Light of the Vedas

BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF VEDIC STUDIES

A U G U S T - S E P T E MB E R 2 0 1 4 I S S U E | V O L U ME 8 | I S S U E 2 6
HAMSA
RAHASYA
The Secret of Hamsa
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Vamadeva & Shambhavi with
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Vamadeva & Shambhavi with
Om ri Veda Purusay a Namah!
Om, Reverence to the Vedi c
Purusha, the Soul of the Vedas!
Swami Sitaramananda organized a
beautiful retreat integrating the
Vedic Sciences at Sivananda Yoga
Farm in Grass Valley, highlighting
Vamadeva David Frawley's latest
book release Vedic Yoga, the Path
of the Rishi.
The Yoga tradition or Yoga Dharma
rests upon this greater Sanatana
Dharma tradition of living in
harmony wi th the consci ous
universe, all living creatures and all
the forces of nature in maer,
energy, and mind.
The highest human dharma of all
creatures is the pursuit of Self-realization, or direct awareness
of the cosmic Being. Yoga is the means of fullling our highest
dharma or duty of inner spiritual
gr owt h, cal l ed Moksha or
liberation in Sanskrit.
Yoga Dharma teaches us the
ne c e s s ar y pr i nc i pl e s and
practices to help us grow in
consciousness and bring the
Divine into manifestation within
and around us.
This Santana Dharma or Yoga
Dharma is called Satya Dharma,
the natural law of truth.
This ancient Rishi Jnana is not the
creed of one community or
another- it unfolds a universal
cosmic Truth. The rst step of
Vedic Yoga consists of awakening
t h e s o u l o r t h e d e e p e r
consciousness of immortality
within us. Yoga in the inner sense is a process for the soul or
our eternal being to unfold its cosmic reality.
Summer has brought us the divine
grace of being with our sadhaks in our
beautiful Santa Fe Yoga Shakti Retreat
with 42 people from around the world
understanding the deeper meaning of
our Karmic Unfolding. We experienced
the spirit of the Sangre de Cristo
Mountains, the abundance of fruits,
owers and vegetables at the local
Farmer's Market, meditating on the
mystic night of planets and stars
guided by Vamadeva Shastri and a
special celebration of ritualizing our
lives and home!
VEDIC YOGAThe Path of the Rishi
PAGE 1
Light of the Vedas
BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF VEDIC STUDIES
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 I SSUE
VOLUME 8 | I SSUE 26
Light of the Vedas
BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF VEDIC STUDIES
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 I SSUE
VOLUME 8 | I SSUE 26
Shiva Yoga and Hamsa
The Hamsa is one of the key concepts in Vedic, Yogic and Tantric
thought. Along with the Kundalini, it holds many secrets of
deeper Yoga practices. Indeed without understanding the
Hamsa, the Kundalini force cannot likely be properly developed
or understood.
The Hamsa as a bird is portrayed in later Sanskrit literature as a
swan, which is a symbol for Prana and the inner Self that is the
highest Prana. The Hamsa in Puranic thought is the vehicle for
Lord Brahma, the Creator, and his consort Sarasvati Devi as the
bringers of knowledge. Yet Hamsa has other meanings and
there are many forms of Hamsas back to the Rigveda where the
Hamsa is primarily a solar symbol, the bird of light. Hamsa is
also the shyena, the hawk or falcon that steals the Soma and
takes it up from the Earth to enjoy it in the freedom of the
highest Heaven.
The Hamsa in Tantric thought represents the individual soul or
Jiva, whose life is governed by the breath, and all the dualities
of body and mind that arise from it. This is because Ha and Sa
are the natural sounds of the breath through inhalation and
exhalation. Many forms of Pranayama follow these sounds
accordingly.
