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Sri HayagrIva SthOthram : Part X -Third SlOkam , First Paadham

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Sadagopan • August 25, 2000 


NamO NaarAyaNAya 
Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Dear BhakthAs:

In today's posting , we will cover the meaning of 
the first Paadham of the third slOkam of Sri HayagrIva 
SthOthram:

SamAhAra: SaamnAm prathipadham-ruchAm dhAma yajushAm
  laya: prathyUhAnAm laharivithathir-BhOdhajaladhE:
kaTA-dharpa-kshubhyath-kaTaka-kula kOlAhala-bhavam
  harathu anthar-dhvAntham Hayavadhana hEshA hala-hala:

(meaning): The Hala-Hala sounds in the form of 
neighings emanating from the divine throat of
Sri HayagrIvan , the Horse-faced Lord , are 
the aggregate of Saama VedA mantrAs , 
the word for word meanings of the Rg vedA (Rks) 
and the abode of Yajur VedA manthrams .These 
Hala-Hala nadhams are the destroyers of all
obstacles to true Jn~Anam about ChEthana-
AchEthana-Isvara tatthvams ; these Hala-Hala sounds 
are like the movement of the waves from the ocean of 
true knowledge (Jn~Anam). May these sunAdhams
chase away the inner darkness (ajn~nam) arising
from the uproar (loud and confusing noise) of debaters 
whose minds are  driven by their own pride ,
arrogance and viparItha Jn~Anam .

Sri HayagrIvan's neighing sounds are 
in the form of the tree of Saama Vedam 
(Saamans) with its thousand branches(SaakhAs).
They stand in for the meanings of Rg Veda 
manthrams (Rks).They contain the essence of 
Yajur Veda Manthrams.They destroy all obstacles 
that stand in the way of acquisition of para 
and apara vidhyais;they appear like the never-ceasing 
waves from the ocean of true Jn~Anam. Thus ,
these sunAdhams associated with Sri HayagrIvan 
are the integrated essence of the three
Vedams ; they remove the obstacles towards gaining 
adhyAthmika vidhyai (true spiritual knowledge); 
they kindle the wick of the dheepam of knowledge 
and makes it shine bright to illumine our path towards
mOksham ; they destroy the clever and fallacious
arguments of the debaters from avaidhika-mathams 
(Mathams that reject Vedams as PramANams)and kudhrushti-
mathams ( philosophies that distort the true meaning of
the Vedams) ;they( the sacred sounds of hala-hala) 
rescue the gullible from the delusions caused by 
the loud and spirited argumnets advanced by
the proponents of avaidhika and Kudhrushti mathams 
in favor of their illusory doctrines ; May the sacred 
sound of the neighings of Sri HayagrIva BhagavAN 
banish forever the dark clouds of ajn~Anam 
clouding our cognition of the true tatthvams and liberate
us from the cycles of births  and deaths (SamsAram)!

The third slOkam contains a section of 
Sri HayagrIva manthram and hence it is very 
sacred. Out of his infinite DayA , Swami
Desikan housed the manthrams inside the different
sections of his sthuthis addressed to Sri HayagrIvan ,
Sri Raaja GopAlan , Sri Devi and Garuda BhagavAn .This 
was done for helping the aasthikAs , who did not have 
the benefit of ManthrOpadEsam through an AchAryan .
The mere reciting of these sthOthrams would then
yield the fruits of manthrOpadEsam directly from
Sri NigamAntha MahA desikan . Of all the sthOthrams,
Si HayagrIva sthOthram is the most important one
for every one to learn and recite . Sri HayagrIva
BhagavAn is adhi Moorthy and has been recognized 
as the One with "Manthra Mayam SarIram ". All manthrams
are embedded in Him . He is thus the treasure house of
all Veda Manthrams and upAsana manthrams for gaining
this-worldly and other-worldly gains.

In the second slOkam , Swamy Desikan mentioned 
for the first time , the power of the hala-Hala
Sabdham : " anathai: thrayyanthai: anuvihitha hEshA 
Hala-halam hatha asEsha avadhyam". Here ,Swamy
Desikan elaborates on the unique significance of
the hala-hala sabdham emanating from the throat 
of the Horse-faced Lord , Sri HayagrIvan.

He provides extended commentary on the "ananthai:
thrayyanthi:( Limitless three Veda SaakhAs)first "
in the first paadham of the third slOkam .

