-clad. They are indifferent to everything in the sense that they are disinterested, free souls. They look at a clod of mud and gold with the same dispassion. They accept food from people of any caste. They practice a kind of yogic tāntrism.
paramahaṃsa (परमहंस).—m An order, or an individual of it, of devotees; an ascetic who has subdued all his senses by abstract meditation.
Paramahaṃsa (परमहंस).—an ascetic of the highest order, one who has controlled and subdued all his senses by abstract meditation; cf. कुटीचक (kuṭīcaka); कुटीचको बहूदकः हंसश्चैव तृतीयकः । चतुर्थः परमो हंसो यो यः पश्चात् स उत्तमः (kuṭīcako bahūdakaḥ haṃsaścaiva tṛtīyakaḥ | caturthaḥ paramo haṃso yo yaḥ paścāt sa uttamaḥ) || Hārītāsmṛti. °परिव्राजकाचार्यः (parivrājakācāryaḥ) Name of Śaṅkarāchārya.
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