Yet at a higher level beyond duality, Ha and Sa are the natural
sounds of the Self, which is the inner breath of awareness, the
unitary Prana that is Self-existent and immortal. Ha is the Self
as I (aham) and Sa is the Self as that or the inner Being. Hamsa
also refers to the supreme or Paramahamsa, which is the
liberated soul that dwells in the state of the Supreme Shiva. In
this regard, Hamsa teachings are an integral part of Shiva Yoga
and Shiva is also Hamsa. Hamsa as sound and prana vibration is
also Om or Pranava, of which Lord Shiva is the indicator.
Hamsa represents the union of Shiva and Shakti, which are Ha
and Sa, Sun and Moon, Prana and Apana, the incoming and
outgoing vital energies. All dualities, starting with the breath,
are a reection of the greater two-in-one power of Shiva and
Shakti, which gets divided in the lower worlds.
In terms of Tantric Yoga practices, the Hamsa represents the
Shiva principle just as the Kundalini indicates the Shakti
principle. Hamsa and Kundalini must unite and move together.
It is the Kundalini that carries the Hamsa up the spine. At the
same time, it is the Hamsa or soul energy that turns the
Kundalini into a force of spiritual aspiration and ascent.
As Kundalini is the serpent power or Shakti of the soul, Hamsa is
like the bird or Shiva/Purusha of the soul, whose two wings are
prana and mind. Hamsa is the Jiva that seeks to y upward to
heaven, the thousand petal lotus of the head. Together
Kundalini and Hamsa are the feathered serpent, or the bird that
ies upward holding the serpent. Yet Kundalini is not always a
serpent, it is sometimes a bird, the Hamsa itself. Similarly, the
Hamsa is not always a bird; sometimes it is also a serpent. Both
serpent and bird indicate electrical and ascending energy. The
Hamsa is an extension or expansion of the bindu or the point-
focus in its movement and expansion. Yet the Nada or
vibratory principle forms its wings.
Without this soul awakening or Hamsa Chaitanya, the
consciousness of the Hamsa, one cannot work with Kundalini
HAMSA
RAHASYA
The Secret of Hamsa
Acharya David Frawley
Pandit Vamadeva Shastri
PAGE 2
to promote Shiva awareness,
to stimulate the Kundalini,
and open the chakras. Below
are a few examples.
Hamsa used as the
natural sound of the
breath, particularly Ham
as inhalation through the
right nostril and Sa as
exhalation through the
left; relates to the day or
solar breath.
So'ham also used as the
natural sound of the
breath, particularly So as
inhalation through the
left nostril and Ham as
exhalation through the
right; relates to the night or lunar breath.
Hamsa Soham combines both, and reects the balanced
movement of the unitary prana, through the unity of the
Sun and Moon.
Shivoham the natural resonance of the prana and mind as
I am Shiva, the supreme Self-aware Prana.
Hamsa Soham Shivoham Combined meaning of I am he,
he am I, I am Shiva. This is the Shiva Hamsa mantra.
Om Hum Hamsa Adds the ery mantra Hum with Hamsa
as the solar breath to arouse the Kundalini, the Agni Hamsa
Mantra. For example, Om Lam Hum Hamsa stimulates the
Kundalini in the root chakra.
Hrim Hamsa Soham Svaha Mantra to the Supreme Light,
uses the solar mantra Hrim and the re oering mantra
Svaha; a Surya or Solar Hamsa mantra. Many other mantras
can be added to this. Using the lunar mantra Shrim instead
of Hrim, it becomes a Soma or lunar Hamsa mantra.
Om Hum Hamsa Soham Svaha Mantra to the Supreme
Light emphasizing Kundalini and Agni; Agni Hamsa mantra.
Shakti in a completely harmonious
manner. If the Kundalini moves
without the Hamsa, it is likely to
disturb our physical and subtle
bodies. It is Shakti without Shiva.
First one must awaken the Hamsa
in order to eectively awaken the
Kundalini, though both tend to
manifest together. This means to
awaken as an individual soul in its
perennial pursuit of the Godhead.
