Hamsopanishad (haṃsopaniṣad), this Upanishad is from the Shukla Yajurveda. It belongs to the Shukla Yajurveda and a very profound Upanishad giving Hamsa Vidya which leads into the Brahma Vidya. Hamsa Vidya leading into the Brahma Vidya. That is the profundity of this wonderful Upanishad. Very subtly, very easily and very wonderfully presents within the 21 mantras from the Shukla Yajurveda.
The Upanishad opens with a discussion between the Gautama and Sanatkumara. In fact, Gautama raises, Gautama Muni raises the question, puts the question and Sanatkumara answers it. Gautama Uvacha, it begins with that. The question raised was,
"bhagavansarvadharmajña sarvaśāstraviśārada। brahmavidyāprabodho hi kenopāyena jāyate ॥"
Very beautifully he puts it. How this awakening, the first rising happens in the Brahma in the sense, if everything is quiet, calm serene, without any activity how the first bubble rises? How the first seed rises? An entire teaching is based on this answer.
vicārya sarvadharmeṣu mataṃ jñātvā pinākinaḥ।
pārvatyā kathitaṃ tattvaṃ śṛṇu gautama tanmama॥
And Sanatkumara keeps replying
anākhyeyamidaṃ guhyaṃ yogine kośasaṃnibham।
haṃsasyākṛtivistāraṃ bhuktimuktiphalapradam ॥
He says that the teaching is very secret, very deep. We should also remember in yoga, whenever it is said like secret, guhyam it doesn't mean it is really secret. It means it needs a very correct, real, true understanding. The correct, true purport out of it. And it needs some guidance from somebody. It requires a guidance. It doesn't mean it is secret. Secret means it needs somebody's guidance. The Sanatkumara says that "haṃsasyākṛtivistāraṃ bhuktimuktiphalapradam॥" And this needs to be understood carefully. And by understanding it, Bhukti and Mukti, both will be available, both will be there to you. Material and spiritual benefits. This is the answer given by the Sanatkumara.
He begins to explain further. "Hamsa vidyaatikari svaroopam" Who is fit for it? To practice. And he says wonderfully, excellently. Who is fit for it? A person who is self-controlled, Brahmachari and who has sincere devotion to the Guru. "brahmacāriṇe śāntāya dāntāya gurubhaktāya । haṃsahaṃseti sadā dhyāyan॥". 'brahmacāriṇe' means a person who is a Brahmachari; 'Dāntāya' means who has a control over the senses; and gurubhaktāya, who has Guru Bhakti. So any person with these qualities, with the practice of Brahmacharya and a sense control and then Guru Bhakti will understand this knowledge. So without this you cannot understand means there is a secret there. The secrecy is without this you cannot understand it. And if you have this, it is no more a secret. And the Upanishad puts it very nicely that
"sarveṣu deheṣu vyāpto vartate । yathā hyagniḥ kāṣṭheṣu tileṣu tailamiva taṃ viditvā mṛtyumatyeti ॥"
Hamsa Swaroopaha it is called. The fifth mantra of the Hamsa Upanishad is a very clear expression that the Hamsa is inhalation and exhalation and it is based, dependent on the breathing. That is what is dependent on Puraka and Rechaka and that dependent nature, that dependent being is the Hamsaha, is the object, and is the power which is the Jiva. So Jiva is dependent, Jiva travels, Jiva moves, Jiva uses inhalations and exhalations. And this Jiva is the Hamsaha. Beautiful imagery it is, a beautiful suggestion is given, an excellent thought for pondering over.
An imagery given is like fire stands pervading the fuel, the oil stands pervading in the Tila - Taila in Tila, Agni in the kaashta as it is there, Hamsaha is there everywhere. And as the Tila and the Kaashta are the medium - oil and fire - inhalation and exhalation is the medium for the Jiva, Hamsaha. A very nice object for meditation. Like fire is seen or innervated and pervaded in the wood, like oil is pervaded inherent in the seed (Tila seed), similarly, Hamsa, the Jiva is pervaded in the inhalations and exhalations. There is inseparable relationship; it is interconnected interrelated, interdependent and inter transactions will be going on.
