5 Things We Got Wrong about Chakras
hint: It’s not just a wheel of colors...
4 minutes • 2/18/21
The Wisdom of Hamsa/Sohum
Did you know that the sacred swan (known as hamsa in Sanskrit) is the ride of Devi Saraswati, the Goddess of wisdom? Every year, 40 days before the arrival of spring on the 5th day (panchami) after the new moon, marks the day of festivities in anticipation of Spring (Basant). It is also known as Sri Panchami, a day dedicated to the divinity of Wisdom, Speech, and Sound—Devi Saraswati. Often times, it is called Saraswati Panchami.
Exoteric Rituals: There are many beautiful external rituals practiced on this day to give an early welcome to spring and to pay homage to Devi Saraswati. Some examples are: Bathing in the holy waters of the Ganges, wearing yellow clothes, eating foods and sweets that are yellow or seasoned with saffron and turmeric, chanting the mantras of Sri Saraswati, and decorating the house with yellow flowers. Yellow color symbolizes the state of wisdom (golden aura) and the blooming of mustard flowers in India.
Esoteric Ritual and Symbology: Beyond the outward rituals, it is the internal rituals—the esoteric—that always intrigued me. So, I share with you the Gupta vali- the secret, internal meaning of Basant Panchami. How to realize the state of divine wisdom and celebrate the blooming of the flowers of consciousness.
Saras = river/stream
Wati = container/possessor of
Saraswati means the one in whom resides (wati) the auspicious river/streams (saras) of wisdom, sound, and prana (life force). In the iconography of Saraswati, she is seated on the swan—a symbol of clarity, purity, and discernment. She is adorned in white clothes of clarity and purity; the white color of the gushing streams and of the Brahma nadi within the central channel.
The word for swan, hamsa, when reversed, becomes Soham. It is a mantra that means, “I am That.” It is the most powerful, innate, and effortless mantra of realization, which is incessantly played within. It is the sound of our own incoming and outgoing breath. Close your ears and simply listen to your breath, the incoming breath sounds like “so” and the outgoing like “ham.”
Saraswati plays a stringed instrument called the Veena. A similar stringed instrument resides within us, in our subtle body, in the form of the nadis/channels/rivers through which nada/prana/wisdom flows.
Our speech, silence, and breath symbolize Devi Saraswati, the sacred river of wisdom. This sacred river flows through the nasal canal as the river of prana. The nasal region is our own two-winged mystical bird, or Swan/hamsa. When the prana flows through it, it plays the three-stringed musical instrument that is the three main nadis—lunar-left/ida, solar-right/pingala and the fiery-central/sushumna. When the prana, as rhythm of breath, enters the central channel of fire/illumination, there is realization of wisdom. Thus, Saraswati flows through us as words, prana, silence, and music.
Practice: Chant the mantra “Soham” internally: “So” upon inhalation and “ham” upon exhalation, for as many times as it feels pleasant and sustains effortless focus.
Let the rivers of prana flow through the central channel of wisdom and may the Sacred Swan-hamsa take a flight of discernment.
My top three recommendations for you to invoke Devi Saraswati:
WAYS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MANTRAS
STAY IN TOUCH
Start your FREE subscription to Indu Arora's newsletter to get more on Yoga and Ayurveda here
Say hello on Instagram
hint: It’s not just a wheel of colors...
Who am I to tell you how to feel sacred, connect to people and greet others as long as you remember its roots and purpose. However, You can be a true practitioner without using this phrase!
5 Simple practices for the Maha Shiva Ratri