The Hamsa is the Jiva or individual
soul that must take its journey back
through the chakras guided by
Shakti, to realize the supreme Shiva
above in the thousand petal lotus
of the head. The Hamsa is propelled
in its ascending movement by Nada
(vibration), Bindu (concentration) and Bija (mantras), and
energies the Lingas (powers of stillness) and Yonis (powers of
receptivity) along the way. The Hamsa carries the Soma or
nectar of delight (Amrita, Ananda) up from the lower chakras to
the thousand petal lotus of the head, where it can release it in a
thousand streams.
Yet there are several types and colors of Hamsa, reecting the
cosmic energies that it is working with:
Nila Hamsa Dark blue Hamsa, power of electrical energy
or lightning, the Vidyut Hamsa, represented by the bija
mantra Krim. Here the dark blue is that of a rain cloud from
which the streak of lightning arises.
Suvarna Hamsa Golden Hamsa, the expansive power of
the Sun and the heart, Surya Hamsa, represented by the bija
mantra Hrim.
Shveta Hamsa White Hamsa, the expansive power of the
Moon, the Soma Hamsa, represented by the bija mantra
Shrim.
Rakta Hamsa Red Hamsa, the ascending force of
Fire, Agni Hamsa, represented by the bija mantra
Hum.
These di erent t ypes of Hamsas are
manifestation of the same Hamsa that is the soul in all of
its manifestations. The supreme Hamsa is the liberates
soul that is all the Hamsas or all forms of manifestation.
Hamsa Yoga: Shiva Hamsa Mantras

Hamsa as the sounds of Prana combines mantra and
Prana in various forms of Hamsa Yoga. Hamsa mantras
serve to awaken the inner consciousness and aid the
soul in its ascension to Divinity. They are perhaps
unparalleled in this regard. They are commonly used
Light of the Vedas
BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF VEDIC STUDIES
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 I SSUE
VOLUME 8 | I SSUE 26
PAGE 3
w. |ee| /e.a te |.. t|. a.. ..t|.t.. v.a.. .ae a..
e. e. . te|e. c.., e..-.a |, u....,. s....t.
:e.. |e ...t t|. t...|. .a 1... e/ v..a...
u...a t.|., .a :e.. s|.||... u... t|e.| t|. .....
tt.t.t. e/ v.a.. st.a.. s.t. t. ts.
v.at. ve, r. :.t.i eeei. e; :ii ve,t. ut..tjit..
November 28-29-30, 2014 at Col ogne, Germany
With va. uta ri., and ve,tt sitit u.t
x.i :: a+, ao:s (: n.it, t,ii.)
wtii va. si.it o ve,tt sitit
:, . a, , e. , i , i at
i. ii. ve,t. :i e; i. n.it,
w. |ee| /e.a te e. ;e.., .te t|. ....t v.a.. t.a.t.e e/
|e|.a. . t|. |e|.t.. ...e e/ .,...a.. e. e/ t|.
/e.et .,...a.. . ..t. . se.t|. ta.. t.., .a|.|.
,..t..| ..|.; . ..|.|.t. t|. .....e.. e/ u... s|.|t. t|.
:et|. ceaa. .a s|... :.|.|... .|| .|.| e . a....
...... |.. t|. a... s|.|t. 1.t. .a .,...a. t...|.
1. a.... ||.. e/ t|. u... ,:et|. ceaa.; .t.. .t..
.a ... . /e t|. ,..t..t..| ||. .... .a t.|| ..| e/
tea s|...
1. .t..t e. . e. te ...,e. |et| t.a.t |e ..
/..|.. .t| .,...a. .a et.a.t |e .| te .e.. t|..
|./.t,|. . ,e.. ., .,.:e. s|.|t. ..a. . . .|e. .a
a...|e. . .e.| |./.t,|. /e ..t. |..|t| ..t.|.t, .a |.e,
.|.. e. u..t :.a .a eea, .t| :et|. :.t.. .a |.
