Legendary Birds Codexery

Hamsa (bird)

Migratory bird symbolizing wisdom and spiritual discrimination.

Its image appears as a spiritual symbol and decorative element in Indian and Southeast Asian culture.[1] Ancient Sanskrit texts mention an aquatic migratory bird called the hamsa, which scholars have variously identified as a goose, swan, or flamingo according to Jones (2005), Monier-Williams (2001), and Cush (2007).[1] Brahma, Gayatri, Saraswati, and Vishvakarma each have the hamsa as their vahana (vehicle) in Hindu iconography, as noted by Cush (2007).[2]

Quick Facts

Type
Migratory aquatic bird
Sanskrit name
Haṃsa (हंस)
Possible identifications
  • Goose
  • swan
  • flamingo
Cultural role
  • Spiritual symbol
  • decorative element
  • vahana in Hindu iconography
Associated deities
  • Brahma
  • Gayatri
  • Saraswati
  • Vishvakarma
Mythical ability
Separate milk from water or good from evil

Facts from the source article.

Biology and range

In 1952, Jean Vogel questioned if hamsa is a swan, noting that Dutch ornithologists reported swans were rare in modern India while bar-headed geese were common.[3] British ornithologist Peter Scott's 1957 Key to the Wildfowl of the World states northwestern India is a winter migration home for mute swans.[4] KN Dave stated that according to Hume, swans do not occur anywhere within Indian limits outside the Himalayas except in the extreme North-West.[5] The hymns of the Rigveda, Hindu epics, and Puranas mention a variety of birds with the root hamsa, such as Maha-hamsa, Raj-hamsa, and Kal-hamsa.[6]

Monier Williams, a professor of Asian languages, defined the Sanskrit term as "a goose, gander, swan, flamingo (or other aquatic bird, considered as a bird of passage)."[7] Based on details in Sanskrit texts about plumage changes, calls, migratory habits, courtship rituals, and flying patterns, these birds should be classified as members of the Anatidae family (swans, geese, or ducks).[6]

What the specialist sources record

KN Dave's 2005 book "Birds in Sanskrit Literature" provides specific examples where "hamsa" should be interpreted as "swan," including Rigveda hymns 1.163, 3.8, 4.45, 8.35, and 9.32.[6][8] Dave (2005) notes that some Sanskrit texts differentiate between "hamsa" (which he identifies as a swan) and "kadamb" (which he identifies as a bar-headed goose).[9][8] In his 1979 Azad Memorial Lecture, Indian ornithologist Salim Ali explained that Sanskrit bird names were derived from calls, coloration, habits, gait, method of feeding, or other observable traits.[10] Ethno-ornithologists Sonia Tidemann and Andrew Gosler (2012) state that early Indian texts identified hamsa as "swans," and that titles like Raja-hamsa were given to ascetics and holy-men.[11]

Art historian C. Sivaramamurti (1974) states that birds depicted at the Ajanta Caves in the Hamsa Jataka scene, as well as those at Sanchi, resemble swans; the Jataka text itself describes white swans like clouds in a blue sky.[12]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Hamsa (bird)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jones, "Encyclopedia of religion, Volume 13", Macmillan Reference, 2005, p. 8894; Monier-Williams, "हंस, Hamsa", University of Cologne, 2001, p. 1286; Cush, "Encyclopedia of Hinduism", Routledge, 2007, p. 697 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Hamsa (bird)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cush, "Encyclopedia of Hinduism", Routledge, 2007, p. 697 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Hamsa (bird)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Vogel, "The Goose in Indian Literature and Art (Arts & Letters, Vol. XXVII, 1952", E. J. Brill, 1962, p. 1–2; Vogel, "The Goose in Indian Literature and Art (Arts & Letters, Vol. XXVII, 1952", E. J. Brill, 1962, p. 1–2 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Hamsa (bird)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World Paul Johnsgard (2010), University of Nebraska-Lincoln, page 29-31; Peter Scott (1957), Key to the Wildfowl of the World, Collins, Plate II, ,; Grewal, Harvey and Pfister (2003), A Photographic Guide to the Birds of India, Princeton University Press, , page 58; Asad Rahmani and M. Zafar-ul Islam (2009), Ducks, Geese And Swans of India, Oxford University Press and IBCN, , Chapters 5–7 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Hamsa (bird)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: KN Dave (2005), Birds in Sanskrit Literature, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120818422, page 423. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Hamsa (bird)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: KN Dave (2005), Birds in Sanskrit Literature, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120818422, pages 422-447 with footnotes.; KN Dave (2005), Birds in Sanskrit Literature, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120818422, pages 422-447 with footnotes. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Hamsa (bird)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Monier-Williams, "हंस, Hamsa", University of Cologne, 2001, p. 1286 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Open Library record, ISBN 9788120818422 ("Birds in Sanskrit Literature, with 107 Bird Illustrations. Rev ed."). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Hamsa (bird)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: KN Dave (2005), Birds in Sanskrit Literature, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120818422, pages 422-447 with footnotes. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Hamsa (bird)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ali, "Bird study in India: Its history and its importance", ICCR, 1979 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Hamsa (bird)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tidemann, "Ethno-ornithology: Birds, Indigenous Peoples, Culture and Society", Taylor & Francis, 2012, p. 145–146 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Hamsa (bird)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sivaramamurti, "Birds and Animals in Indian Sculpture", National Museum, 1974, p. 62–67, with Figures 64a, 64b, 68 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Hamsa (bird) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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