Hamsa (bird)
The haṃsa (
Identification
Asian language professor
The word Hamsa is cognate with Latin "(h)anser", Greek "χήν", German "Gans", Dutch "gans", English "goose", Spanish "ganso" and Russian "гусь".[4]
Swan or goose controversy
Some[who?] have criticised Vogel's view as being over-reliant on artistic representations from south India and Sri Lanka, where the white swan is rare.[citation needed] American ornithologist Paul Johnsgard, in 2010, stated that mute swans (Cygnus Olor) do migrate to the northwestern Himalayan region of India every winter, migrating some 1000 miles each way.[6] Similarly, the British ornithologist Peter Scott, in his Key to the Wildfowl of the World (1957),[needs update] states that northwestern India is one of the winter migration homes for mute swans, the others being Korea and the Black Sea.[7] Grewal, Harvey and Pfister, in 2003, state that the mute swan is "a vagrant mainly in Pakistan but also northwestern India" and include a map marking their distribution.[8] Asad Rahmani and Zafar-ul Islam, in their 2009 book, describe the three species of swans and 39 species of ducks and geese found in India.[9]
Dave stated, "the present position according to Hume is that Swans do not occur anywhere within Indian limits outside the Himalayas except in the extreme North-West", and suggested that they were perhaps more common in the "hoary past."[10]
The hymns of Rigveda, verses in Hindu epics and Puranas, as well as other early Indian texts, states KN Dave, mention a variety of birds with the root of hamsa (हंस), such as Maha-hamsa, Raj-hamsa, Kal-hamsa and others. These should be identified as members of the Anatidae family, namely swans, geese or ducks.[11] This identification is based on the details provided in the Sanskrit texts about the changes in plumage over the bird's life, described call, migratory habits, courtship rituals and flying patterns.[11] Specific examples where "hamsa" should be interpreted as "swan" include hymns 1.163, 3.8, 4.45, 8.35, 9.32 and others in the Rigveda, verse 7.339 of Ramayana manjari, chapter 30.56 of Skanda Purana, chapter 101.27 of the Padma Purana, and others. Dave also lists examples of Indian texts where "hamsa" should be interpreted as "goose". Some Sanskrit texts, states Dave, distinguish between "hamsa" and "kadamb", the former according to him being a swan and the latter a bar-headed goose.[11]
The Indian ornithologist Salim Ali stated in his Azad Memorial Lecture of 1979 that Sanskrit names for birds were based on their calls, coloration, habits, gait, method of feeding or other observed traits. However, these are sometimes difficult to assign unambiguously to species. He mentions 4th to 5th-century Kalidasa's poem about Lake Manasa. This Manasa, assumes Salim Ali, is Lake Manasarovar and then states that the hamsa birds therein should be interpreted as bar-headed geese that do migrate over the Himalayas from Tibet.[12] The historic Sanskrit and Prakrit literature of India does not mention the location of the lake Manasa that they consider the natural abode of the hamsa.
Ethno-ornithologists Sonia Tidemann and Andrew Gosler in Ethno-ornithology: Birds, Indigenous Peoples, Culture and Society state that hamsa has been identified as "swans" in early Indian texts, and that titles such as Raja-hamsa were applied to ascetics and holy-men in Indian culture because ancient Hindu and Buddhist stories ascribed the ability to separate good from evil to the hamsa.[13]
The birds painted at the
According to Nanditha Krishna, the hamsa in the early north Indian tradition is best identified as a swan as the mythical symbol of wisdom. However, the hamsa became a popular motif included in temple artwork, textile prints and other artworks. It became a highly stylized mythical bird, with a plump body and short neck, along with flowery beak and tail, one that looks more like a goose.[15]
In Hinduism
The hamsa is often identified with the Supreme Spirit, Ultimate Reality or
The hamsa is also the
Paramahamsa
In view of the association of the hamsa with several attributes as indicated above, Hindu rishis (sages) and sadhus (Hindu ascetic or holy person) have been given the title of paramahamsa, that is, the supreme hamsa. It connotes a particular person who has reached a high level of spirituality.[18][19]
For example, Paramahamsa Upanishad calls that yogi a Paramahamsa who is neither opinionated nor affected by defamation, nor jealous, not a show off, is humble, and is oblivious to all the human frailties. He is immune to the existence of his body, which he treats as a corpse. He is beyond false pretensions and lives realizing the Brahman. In chapter 3, the Paramahamsa Upanishad states that the one who understands the difference between "staff of knowledge" and "staff of wood", is a Paramahamsa.[19]
He does not fear pain, nor longs for pleasure.