SaamnAm SamAhAra:
******************
SamAhAra: means the assemblage, an aggregation.
a compendium. "SaamAnAm SamAhAra:" means then
the assembly of the entire 1875 verses of
Saama Vedam with its three parts(pUrva Aarchika,
Uttara Aarchika ,and MahA-Naamni AarchikAa saamans).
 
These Hala-Hala dhvani is recognized as 
the rustle of the assembly of the thousand-branched Saama 
Veda tree. Thus not only the samhithA portion of
Saama Vedam but the thousand shAkhAs ( recensions or
branches )are referred to here .

GeethAchAryan has declared that He is 
in the form of Saama Vedam among the VedAs 
(vedAnAm Saama VedOsmi)to celebrate its supermacy 
among the VedAs. That is why , Swamy Desikan
starts with the Saama Veda SvarUpam of
Sri HayagrIvan sitting in front of him 
at ThiruvhaIndhrapuram .

The neighings of HayagrIva Moorthy is in
the form of Saama GhAnam covering all 
the saamans (manthrams) in all its forms.
The Rig Vedam deals with Jn~Anam , the Saama vedam 
with UpAsanA , worship and contemplation and
Yajur Vedam with kriyA/KarmA or the observance of
Vedic rites . Although Rg Vedam is the "parent ",
Swamy Desikan mentions Saama Vedam first 
because of manthra siddhi that he attained from 
Sri HayagrIva manthra Upaasanai . 

The tradional hierarchy among the VedAs is Rg, Yajus 
and Saamam .Most of the Saama veda ManthrAs are rks 
from Rg Vedam set to music. It is generally 
believed that Saama vedam has only 75 verses of its
own and the remaining 1,800 Saamans are from the different 
cantos of the Rg Vedam . The same Rk in Rg Vedam 
deals with knowledge and the identical Rk(Saaman)
in saama Vedam deals with prayer and worship (AarAdhanam)
to a devatA , whose antharyAmi is Sri Lakshmi HayagrIvan,
the Sarva VidhyA Moorthy .

RuchAm Prathipadham
*********************

Swamy Desikan salutes Rg Vedam next and shows
us its links to the body ( Hala-Hala Sabdham ) 
of Lord HayagrIvan."RuchAm " refers to Rg veda
Rks(manthrams).As we mentioned earlier, the prefix
"Prathi" , when going before a noun means " likeness,
or resemblence or equality".  "Prathi-padham means then 
" every where or in every word". The word group 
"RuchAm Prathipadham " chosen by Swami Desikan 
points out that the Hala-Hala Naadham of Sri HayagrIvan
is the sum of the meanings of every word of
Rg Veda Manthrams. Viewed in the context of
the aphoristic statement , "The Veda itself is the secret 
of VedAs", One can understand that the VedAs in general 
and the Rg Vedam linked with Jn~Anam in particular 
deals with Rutham ( Truth),dhee ( Thought or understanding 
or comprehension) ,rAyE (spiritual felicity) , 
Vaaja ( Homogeneous totality of thought ), ghrutha ( mind ), 
asva (vital energy ) and amrutham ( sath-chith-aanandham). 
It is intersting to note the important connection between
two tathvams mentioned above , "Vaaja and Aasvam " with
the two sacred names of Sri HayagRivan: " Vaaji- Vakthran
and MahA asva siras ".

DhAma YajushAm
***************

Sri HayagrIvan houses the essence of the meanings of 
all Yajyur Veda Manthrams dealing with karma-
KaaNDam. That is why He is saluted by Sri HayagrIva
Sahasra Naamam at three places as:

" Padham kriyA kaaraksccha nipAthO Gathiravyaya:"

" Sarva karma SamArAdhya: Sarva VedamayO Vibhu:"

" Niranthara namOvAka suddhayAji hrudhayAsraya:"

There are 1984 manthrams in Yajur vedam . 

The Param-dhAman , Sri Lakshmi Haygrivan is
the dhaman for the Yajur Vedam (YajushAM dhaama:).
"Dhaman" means abode or house . DhAman also means 
a majestic lustre .Dhama ChaDh is the Vedic
name for Agni , which is central to Yaagams and
Yaj~nams. Invocation of the  word "DhAman " in
"DhAma yajushAm " is very revealing in that 
the Lord , who accepts all Veda Havis in Yaj~nams, 
the antharyAmi Brahman of Agni ,is invoked here. 

adiyen will take up the meaning of the second paadham ,
" Laya: PrathyUhAnAm laharivithathi BhOdhajalatE :"
in the next posting .

Sri Lakshmi HayagrIva ParabrahamNe nama: 
Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Satakopan 
   
   
 

   
  



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           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
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