“Hamsa” means Swan.The Hamsa Upanishad explores the concept of Hamsa as the Supreme breath, symbolizing the vital force and the divine presence in every being. Breath is sound, states the text.
“The aspirants for salvation worship the Paramatman as having the form of a “Hamsa” or the Divine Swan as detailed in this Upanishad.
As the individual’s Jeevatman resides in the “Prana”, the breath of life or the Life-Principle, every cycle of respiration comprising an inhalation and exhalation is supposed to be accompanied by the sound of the syllables,”Hamso–Hamso”. mirroring the eternal vibration of the Cosmos When the chanting of this Mantra is continuously repeated, it automatically gets pronounced as “Soham, Soham” which means that “I” or the” Self” and “HE”, the Supreme Consciousness, pure and clear as a crystal, are one and the same.
The average person, in the normal course, carries out the function of respiration more than twenty thousand times a day involuntarily and hence, repeats this Mantra an equal number of times without his own knowledge. The aspirants for salvation need only to understand this concept and realize the identity of one’s Self with the Paramatman, and to contemplate with undivided attention on the Lord in the form of Parama-hamsa or the Great Divine Swan. Even if a person does not chant any other Mantra, he is incessantly repeating the Mantra without break and without giving exercise to the vocal cords.
Hence, this Mantra has come to be known as Ajapa mantra, a mantra, not chanted .It is said that there is no other Mantra superior to this. What worship can be greater than worshipping the Lord who is the Supreme Spirit installed in the temple of our body, casting off the old garland of ignorance and repeatedly chanting the Mantra of “Soham, Soham”, contemplating on HIM with undivided attention?
One can visualize this concept and contemplate on this Mantra, which goes on, on its own, irrespective of time and place.”
(Bhaktha Ranjini Commentary on Narayaneeyam)
Let us continue with our other meditation and Japa practices taking this as a bonus.
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