Hayagriva
Encyclopedia
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
.
Hinduism
In HinduismHinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, Hayagriva is also considered an Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
. He is worshipped as the God of knowledge
Knowledge
Knowledge is a familiarity with someone or something unknown, which can include information, facts, descriptions, or skills acquired through experience or education. It can refer to the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject...
and wisdom
Wisdom
Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgements and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires control of one's emotional reactions so that universal principles, reason and...
, with a human body and a horse's head, brilliant white in color
White horse (mythology)
White horses have a special significance in the mythologies of cultures around the world. They are often associated with the sun chariot, with warrior-heroes, with fertility , or with an end-of-time saviour, but other interpretations exist as well...
, with white garments and seated on a white lotus
Nelumbo nucifera
Nelumbo nucifera, known by a number of names including Indian Lotus, Sacred Lotus, Bean of India, or simply Lotus, is a plant in the monogeneric family Nelumbonaceae...
. Symbolically, the story represents the triumph of pure knowledge, guided by the hand of God, over the demonic forces of passion and darkness.
Hayagriva is a very important deity in the Vaishnava tradition. His blessings are sought when beginning study of both sacred and secular subjects. Special worship is conducted on the day of the full moon in August (Sravana-Paurnami) (his avatara-dina) and on Mahanavami, the ninth day of the Navaratri festival. He is also hailed as "Hayasirsa". HayaSirsa means haya=Horse, Sirsa=Head.
GyanAnanda-mayam devam nirmala-sphaTikAkRtim
AdhAram sarvavidyAnAm hayagrIvam upAsmahe!
This verse is originally from the Pancaratra Agamas but is now popularly prefixed to the Hayagriva Stotram of the 13th century poet-philosopher Vedanta Desika
Vedanta Desika
Vedanta Desika was a Sri Vaishnava Guru. He was a poet, devotee, philosopher and master-teacher...
. It is very popular among devotees of Hayagriva.
Hindu iconography
Vedanta DesikaVedanta Desika
Vedanta Desika was a Sri Vaishnava Guru. He was a poet, devotee, philosopher and master-teacher...
's dhyana-sloka (meditative verse) on Hayagriva typifies this deity's depiction in Hindu iconography:
He has four lotus hands, with one in the mode of bestowing knowledge;
another holds books of wisdom, and the other two hold the Conch and Discus.
His beauty, like fresh cut crystal, is an auspicious brilliance that never decays.
May this Lord of speech who showers such cooling rays of grace
on me be forever manifest in my heart!
In the Mahāvairocana-sutra [Sutra of the Great Sun] translated and copied in 1796 by I-hsing it says:
“Beneath the buddhas is Hayagriva. His body is the color of the sun at dawn. He wears flaming effulgence and skulls as a garland. His nails are long and sharp; his face shows a pair of bare tiger’s fangs. His hair is that of a burning lion’s mane. He is awesomely powerful and fierce! This is the fierce Vidyaraja [wrathful vehicle] of the Lotus section. He is just like a horse-jewel of a Cakravartin that wanders the four continents, nowhere and never does he rest, having all the great and terrible force of all the buddhas’. This is his nature, and therefore he possesses this terrible and all-mighty light. Amidst the greatest obstacles of death and evil he is without the slightest care for his own welfare, his conspicuous and uncommon gallantry, intrepidity, and wrath is legendary among the gods, and therefore he easily and quickly vanquishes all who oppose him! Many others submit to him at first sight! This is because though he is fierce and terrible; his heart is full of compassion (unbiased, dispassionate understanding).”
-- Hayagriva Stotram, v.32
Later on Hayagriva is referred to as the “Horse necked one”, Defender of faith”, the “Terrible executioner”, the “Excellent Horse”, and the “Aerial horse”.
This said, the Horse god is seen as pulling the sun up to the heavens every day, bringing light to darkness. Hayagriva’s consort is Marici (Marishi-Ten/摩利支天) and or Lakshmi
Lakshmi
Lakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments...
(possibly an avatar of Marici or Kan'non), the goddess of the rising sun, more accurately the sun’s light which is the life force of all things, and which is seen as the female [in, yin] aspect of Hayagriva. This relationship is the classic nonduality of the Hindu tantra. Marici represents the essence of the power of creation of the cosmos, and is the in/yin half of Dainichi Nyôrai. Whereas Hayagriva represents the other yang/yô aspect, that of the of the manifestation of the power of yin/in as action. In other words, Hayagriva represents the manifestaion of yin/in as the power and action of the cosmos manifested as action. This is the very definition of tantra, that of action.
In several other sources he is a white horse who pulls the sun into the sky every morning. In others such as the great epic Tārakā-battle where the gods are fallen on and attacked by the dānava’s [demons], Vishnu appears as great ferocious warrior called Hayagriva when he comes to their aid. It says;
“Hayagriva appears in his chariot, drawn by 1,000 powerful steeds, crushing the enemies of the gods beneath him!”
There are many other references to Hayagriva throughout the Mahābhārata. It is said that Vishnu comes from battle as a conqueror in the magnificent mystic from of the great and terrible Hayagriva;
“The great Hayagriva having been praised in this way by the different saints and ascetics, assumes a great white horses head. The verda’s [mantras] made up his shape, his body built of all the great gods; in the middle of his head was Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, in his heart was Bhramā [god of heaven]; the rays of sun (Marici
Marici
Marici may refer to:*Marici , a Ligurian people of Gallia Transpadana*Sanskrit term for the solar deity known in Japanese as Marishi-Ten*Marichi, masculine Sanskrit term for one of the Saptarshis...
) were his mane, the sun and moon his eyes; the Vashu’s and Sādhya’s were his legs, in all his bones were the gods. Agni
Agni
Agni is a Hindu deity, one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices. The sacrifices made to Agni go to the deities because Agni is a messenger from and to the other gods...
[Ka-ten; god of fire] was his tongue, the goddess Satya
Satya
Satya is a Sanskrit word that loosely translates into English as "truth" or "correct". It is a term of power due to its purity and meaning and has become the emblem of many peaceful social movements, particularly those centered on social justice, environmentalism and vegetarianism.Sathya is also...
his speech, while his knees were formed by the Maruts
Maruts
In Hinduism the Marutas , also known as the Marutagana and sometimes identified with Rudras, are storm deities and sons of Rudra and Diti and attendants of Indra. The number of Maruts varies from two to sixty . They are very violent and aggressive, described as armed with golden weapons i.e...
and Varuna
Varuna
In Vedic religion, Varuna is a god of the sky, of water and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld...
. Having assumed this form, a awesome wonder to behold to the gods, he vanquished the asura, and cast them down, with eyes that were red with anger.”
Invariably, Hayagriva is depicted seated, most often with his right hand either blessing the supplicant or in the vyaakhyaa mudraa pose of teaching. The right hand also usually holds a aksha-maalaa (rosary), indicating his identification with meditative knowledge. His left holds a book, indicating his role as a teacher. His face is always serene and peaceful, if not smiling. Unlike his Buddhist counterpart, there is no hint of a fearsome side in the Hindu description of this deity. Indeed, the two deities seem to be totally unrelated to one another.
Hayagriva is sometimes worshipped in a solitary pose of meditation, as in the Thiruvanthipuram
Thiruvanthipuram
Thiruvanthipuram Kovil is a Vaishanva Hindu Temple in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu in South India. The primary deity here is Lord Vishnu in the form Devanatha Swami. The koil is among the 108 Divya Desams, the holy abodes of Lord Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, it is mentioned...
temple. This form is known as Yoga-Hayagriva. However, he is most commonly worshipped along with his consort Lakshmi and is known as Lakshmi-Hayagriva. Hayagriva in this form is the presiding deity of Mysore's Parakala Mutt
Parakala Mutt
The Bramhatantra Parakala Mutt is an ancient Hindu Monastic order established in South India. It was the first monastery of the Sri Vaishnava sect of Brahmin Hindu society....
, a significant Srivaishnava monastic institution.
In Sakta mythology
In the Sakta tradition of Hinduism, Hayagriva occupies a different role. Here, a demon named Hayagriva first appears as son of Kashyapa Prajapati. Through great penance the demon managed to obtain a boon from the Goddess DurgaDurga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
that he can only be killed by another "Hayagriva". This instilled a sense of invincibility and he started harassing the Deva
Deva (Hinduism)
' is the Sanskrit word for god or deity, its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural beings. The devs in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers. Devs are also the maintainers of...
s. The Devas turned to Vishnu for aid, but despite a long struggle he was also unable to kill Hayagriva.
Tired and drained after the battle, Vishnu proceeded to Vaikuntha Dham to rejuvenate and meditate in padamaasna (a yoga posture) with his head supported by the upper end of his taut bow. The Devas once again approached Vishnu for help against Hayagriva but were unable to rouse him from his meditation. The Devas asked a swarm of termites to assist in waking Vishnu by gnawing away the string of the bow upon which he was resting. However, the snapping of the bow string produced such a resonant sound that the universe trembled, and the broken string lashed out with such force that Vishnu's head was severed from his body.
The Devas were mortified, and prayed to the goddess Durga for guidance. Durga was pleased with their prayers and told the Devas that they need not fear, as no incident in this universe was without some purpose. She then told them of her boon to Hayagriva and asked them to attach the head of a horse to Vishnu so that he in the guise of "Hayagriva" (that is, one with a horse's neck) could kill his foe.
Brahma attached the head of a white horse to Vishnu's body and the revived Vishnu entered into battle with Hayagriva and eventually killed him.
Another legend has it that during the creation, the demons Madhu and Kaitabha stole the Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
from Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
, and Vishnu then took the Hayagriva form to recover them. The two bodies of Madhu and Kaitabh disintegrated into 2 times 6 — which is twelve pieces (two heads, two torsos, four arms and four legs). These are considered to represent the twelve seismic plates of the Earth. Yet another legend has it that during the creation, Vishnu compiled the Vedas in the Hayagriva form.
Some consider Hayagriva to be one of the Dashavatars of Vishnu. He along with Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
, Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
and Narasimha
Narasimha
Narasimha or Nrusimha , also spelt as Narasingh and Narasingha, whose name literally translates from Sanskrit as "Man-lion", is an avatar of Vishnu described in the Puranas, Upanishads and other ancient religious texts of Hinduism...
is considered to be an important avatar of Vishnu.
Lord Hayagreev's Sannithanam is there in Srirangam Temple. Hayagreev in Srirangam is very famous for childrens education. The sannithanam is very beautiful and all rituals done according to vedic principles very strictly.
Hayagriva Mahatmyam
A great devotee named Sri VadirajatirthaVadirajatirtha
Sri Vadirajatirtha , traditionally 1480 - 1600, a Haridasa, is said to have been a Shivalli Tulu Brahmin and native of the village of Hoovinakere, near Kumbhashi in Kundapura taluk, Udupi District in Karnataka state...
of Udupi Sri Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
Mutt used to offer cooked horse gram (Kollu) to Lord Hayagriva. He used to recite the Hayagriva Sloka and keep the offerings on his head. Lord Hayagriva would come as a beautiful white horse form and would eat the horse gram. As a very staunch devotee, Vadirajatirtha would recite the following sloka
Sloka
Sloka may refer to:* Sloka, Latvia, a neighbourhood of Jūrmala, Latvia* Sloka meter, a Sanskrit meter* Śloka, a Hindu prayer* Sloka Gora, a small settlement in central Slovenia* Sloka...
-
Na HayagrivAth Param Asthi MangaLam
Na HayagrivAth Param Asthi Paavanam
Na HayagrivAth Param Asthi Dhaivatham
Na Hayagrivam Pranipathya Seedhathi!
There is no auspiciousness greater than Hayagrivan.
Nothing is more sacred than Sri Hayagrivan to destroy our accumulated sins.
No other God is superior to Hayagrivan.
No one grieves after performing Saranagathi
Saranagati
Saranagati or Prapatti , in the devotional school of Hindu denominations known as Vaishnavism, is the process of total surrender to God...
at the sacred feet of Hayagrivan.
Haygriva is listed as one of the ten incarnations of Vishnu in Canto 10 (skandh 10), chapter 40 of the Srimadbhagawatam, and Akrur
Sri Akrurji
Akrura was a chief of the Yadavas, an ancient people of India, and a descendant of the Vrishni kula . He is worshipped as Shri Akrurji Maharaj by the present-day Varshney community and is also known as Babrhu....
's prayer contains Hayagriva's name when he had a vision while bathing in Yamuna
Yamuna
The Yamuna is the largest tributary river of the Ganges in northern India...
.
There is a story that more than 500 years ago, a devotee from the Daivajnya Brahmin community was casting an idol of Lord Ganapathi, when it shaped itself in the image of Lord Hayagreeva. Sarvabhowma Sri Vadiraja Guru Swamiji had a dream about this legend which inspired him to approach that devotee and take the idol from him in reverence. He then installed it in Shri Sode Vadiraja Mutt. Since then it has been worshipped there as the originating god of the Daivajnya Brahmin community.
To this day, the members of the community who were instructed in Dwaitha philosophy and received into the fold as special Shishyas by Sri Vadiraja Teertha continue to make offerings to the Mutt and Lord Hayagriva.
Thus Daivajnya Brahmins follow Vaishnav Sampradaya in Sandyavandana and Shodash Sanskar by applying the sacred Gopichandana with great divine authority and also the shankha, chakra, gadha, Padma and Narayana Mudra of Madhwa’s Dwaitha fold.
However for good results, it is advised to avoid any kind of non vegetarian food habits.
Gnana Nanda Mayam Devam Nirmala Spatika Hridhim |
Aadharam Sarva Vidhyanaam Hayagreevam Upasmahe ||