Sri Parthasarathi Perumal Hamsa vahanam 2026

 

Sri Parthasarathi Perumal Hamsa vahanam 2026

 

Humans have been endlessly fascinated and yet puzzled by the mysterious seasonal emergence and disappearance of birds. Birds are very interesting and affable.  Though one may see some nests, how birds sleep, how do they get their food, how they raise their family, how do they live and stave off their predators are all mysterious.  Birds migrate across continents.  Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting by humans, and is driven primarily by availability of food.   

Migration of species such as storks, turtle doves, and swallows was recorded as many as 3,000 years ago by Ancient Greek authors, including Homer and Aristotle, and in the Book of Job. More recently, Johannes Leche began recording dates of arrivals of spring migrants in Finland in 1749, and modern scientific studies have used techniques including bird ringing and satellite tracking to trace migrants. Threats to migratory birds have grown with habitat destruction especially of stopover and wintering sites, as well as structures such as power lines and wind farms. 

Away, the  world’s oldest known wild bird, a Laysan albatross named Wisdom,  a female Laysan albatross (mōlī)   is at least 75 years old as of 2025. Bandedin Dec 1956, by Chandler Robbins reared what is known to be at least her 40th chick in 2021. The bird hatched the baby on the Midway Atoll in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. The feat aroused interest in the minds of researchers as it has stretched the boundaries of human knowledge of how birds live.  The  septuagenarian seabird has been raising chicks with her mate, named Akeakamai, since at least 2010. Laysan albatross are typically believed to partner up for life, but given Wisdom’s longevity, she had to find several new companions after she outlived her former mates.   

On  third day of   Special Brahmothsavam of Sri Parthasarathi   Emperuman this day (3.5.2026) – it is Garuda vahanam in the morning and  ‘Hamsa Vahanam’ in the evening.  The Thiruvallikkeni Hamsa vahanam is one of the heaviest among the vahanams.  The bird Hamsa  is known for its purity and powers.  Thirumangai Mannan in his ‘Thirunedunthandagam’ draws a reference to the Hamsa bird.  

Milk is a nutrient-rich, white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for infant mammals. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to its young and can reduce the risk of many diseases. It contains many other nutrients  including protein and lactose.  As an agricultural product, dairy milk, is extracted from farm animals.   Human  milk consumption has played a key role in global economic and agricultural developments for over 10,000 years. Given its popularity, cow's milk has been the subject of numerous scientific studies in recent history.  Today with an annual production of 187.75 million tonnes (as per 2018-19 data) India accounts for about 22% of the world’s milk production. India’s journey from a milk deficit country to one of surplus has been momentous. Initiated in 1970, Operation Flood was arguably the world’s most ambitious dairy development programme that transformed India into one of the largest milk producers. India’s milk production rate in the past few decades has, in many ways, been symbolic of the upward trajectory of the country’s economy and influence.  

A lamellae  in cell biology, is used to describe numerous plate or concentric layers or disc-like structures at both a intra-cellular, cellular, tissue and higher level. Granums in chloroplast are interconnected by intergranal lamellae. They are the sites of photosystem I. Simply put, lamellae may be considered as multiple parallel or concentric layers of membranes as in chlorophyll  -  relevance here ?!?  

The hamsa ( हंस)  is an aquatic bird of passage, which  in modern parlance has been  interpreted as the goose, the swan,  or even the flamingo.   In Greek mythology, Zeus king of the Olympian gods takes the form of a swan to seduce a beautiful princess Leda.  In Irish mythology it was said that swans which flew in the sky by day were actually beautiful women at night. They would remove their swan suits and bathe in forest ponds. The Hamsa, vahanam  of Lord Saraswathi  is a familiar leitmotif in Indian art, literature, sculpture and textiles. It is an aquatic bird that resembles a goose or a swan. It is reputed to eat pearls and to be able to separate milk from water and drink only pure milk.  The Hamsa represents the perfect  harmony between spirituality and life.  Hamsam is attributed qualities of  purity, detachment, divine knowledge, cosmic breath (prana) and highest spiritual accomplishment.  

Water birds separate good water from the bad water. They have a sieve like structure (lamellae) in its mouth which separates water from mud. Probably this is what leads to the belief that Swans can separate milk from water and drink only milk, or perhaps they really can. In Sanskrit Ksheera means milk and pure water. Here are some photos of Sri Parthasarathi  Perumal in Hamsa vahanam at Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam. 

~adiyen Srinivasadhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar