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Hamsa Upanishad or Hamsopanishad ((サンスクリット:हंसोपनिषद्)) is one of the 108 Upanishadic Hindu scriptures, written in Sanskrit language and is associated with the ''Shukla Yajurveda''. It is one of 20 Yoga Upanishads. The Hamsa Upanishad, presented in a conversational mode between Gautama and the divine Sanatkumara, seeks knowledge of Brahmavidya (a study of the Veda mantras and upanishads) from the latter who is proficient in all the Hindu scriptures and righteousness. According to the German Orientalist, Paul Deussen, Hamsa which is mentioned in the Rigveda refers to "the wandering (wild) goose" and is said to symbolize the "migrating soul" or reincarnating soul. ==Contents== The word Hamsa (literal meaning Swan), which gives its name to this Upanishad, has many interpretations. The words “Ham (Aham)” and “Sa (ha)” form the word "Hamsa" with attribution as “I” () “that”. It is also said to represent Parabrahman ("highest Brahman," beyond all conceptualisations) or "Kalahamsa". Hamsa is also the mount of Lord Brahma, the creator. Another interpretation links it to one’s breathing process with the letter "Ha" denoting exhalation and "Sa" signifying inhalation. "Ajapa Gayatri" is another name attributed to Hamsa.〔 Sanatkumara explains to Gautama that this Upanishad is a compendium of mystic knowledge, which Parvati, after due consultation with her consort Shiva, had propounded for the beneficial attainment of happiness and joy, and get to become part of God contemplating on Hamsa.〔 Sanatkumara states the metaphysical significance of Hamsa and Paramahamsa, a celibate Brahamachari student who under the guidance of his teacher, with full control of his sensuality, is in the pursuit of knowledge of the fire or energy that dominates all beings, which assures freedom from death, and which is likened to oil bearing wood or seeds such as the sesame seeds that ignite the fire.〔 Sanatkumara enlightens Gautama on the path to attain self-consciousness through the chakras by initiating the breathing process from the anus positioned in such a way that it is pressed by heels, then moving to the “Muladhara chakra” (which is inside the anus). He then circumambulates three times around the "Svāḍhishthāna" (sacral chakra located near the genital organ), and successively follow through “Maṇipūraka” (solarplexes or navel chakra), the “Anāhata” which is in the heart, to controlled “prana” (life force) via “Viśuḍḍhi” (throat chakra at root of the neck), then leading to “Ājñā” (third-eye chakra between the two eyebrows), and terminating in the “Brahmaranḍhra”, the thousand petalled crown chakra, which is located at the top of the head. By concentrating on Brahmaranḍhra, reciting the three syllables of Om, realization of self or Atman is attained in a “formless” state, which is also the state of Paramahamsa, the entertainer of full enlightenment.〔 The Hamsa that is narrated above is the basic intelligent approach to the eightfold Vritti (literal meaning "whirlpool") or content of consciousness and is compared to a lotus flower with eight petals and the stamen.〔 Each part of the lotus is compared to physical, sensuous and metaphysical actions of a person such as: East facing petal represents noble actions; the petal in south eastern direction denotes sleep and indolence; petal facing south west tends to commit evil actions; the west facing petal is indicative of pleasurable actions; the petal facing north-west creates urge to walk and other actions; petal facing north indicates lasciviousness; the north east facing petal shows ambition to acquire wealth; the gaps between the petals show detachment to life’s pleasures; the stamen is indicative of wakeful state; the "pericarp", the outer layer denotes a "svapna" or dreaming state; seed of lotus creates “sushupti” meaning dreamless sleep; when getting out of the lotus is indicative of “turya” experience of pure consciousness which is called the "fourth state".〔 Beyond this state is the subsumed state of the terminal point of Nāḍa or the spiritual sound that fills the entire cosmos with Hamsa, which is "beyond speech and mind"; this stage, is like a crystal that spans from Muladhara to Brahmaranḍhra, and is the stage of realizing Brahma or Paramāṭmā, the Supreme Soul.〔 Sanatkumara narrates the significance of Hamsa as "Ajapā Gāyaṭrī" mantra, which is "'Hamsa-so’ham'". These are six facets of rishi (sage), the Meter (hymn) denoting "Avyakṭā Gāyaṭrī", bija (cause of things) denotive of "Ham", "sa" representing Shakti, and "soham" representing "Kīlaka" (meaning wedge). It is stated to constitute 21,600 breathings' or Hamsas in a 24 hour cycle.〔 Prayer offerings are made to Surya (Sun), Soma (Moon), "Nirañjana" (the blemishless Supreme Creator) and "Nirābhāsa" (without fallacious appearance). Hamsa, when meditated as Atma (Soul), has characteristics which are detailed as: Agni its left side, Soma its right side, Omkara denoting head, Ukara denoting its three eyes, and bindu denoting face, Rudra and his consort representing feet which is a stage of realization of merging the "jīvāṭmā or Hamsa", the lower self with higher self known as Paramatma or Parmahamsa; an achievement of "samprajñāṭa" and "asamprajñāṭa".〔 With Hamsa as the medium, reciting the Ajapā manṭra one crore (ten million) times, the Nada (spiritual) sound) is heard.〔 There are ten stages of "inner nada" which are heard successively as sounds; like "chini", then "chini-chini", of a bell, of a "conch" or Shankha (Sea shell), of a "tantiri" (lute), of a flute, of a "bheri" (a drum), of "mridangam" (with double sides), and finally of "thunder" (sound of lightning). Hearing these sounds causes transformations in the body and mind, and at the last stage Atman (Soul) gets subsumed with Brahman resulting in vanishing of one's duality. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hamsopanishad」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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