On 20th June 2013 the third day of the Aani Brahmothsavam of Swami Thelliya Singar [Azhagiya Singar]. It was Garuda vahanam in the morning and in the evening it was ‘Hamsa Vahanam’. At Thiruvallikkeni, Hamsa vahanam is one of the heaviest among the vahanams.
Thirumangai Mannan in his ‘Thirunedunthandagam’ draws a reference to the Hamsa bird. Last time, I had written wrongly about Hamsa as the legendary bird. The Hamsa is a familiar leitmotif in Indian art, literature, sculpture and textiles. It is an aquatic bird that resembles a goose or a swan. It is reputed to eat pearls and to be able to separate milk from water and drink only pure milk. The Hamsa represents the perfect harmony between spirituality and life. When the word ‘hamsa’ is constantly repeated, it changes to ‘Soaham’ meaning ‘That I am’. Thus the hamsa is often identified with the Supreme Spirit or Brahman. The flight of the Hamsa also symbolises the escape of the soul from the cycle of samsara.
A large volume of corpus of folklore and literature has grown around it, and a distinct mythology has evolved around the Hamsa. Hamsa signifies strength and virility. Hamsam is attributed qualities of purity, detachment, divine knowledge, cosmic breath (prana) and highest spiritual accomplishment. Here are some photos taken this morning.
Photo and News Courtesy: Sri Sampathkumar Srinivasan Swami