Then how to practice? Hamsa Jnana Upaya Yoga, Upaya Yoga, Upa Yoga it is. And what is the technique given? Pressing the anus with the left heel:
gudamavaṣṭabhyādhārādvāyumutthāpya svādhiṣṭhānaṃ triḥ pradakṣiṇīkṛtya maṇipūrakaṃ gatvā anāhatamatikramya viśuddhau prāṇānnirudhyājñāmanudhyāyanbrahmarandhaṃ dhyāyan trimātro'hamityeva sarvadā paśyatyanākāraśca bhavati ॥
The beautiful description is given. Press the left heel against the anus and sit in that position, sitting position, and fill the prana through the nostrils or through the mouth, both suggestions are there. Even through the mouth or through the nostrils and hold the breath. Constrict your anus, it is something like an Ashwini Mudra, practiced in Antara Kumbhaka, in a sitting posture. Then, it is not imagination, allow your prana to move upwards which can be done with our willpower, or you can even feel that, and experience it, recognize it when it is happening, moving from the Muladhara then entering into the Swadhishthana, Manipura, Anahata Vishuddha, Ajna and the Hamsa Upanishad gives wonderful imagery, objects of meditation. And these are all commonly known as the Chakras but actually they are the energy points where various Nadis come to a junction, and the prana flows, and in that various lotus petals have been presented, the number of petals and then the movement of the prana through that. A nice thought and object for meditation.
And then the Hamsa Upanishad keeps on describing what will happen in the Hridaya, where there are eight petaled lotus is there. These eight petals are directed towards the eight directions. Ashta Dala to Ashta Dik - eight petals directing towards the eight directions. And the prana moves in that, what are the effects will be happening what will be the behavioural pattern. How wonderful it is! The normal common behavioural pattern of ourselves is being related to the movement of the prana, into these petals. The external is linked to the internal; and the external is linked to the internal through the prana.
The Upanishad keeps describing excellently that the Hamsa, the Jiva if it moves towards the eastern petal, east side of the petal, eastern direction a person will be interested in the religious dharmics, religious activities. If the Hamsa and the prana enters into the south-eastern pattern that is the Agni, the behaviour will be mostly sleepy, docile, laziness; and if it is in the southern petal of the Yama then it will be a cruel nature, all cruelty, kroora bhavas; when the Jiva, when the Hamsa enters into the south-western petal that is the Nirutti, he will be prone for intellectual but for the sinful actions, intellect for the sinful actions.
When the Hamsa, Jiva enters into the western petal of the Varuna the disposition is pastime, just passing time wasting the time. When the entry is in the north-western petal of the Vayu, the intellect is towards the goodness. When the entry is in the northern petal of the moon, the Chandra it comes in the gratification, resulting from intense application. When entry is in the north-eastern petal, the Ishanaha the productivity is to acquire material wealth.
And if the entry, the Hamsaha, the Pranaha is into the filaments of the lotus, the state of waking, awakening, that is the result. When the entry is in the Perikarp, the state of the dreaming that is the beautiful explanation is given into it. Perikarp means Karnika. Karnika of the lotus. And if the Prana, Jiva enters into the interior tubes of the lotus the state of sleep comes. And finally when the Prana rises above these, it enters into the state of the Turiya.
What does all this imagery all these explanations of the Upanishads suggest simply is that as long as the Prana is, as long as the breathing is confined only to the physical levels and the nature, and if the Prana Shakti is used only for the physical and the sensual activities, and if the Pranic energy is allowed to be wasted in activities of the psycho-physiological and the breathing activities, we are rooted to our senses and rooted to the Tamo level. Then the Jiva, the Hamsaha has to cross these lotuses then the site of the Turiya comes.
And that is the level of the Nadaha it is. That is the Turiyatitaha is beyond that. And thereafter from the Muladhara into the Sushumnaha, the Paramatmaha level is exposed. This is how the Hamsa Upanishad presents an excellent imagery, a technique, very subtle methods whenever our behaviour and activities are in a particular direction, in a particularly centred, the suggestion given in the Upanishad is that particular focusing and centering activities and the behaviour and the thinking is because of this particular region that the Prana and the Jiva are focused in this particular direction of the lotus petals. Changing it is the important dimension.
And how do we change it? Hamsa Upanishad presents again Ajapa Hamsa Mantra, Japa Prakaraha. Practice Japa Prakaraha, the method of the Japa practicing of Ajapa Hamsa Mantra, Ajapa Hamsa Mantra technique:
atha haṃsa ṛṣiḥ । avyaktagāyatrī chandaḥ। paramahaṃso devatā।
hamiti bījam । sa iti śaktiḥ। so'miti kīlakam॥
ṣaṭsaṃkhyayā ahorātrayorekaviṃśatisahastrāṇi ṣaṭśatānyadhikāni bhavanti।sūryāya somāya nirañjanāya nirābhāsāyātanusūkṣma pracodayāditi ॥
agnīṣomābhyāṃ vauṣad hṛdayāhyaṅganyāsakaranyāsau bhavataḥ ॥
evaṃ kṛtvā hṛdaye'ṣṭadale haṃsātmānaṃ dhyāyet॥
Beautiful suggestion has been given for the practice of the Ajapa Hamsa Mantra Japa method. It is just a feeling and experience of whole mind is focused and concentrated and meditated just on these happenings. The most subtlest sensations in the body, Samvedana. And these sensations and samvedana are at the cell level, not just at physical, gross, muscular level. And that is the level of the practice of the Ajapa Hamsa Mantra. Ajapa Hamsa Mantra is the sensations of inhalation and exhalation and the pranic movements and exchanges deep at the kana, cell level it is.
