Haṁsa

views updated Jun 27 2018

Haṃsa. Wild goose (the bar-headed goose), which migrates to India from Central Asia. Its purity of colour and gracefulness in flight led to its becoming a symbol, in the Upaniṣads, of the unity at the heart of all manifestation, e.g. one spirit in the midst of the world. It is also the vehicle (vāhana) of Brahmā.

Haṁsa

views updated May 23 2018

Haṃsa. Indian mantra, often repeated, soʾham, ‘He am I’ (while breathing in), hamṣaḥ, ‘I am He’ (while breathing out). It expresses the unity of the devotee with God.