He forsakes love. He is not attached to the pleasant, nor to the unpleasant.
He does not hate. He does not rejoice.
Firmly fixed in knowledge, his Self is content, well-established within.
He is called the true Yogin. He is a knower.
His consciousness is permeated with that, the perfect bliss.
That Brahman I am, he knows it. He has that goal achieved.
In Indian text
Hamsa, or hansa, are part of Indian text. Arayanna, or heavenly hamsa (swans), are said to live in Manasasaras in the Himalayas.[22] They are mentioned in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana.[22] Hamsa, the swan, is part of the mythical love story of Nala and Damayanti, where it carries the stories, historical information and messages between the two strangers.[22]
In Indian text, it is said to eat pearls and separate milk from water from a mixture of the two.
Buddhism
The hamsa was also used extensively in the art of
The hamsa is deemed sacred in the
Contemporary usage
The name in other languages in which it is culturally important are
The hintha (equivalent to hamsa) is widely depicted in
Gallery
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Hamsa border on theKanishka casket, 2nd century CE
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Hamsa birds between the architectural spires on the Bimaran casket, 1st century CE
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Saraswati with a hamsa (c. 1895, British Library)
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Sarasvati with a hamsa (19th-century, British Library)
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Sarasvati and a hamsa (Kerala tile)
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Hamsa talking to Damayanti as depicted by Raja Ravi Varma (19th century)
References
- ^ ISBN 978-8120615090.
- ^ ISBN 978-0028657332.
In Hindu iconography the swan personifies Brahman-Atman, the transcendent yet immanent ground of being, the Self.
- ^ ISBN 978-0415556231.
- ^ Pokorny, J. "*ĝhan-s-". Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German).
- ^ a b Vogel, Jean P. (1962). The Goose in Indian Literature and Art (Arts & Letters, Vol. XXVII, 1952 (Reprint ed.). Leiden. pp. 1–2.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World Paul Johnsgard (2010), University of Nebraska-Lincoln, page 29-31
- OCLC 867723645
- ISBN 978-0691114965, page 58
- ISBN 9780198060338, Chapters 5–7
- ^ KN Dave (2005), Birds in Sanskrit Literature, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120818422, page 423.
- ^ a b c KN Dave (2005), Birds in Sanskrit Literature, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120818422, pages 422-447 with footnotes.
- ^ Ali, Salim (1979). Bird study in India: Its history and its importance. New Delhi: ICCR.
- ISBN 978-1-136-54383-8.
- ^ Sivaramamurti, C. (1974). Birds and Animals in Indian Sculpture. National Museum. pp. 62–67, with Figures 64a, 64b, 68.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-8475-182-6.
- ^ ISBN 978-1855671010, pp 99-101
- ISBN 978-1462054145, pp 543
- ^ Deussen 1997, pp. 717–720.
- ^ a b c Olivelle 1992, pp. 137–140.
- ^ Deussen 1997, pp. 753–755.
- ^ "परमहंसोपनिषत्" [Paramahansa Upanishad] (in Hindi). sanskritdocuments.org. p. ॥ ४॥, verse 4. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-1576071069.
- ISBN 978-0226554532, page 4
- JSTOR 592478.
- ISBN 978-0-87099-613-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8248-7798-9.
- ISBN 978-0-691-21602-7.
- ISBN 978-81-208-1622-0.
- ^ Compare sources in:
- "angsa". Kamus Dewan (4th ed.). Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Malaysia. 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
- "angsa". Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (3rd ed.). Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia. 2016.
{{cite encyclopedia}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
- ISBN 978-0195886085, page 116
- ISBN 978-1740596954, page 140
- ISBN 9781543758177, pages 79–84 with figures
- Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dallapiccola
- Deussen, Paul (1997). Sixty Upanishads of the Veda. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-8120814677.
- Olivelle, Patrick (1992). The Samnyasa Upanisads. ISBN 978-0195070453.