And that is the highest practice of the Ajapa Hamsa Sadhana it is called. And that is how the Upanishad further goes on talking.
"Ajapa Japena dashanadanubhavah:"
It says that by the practice of the Ajapa Sadhana and the Hamsaha, of course utilizing of the Akara, Ukara, Makara is given, and then the Upanishad gives an extensive extension of the aspect of the imagery that Akara, Ukara, Makara is the.. and the Bindu, the dot which is there. The Rudraha is the face. Rudrani, the Ganga forms the two feet of it, on account of the qualified and the non-qualified aspects. The Hamsaha by means emanates from the throat. Means the as a human personality for meditation, for the contemplation and as a human personality pervaded with the Omkara. That is the imagery given. Hamsaha the attained state of the Virajaha. Fire and the moon are the two arms. Omkara is the head. The three eyes are the Akara, Ukara, Makara. And the Bindu the dot. Rudra is the face. Rudrani the two feet. And this is how the picturization is presented. With this Ajapa Upasandhara and Ajapa of the Hamsa is practiced. These are all various suggestions and methods of techniques and the practices given by the Yoga Upanishads. And this is the Hamsa Upanishad method is given in that. And then it gives the Nadaha it is.
Then another technique is given as the Nada. And the Nada is given as the Hamsa Nadaha, Anahata Chakraha. And that Nada is produced in ten different ways. The third imagery presented by the Hamsa Upanishad: Hamsa Nadaha. Hamsa Gayatri, Hamsa Omkara, Hamsa Purushaha, and now it is the Hamsa Nadaha.
And it says that there are ten different ways. At the right ear of the seeker, the various types of sounds are heard. The first is the character of the Chini sound. The second is the character of the Chinchini. The third is the sound of a bell, Khanta Nada. The fourth is like a blast of a Shankha Nada. And the fifth is the Veena Nada. The sixth is the cymbals. The seventh is the flute, Venu Nada. And the eighth is the Dunduhi. And the ninth is the sound of a Mridanga. And the last the tenth is Megha Nada. It is called the thunderbolt. Again, very beautiful suggestion. From Megha if you come down slowly, retrace the path, it comes down to the Chin. Chin sound. That is the smallest, subtlest narrowest sound within the body to the thunder sound. Tracing, listening, following, extending the hearing capacity or expanding the mind stepwise from the smallest, slowest sound to the booming sound. And from the booming Megha Nada sound, to the smallest sound. This is another technique is given.
The results are given for that. What is the result? The result is as the Upanishads keep on presenting, the state of the Mano Layaha it is called i.e. the mind merges in the Brahma; Atma Tattva Prakashaha it is:
tasminmano vilīyate manasi saṃkalpavikalpe dagdhaṃ puṇyapāpe sadāśivaḥ śaktyātmā sarvatrāvasthitaḥ svayaṃjyotiḥ śuddho buddho nityo nirañjanaḥ śāntaḥ prakāśata iti vedānuvacanaṃ bhavatītyupaniṣat ॥
The Mano Layaha attained. Mano Layaha, the mind gets dissolved. Hamsa Upanishad gives practice of these techniques. The Phalam is given. What is the Phalam?
"tasminmano vilīyate manasi saṃkalpavikalpe dagdhaṃ" Sankalpha and Vikalpa are burnt. Punya and Papa are lost. And it is always in the Sadashivaha. In the state of absolute quietness. 'śaktyātmā sarvatrāvasthitaḥ' – it is a powerful potential.svayaṃjyotiḥ - Self brilliancy and radiance. And what are the Gunas it is?
śuddho buddho nityo nirañjanaḥ śāntaḥ prakāśata iti vedānuvacanaṃ
As expressed in the Vedas. It is shuddhaha, it is buddhaha, it is nityaha and niranjanaha -it will never get defiled. This is the result, attainment, and the final experience of the techniques presented in the Hamsa Upanishad. Let us conclude here. Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti:
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मुक्तसंग्ङोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वित:।
सिद्धयसिद्धयोर्निर्विकार: कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते ॥१८.२६॥
Freed from attachment, non-egoistic, endowed with courage and enthusiasm and unperturbed by success or failure, the worker is known as a pure (Sattvika) one. Four outstanding and essential qualities of a worker. - Bhagwad Gita : XVIII-26
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