.|.. ..e
t..... t|. 1.a... :e. s|.|t. e/ e./.| s|... c s|.|t. |... .
se.t|. ta.. t|.|. ta.. r..s|.|t. t|e.| ...a .a t|e.|t
e.e|. ..t..| t.a.t.e . ..| .a .|. ,t.. ta.. 1.
.|.|..t. ...... e/ :e. ... .a .a.t.t.e ..at t|. ,t..
...e e/ :.|.|.|... a. . .te .et|. e|a e/ |.e,
1.|. . t|. .et... t...|. e/ s. ..e|.ae . rea..|., ...t
t|. ,t... . |. |...t./.| e. s...t. t t|. ....t v.a.. t.t
s|.a. r... 1......|.. . .t.e.a . t|. et ...a s|...
t|.. e |... e/ a.|.. w. .|| .t.|. . t|. ...a .,. .a
.a.t.t.e .t t|. ... .|. t..... t|. e./.| .|
/.|||. /e e/ :. u.. .t s. t|..a.|.. 1.|. . :,e.
.a t|. a.|. e/ :.a. t|. ,t.. ..|..|. e/ s|... :.|.|... 1..
.. |..t.a .. /e t|.. e. e |... .. te |ee| ,e. ...
r| .. . ... | :e. . s|.||... |./ e. .. t.. / e t|.
e.,e..|.||...,.e|.e
PAGE 4
Light of the Vedas
BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF VEDIC STUDIES
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 I SSUE
VOLUME 8 | I SSUE 26
VEDIC YOGA
Light of the Vedas
BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF VEDIC STUDIES
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014 I SSUE
VOLUME 8 | I SSUE 26
This is one of the rst and most detailed books ever published in
the West on the ancient Vedic origins of Classical Yoga,
including all aspects of Yoga philosophy and practice. The book
reveals secrets of the Vedic Yoga from the teachings of great
modern Vedic teachers including Sri Aurobindo, Kavyakantha
Ganapati Muni, Brahmarshi Daivarat, and Swami Veda
Bharati, as well as Vamadevas own insights. It challenges
popular ideas of the meaning of Yoga and brings Yoga back to
the mantras of the ancient Himalayan Rishis. It explores the
Yogas of Knowledge and Devotion, along with Raja and Hatha
Yogas, with a special emphasis on Mantra Yoga.
Vedic Yoga is the latest of twenty books in Vamadevas series of
Lotus Press publications on dierent elds of Vedic knowledge.
The book contains a special chapter from Swami Veda Bharati,
who has also wrien the Foreword.
The Path of the Rishi
Latest Book by Acharya David Frawley
This profound and intricate book from a great Vedic
master can serve as a guide to total well-being and
complete enlightenment.
Dr. Deepak Chopra
David Frawley is one of the most important voices in the
ongoing transmission of Vedic knowledge that has already
transformed the spiritual landscape of the West. This book
is a sparkling gem in his necklace of trenchant
commentaries; it will doubtless leave a profound and
enduring mark on religious history.
Philip Goldberg
Author American Veda
Vedic Yoga: The Path of the Rishi is a masterful book that
takes the reader back to the earliest original sources of the
Yoga tradition and in the process presents unexpected
pathways of understanding and self-examination.
Subhash Kak,
Regents Professor at Oklahoma State University
and author of Mind and Self
Vedic Yoga is a treasure for every serious practitioner of
Yoga. With profound insight, Acharya Vamadeva (Dr.
Frawley) reveals the practical yogic secrets hidden within
the symbolism of the Vedas.
Gyandev McCord,
Author of Spiritual Yoga
Co-founder of Yoga Alliance
In this new book on Vedic Yoga, Charya Vamadeva Shastri
(David Frawley), a Vedic Rishi in his own right, not only
enhances our understanding of the classical paths of Yoga,
but also opens us to inspring hopeful possibilities for a new
human consciousness.
Swami Sitaramananda
Acharya, International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta