Paramahamsa

This story actually happened to me as a darshan, as a vision, as an experience. It is from this that I created our institution's emblem. If you see our emblem, you will see the Paramahamsa bird in it. The Paramahamsa is our emblem. I had a beautiful vision or experience, from which I created the emblem. Ramakrishna speaks about the great Swans - the Paramahamsas. These great Swans are actually enlightened Masters who take a bird body just to go around and see their territory! They are metaphysical birds, seen only through enlightened eyes or by people who are living in the higher zone of consciousness. Of course, only if you are enlightened, you will be able to stay in the higher consciousness! The Paramahamsa never comes down to planet Earth. It just flies high in the sky, enjoying and expressing its freedom and expressing its own bliss. Sometimes it descends in height and flies closer to Earth. (His) Story of Paramahamsa The Paramahamsa lays its egg while it is in the air. Within forty percent distance of touching the ground, the egg will hatch. Within sixty percent distance, the young one will emerge and grow wings. Before touching the ground, within ninety percent distance, the young one will just take off and fly back into the air. It will never touch the ground! It will never touch planet Earth. These are called the Paramahamsas - the supreme Swans who are untouched by worldly matters and who represent enlightened consciousness since birth.

The Swan is flying high in the sky. When the reflection of the Swan falls on lakes or the ocean or a river, when the reflection falls on the water, all the fish (representation of man or the individual consciousness) in the water start jumping, 'Oh, some new fish has come! Some big fish has come!' They all start jumping on the reflection and play with it. The very sight of the reflection fills them with joy. Some fish will jump this way, and some fish will jump that way. Some fish will think, 'What a beautiful fish, what a wonderful fish this is,' and they will be jumping this way and that. Some fish will start calling the other fish, 'Hey come quickly, come and see this beautiful fish, this pretty fish!' (His) Story of Paramahamsa The Supreme Swan flies over the lake (His) Story of Paramahamsa Fish jump over the Swan's reflection thinking it is a new type of fish Some fish will even put a fence around the reflection and declare, 'Only we can go near this fish!' Some fish who jump towards the reflection will feel that the fish is hugging them. They will go back and write reminiscences, 'Oh! This fish is so great, so loving, radiating compassion; what amazing love and compassion!' Some other fish start purchasing neighboring land, real estate, thinking the Swan may come there. Some other fish claim, 'I am the brother of the Swan', 'I am the son of the Swan', 'I am the beloved of the Swan.' The whole drama happens! Some fish who jump a little away from the reflection will feel as if the Swan is kicking them out, as if the reflection is kicking them out. They will go out and say, 'No! This fish is arrogant. He is not as loving as what these other fish have told me. In books I read that it was very loving and compassionate. I went there and the swan kicked me out. It is not as compassionate as what these fish say.' If the water is calm, the fish see one kind of reflection of the Swan. If the water is turbulent, they see yet another form of the Swan. When they move with the water, they see yet another form of the Swan. They argue with each other, claiming that what each one sees is the real Swan, all by looking at the reflection! Each different perception of the reflection is held on to by either individual fish or groups of fish. The Swan just keeps flying, and the fish just keep arguing. When they do not see the swan's reflection, the fish have no recollection of the reflection that had filled them with joy just a while ago. Their memories are short and they are back to their eating, mating, fighting and dying! Suddenly the Swan starts flying over land. The reflection which was appearing on the water suddenly disappears! Immediately all the fish start crying, 'What happened? Our Swan has disappeared! What happened to our Swan?' But they never understand that the Swan never landed on planet Earth in the first place to disappear now! Different types of fish come around the reflection. There are some fish who are very busy, just jumping this way and that way. And when these fish jump this way and that way, the reflection starts moving because of the ripples created by the fish. And these fish think that the Swan is moving. The fish cannot distinguish between the reflection and the source. They are too excited about the 'big fish' in the water. Some fish feel they are even getting enlightened. They feel that the closer they are to the reflection, the faster they will get enlightened! Of course, wherever the reflection falls, automatically, ashrams and communities and temples just stand up! You don't even have to do anything; they will just stand up! If the reflection falls on Malaysia, (His) Story of Paramahamsa Fish try to capture the Swan in various frames all the Malaysian fish will gather and the temple will be built! If it falls on Los Angeles, all the Los Angeles fish will gather and the temple will be built! If the reflection falls on Bangalore, all the Bangalore fish will gather and the temple will be built! If the reflection falls on some other country or city, all the fish will gather and naturally, the ashram will be built! Suddenly the Swan starts flying over land. The reflection which was appearing on the water suddenly disappears! Immediately all the fish start crying, 'What happened? Our Swan has disappeared! What happened to our Swan?' Some of the fish start cursing the Swan, 'What is this? Believing this Swan, we built such a beautiful house and raised all the real estate around this building. Now each building will go for five lakhs!' Yet, the Swan flies on blissfully untouched by the drama that is going on with the fish. The fish never understand that the Swan never landed on planet Earth in the first place to disappear now! The whole thing is just a drama! In the same way, in your life too, you have started thinking that you have a soul. Of course, you have a soul, but that soul is entirely different from whatever you understand as your soul. It is just like your misunderstanding of the Swan's reflection. But based on your own understanding, you start protecting yourself and creating a fence around you. You create a house, family, relations, social security and wealth, then decide, 'Oh! I need spiritual growth also.' Then you go to some Guru and start searching for spirituality also. But you forget that the very Swan has not happened! There is no Swan in what you are seeing. You are just playing with the reflection. The problem is, the reflection itself is so graceful, so beautiful, that most of the fish have no motivation to look up! The fish are quite happy building walls and fences in the water, with the belief that they possess the Swan. But there are some intelligent fish who think, 'No! This does not seem to be a fish. This seems to be something else.' Some intelligent fish will suddenly think this way. These fish are what we call devotees! There are some other very few but more intelligent fish. They will see the reflection and say, 'No, it is not even something else, it is just a reflection of something!' And they will look up...and see the Swan flying! These are the disciples! Understand? There are many levels of fish. There are fish that will jump this way, towards the reflection and feel that the reflection is hugging them. They will feel that He is very loving, caring and compassionate. They will go back and write reminiscences. This is one level. Or they will make a website for Him, or they will write a book for Him. There are some fish that will jump the other way, away from the reflection and say, 'No; that fish kicked me out. It is not loving or compassionate.' This is one group of fish. Some rare, intelligent fish will look and say, 'No! This is not even a fish like us. It is something else...' You see, there is a beautiful sloka (verse) - in the Bhagavad Gita1 which says, whoever thinks that the Guru is a better human being has abused the Divine Presence. The Guru is not a better human being; he is completely disconnected from this very idea of human being! He is a different species altogether! So only a few intelligent fish get an idea, 'No! He is not a better fish or a big fish or anything. He is not even the same species which we think we are. The very quality, the very idea is totally different.' Those people who feel this, who are fortunate enough to have this 'click' start becoming devotees!

(His) Story of Paramahamsa