Paramahamsa (
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
: परमहंस,
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
: পরমহংস,
romanized
Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...
: Pôromohôṅso;
pronounced ">ɔromoɦɔŋʃo, also spelled paramahansa or paramhansa, is a
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
religio-theological
title of honour
A title of honor or honorary title is a title bestowed upon individuals or organizations as an award in recognition of their merits.
Sometimes the title bears the same or nearly the same name as a title of authority, but the person bestowed d ...
applied to
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
spiritual teachers who have become
enlightened. The title literally means "supreme swan". The swan is equally at home on land and on water; similarly, the true sage is equally at home in the realms of matter and of spirit. To be in divine ecstasy and simultaneously to be actively wakeful is the ''paramahamsa'' state; the 'royal swan' of the soul floats in the cosmic ocean, beholding both its body and the ocean as manifestations of the same Spirit. The word 'Paramahamsa' signifies one who is ''Awakened'' in all realms. Paramahamsa is the highest level of spiritual development in which a union with ultimate reality has been attained by a
sannyasi
''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' As ...
.
Etymology
![Swan in art 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Swan_in_art_2.jpg)
''Paramahamsa'' is a Sanskrit word translated as 'supreme swan'. The word is compounded of Sanskrit परम ''parama'' meaning 'supreme', 'highest', or 'transcendent' (from
PIE
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit (as in an apple pie), nuts ( pecan pie), brown sugar ( sugar pie), swe ...
''per'' meaning 'through', 'across', or 'beyond', cognate with
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
''far'') and Sanskrit हंस ''hamsa'' meaning '
swan or wild goose'. The prefix ''parama'' is the same element seen in ''
Parameshwara'', a title for
God
In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
. In Hindic tradition, swans, are noted for characteristics of discipline, stamina, grace, and beauty. "Hamsa" may be spelled "hansa." As described by Paramahansa Yogananda, author of "Autobiograhy of a Yogi" in which he states that ''hansa'' literally means "swan." "The white swan," he clarifies " is mythologically represented as the vehicle or mount of Brahma the Creator. The sacred ''hansa'', said to have the power of extracting only milk from a mixture of milk and water, is thus a symbol of spiritual discrimination." Yogananda adds "''Ahan-sa'' or ''‘hansa'' (pronounced ''hong-sau'') is literally “I am He.” These potent SANSKRIT syllables possess a vibratory connection with the incoming and the outgoing breath. Thus with his every breath man unconsciously asserts the truth of his being."
In keeping with the construct of Sanskrit, which often layers multiple meanings upon or within words, ''Hamsa'' may also be a religious pun or allegory with a philosophical meaning. One such etymology suggests that the words 'aham' and 'sa' are joined to become 'hamsa'; ''aham'' is 'I' or 'me' and ''sa'' is 'he', together meaning 'I am he'. Here, 'I' refers to the ''jivatma'' or ''jivatama'', the living soul, and 'he' the ''paramatma'' or ''paramatama'' or supreme soul (the alternative spellings are due to differing Romanisations of the Sanskrit words). This relationship reflects of
Advaita
''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (l ...
philosophy, which advocates the oneness of ''jivatma'' and ''paramatma''.
The word ''aham'' is common to many Eastern religions. From ''aham'' is derived ''ahamkara'' or ego.
Mythology
The ''hamsa'' (swan) is the
vahana
''Vahana'' ( sa, वाहन, or animal vehicle, literally "that which carries, that which pulls") denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical, a particular Hindus, Hindu God is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vahana ...
, the mount or vehicle, of the god
Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...
. In the
Vedas
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...
and the
Purânas it is a symbol for the soul/Soul. The ''hamsa'' is said to be the only creature that is capable of separating milk from water once they have been mixed; symbolically this is the display of great spiritual discrimination. It is symbolic for a spiritually advanced being who is capable of controlling the breath energy in such a way that he only absorbs pure vibrations from all the different energies the world contains. To the Paramahamsa (the supreme celestial Swan) on the other hand, the whole of creation is God himself, there is nothing else but God alone. This person is a fully realized soul, completely liberated from all bonds with the world, who knows no obligations, no likes or dislikes. He is without any needs because he is completely immersed in God.
Theology
''Paramahamsa'', as a religio/theological title, is applied to an adept class of Hindu renunciates, liberated, realized masters who, having attained the supreme yogic state, or
nirvikalpa
''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...
samādhi
''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditation, meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ash ...
, can always distinguish between the Real (''sa'') from the unreal (''ham'').
The ''hamsa''
mantra
A mantra (Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ma ...
indicates the sound made by the exhalation ("ha") and inhalation ("sa") of the breath.
Privileged use
Some followers believe title cannot be assumed by oneself, but must be conferred by a recognized authority, either another individual swami who is himself esteemed as enlightened, or by a committee of spiritual leaders.
Other meaning
Paramahaṃsa is also the title of one of the
Upanishad
The Upanishads (; sa, उपनिषद् ) are late Vedic Sanskrit texts that supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy.Wendy Doniger (1990), ''Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism'', 1st Edition, University of Chicago Press, , ...
s.
[In Sanskrit, a pre-consonantal nasal is written with a ]diacritic
A diacritic (also diacritical mark, diacritical point, diacritical sign, or accent) is a glyph added to a letter or to a basic glyph. The term derives from the Ancient Greek (, "distinguishing"), from (, "to distinguish"). The word ''diacriti ...
dot (the Anusvara
Anusvara (Sanskrit: ') is a symbol used in many Indic scripts to mark a type of nasal sound, typically transliterated . Depending on its location in the word and the language for which it is used, its exact pronunciation can vary. In the context ...
) above the preceding character. The exact realization of the nasalization
In phonetics, nasalization (or nasalisation) is the production of a sound while the velum is lowered, so that some air escapes through the nose during the production of the sound by the mouth. An archetypal nasal sound is .
In the Internationa ...
must be inferred from the context. Thus, we have Paramahaṃsa, Paramahamsa, Paramahaṇsa, and Paramahansa as equivalent transliterations.
Paramahamsa title personalities
* Srila Bhaktiratna Sadhu Maharaj
* Abhiram Parmahansa
* Chandradhoja Paramahansa Dev
*
Dayanidhi Paramahansa Dev
Brahma Abadhuta Sri Guru Dayanidhi Paramahansa (18 August 1905 – 18 August 1992)
was an Indian sadguru, yogi, mystic and a Hindu spiritual leader well known in India. He was associated with the shakti school and viewed as a perfect spirit ...
*
Paramahamsa Shri Gajanan Maharaj
* Kalna Paramhansa
*
Lahiri Mahasaya
Charan Lahiri (30 September 1828 – 26 September 1895), best known as Lahiri Mahasaya, was an Indian yogi guru who founded the Kriya Yoga school. In 1861, his non-physical master Mahavatar Babaji appeared to him, ordering him to reviv ...
*
Vishuddhananda Paramahansa
Vishuddhananda Paramahansa or Vishudhananda Paramahansa (Bengali:: Bishuddhananda Pôromôhongśo) (14 March 1853 – 14 July 1937) popularly known as Gandha Baba ('The perfume saint') was an Indian yogi, guru, and spiritual master. He spend ...
*
Narayana Guru
Narayana Guru, , (20 August 1856 – 20 September 1928) was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritua ...
*
Nigamananda Paramahansa
Swami Nigamananda Paramahansa (born Nalinikanta Chattopadhyay; 18 August 1880 – 29 November 1935) was an Indian yogi, guru and mystic well known in Eastern India. He is associated with the Shakta tradition and viewed as a perfect spi ...
* Paramahamsa Hariharananda
* Paramahamsa Prajnanananda
* Paramahamsa Vishwananda
*
Paramahansa Yogananda
Paramahansa Yogananda (born Mukunda Lal Ghosh; January 5, 1893March 7, 1952) was an Indian Hindu monk, yogi and guru who introduced millions to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his organization Self-Realization Fellowsh ...
* Paramhansa Acharya Yogiraj Balkrishananda 'Mukta-Buddha'
* Paramhansa Nikhileshwarananda
* Paramahamsa Nithyananda
* Paramhansa Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati
* Paramhansa Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati
* Paramhansa Swami Satyananda Saraswati
*
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
Ramakrishna Paramahansa ( bn, রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস, Ramôkṛṣṇo Pôromohôṅso; , 18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886),——— — also spelled Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, born Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya,, was an In ...
* Sadanand ji Paramhansa
* Sivananda paramahamsa vadakara
* Shivdharmanand Paramahansa
* Srimad Durga Prasanna Paramahansa Dev
Notes
References
External links
{{Commonscat
Hindu lexicon The Bar-headed Goose, ''Anser indicus''
Titles and occupations in Hinduism
Swaminarayan Sampradaya