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ThErazhundhUr MahAthmyam : Part 9 ( Sri HayagrIvAvathAram )

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • March 13, 1999 


Dear BhakthAs :

In this posting and the subsequent postings ,
we will focus on the ancient avthAram
of Sriman NaarAyaNA as Sri Lakshmi HayagrIvan 
and enjoy Thirumangai's salutations
to this avathAra mUrthy . 

Sri HayagrivAvathAram
**********************
This incarnation was taken by Sriman NaarAyaNA 
to preserve and protect Vedams , Jn~Anam , Vaak 
and AachAram .  As one of the Vyuha MUrthis,
Aniruddhavathara NaarAyaNan created Brahma ,taught
BrahmA VedAs and assigned him duties of creation . 

Two asurAs by the name of Madhu and Kaitabhan stole
the VedAs ,when BrahmA was not alert . After losing 
the VedAs Brahma was like a man , who had lost his eyes 
and cried out to his father , Sriamn NaarAyaNA to help
him regain the VedAs .Without the vedAs , BrahmA was
totally incapacitatd from doing his assigned duties .
Sri HayagrIvan responded to His son's appeals 
and punished the two asurAs and recovered
the stolen VedAs and gave it back to His son , BrahmA .
Sri HayagrIvan instructed BrahmA further with Pravrutthi,
Nivrutthi dharmams and ParamaikAnthi dharmam as the unique
way to perform AarAdhanam for Him to receive His blessings 
of Jn~Ana , Bhakthi and AnushtAnam to prepare one to perform 
prapatthi to Him . He also revealed that Havya -Kavya 
Dharmams are used mainly to worship Him .

The SubhAsrayam of Sri Lakshmi HayagrIvan
******************************************
Sri MahA Laksmi becomes Sri HayagrIvan's
sahadharma chAriNI with the name of Vidhyai 
in this avathAram . She is also known as Vaak 
Devi , since the Lords' other name is VaagIsan . 
With Her mother-in-law's blessings , the wife
of BrahmA -the daughter-in-law- got the name of 
Sarasvathi , Vaag Devi and Bharathi .

In His four arms , Sri HayagrIvan holds Sudarsanam ,
Sankham , a Book and Jn~Ana Mudrai . The disc and 
the conch remind us that He is an avathAram of
Sriman NaarAyaNA . The book and the Jn~Ana mudrai 
reminds us that He confers on the worshippers divya
Jn~Anam and the power of divine speech and pravachana sakthi
associated with our AchAryAs . It was Sri HayagrIvan's
paripUrNa anugraham that elevated Swami Desikan to
the level of a kavi-ThArkika Simham .

The Yoga HayagrIvan received by Swami Desikan 
directly from Garuda BhagavAn is at Swami Desikan 
sannadhi at ThiruvahIndhrapuram .The other Moortham 
of Sri Lakshmi HayagrIvan worshipped by Sarasvathi 
and given by Her to AchArya RaamAnujA at Kashmir . That 
One is  the ArAdhana mUrthy now at Para Kaala matam . 
That mUrtham was given to Brahma Tantra Svathanthra Swami 
by Swami Desikan himself .The peetathipathis of Para Kaala
Matam have constructed many granthams to explain 
the greatnes of this avathAram of the Lord .

Source material on Sri HayagrIvan
********************************** 

There are the following Source material on
this avathAram extolling the greatness of
this avathAram :

** Sri Lakshmi HayagrIva Sahasra Naamam ( Brahma
  Composed it and taught his son , Kasyapa prajApathi)

** Sri Lakshmi HayagrIva AsthOttharam ( Agasthya-
   Naaradha samvAdham )

** Sri HayagrIva manthra kavacham( from Sri HayagrIva
   Manthra KhANDam ).

** Sri HayagrIvOpanishad , the recitation of which
   lead to Parama Sivan being revered as DakshINA mUrthy .

** Swami Deikan's HayagrIva SthOthram modelled after 
   Sri VishNu Tilakm section found in PaancharAthra Aagamam .
   Sri PaancharAthram states clearly that Sri HayagrIva
   manthram is manthra Raajam ( King among ManthrAs )
   and there is nothing that can not be achieved by
   the japam of this manthram received from a qualified
   AchAryA ( anEna manthrarAjEna naasAdhyam VidhyathE Bhuvi).
   Sri HayagrIva manthram is embedded inside the Sri HayagrIva
   sthuthi of Swami Desikan and any one , who recites this
   sthuthi with reverence will have the benefit of performing
   Sri HayagrIva manthra japam . 

** Sri HayagrIva Panjaram is another beautiful eulogy
   of BhagavAn HayagrIvan . The visualization of the subha tanu
   of BhagavAn HayagrIvan here is a beautiful and precise one :

   PeethAmbhara dharam Devam SrivathsAngitha Vakshasam
   Mukhya hastha dhvayEnaiva Jn~Ana MudhrAksha pusthakam 

All of thse Source granthams on BhagavAn HayagrIvan instruct us
that He is " the Veda Vedaantha SaasthrArtha tattva vyAkhyAna 
tathparan ".He is the essence of the mahaA Vaakhayams of 
the Four Vedams:

Praj~AnamAnandham BrahmA , Tattvamasi , Aham BrahmAsmi and
AyamAthmA BrahmA . 

Sri HayagrIvan instructed BrahmA on the rahasyaarthams of 
these MahA Vaakhyams  ,when BrahmA eulogized Him as 
" Veda karthA Veda BharthA vedAharthAvidhAm vara:,
pungAnupunga hEshAtya: PoorNa shAtguNya Vigraha: . At the end 
of regainig the lost VedAs , BrahmA eulogized BhagavAn
HayagrIvan in moving way :

VisvOtthIrNa svarUpAya ChinmayAnandha roopiNE--
OmkArOdhgItha RoopAya Rg Yajus Saama mUrthayE,
namOsthu Deva DevAya VaanchithArtha pradhAyinE

The origin of Thirumangai's HayagrivAvathAra paasuram
******************************************************
Thirumangai's paasuram refers to him seeing a Hamsa Dampathis
in the fertile delta waters of ThErazhundhUr . He recognizes 
them as Lakshmi HayagrIvan based on the fact that Hamsa 
sabdham has the meaning of a Horse according to Medhini Kosam .
Sri HayagrIvan has the Horse's head and the body of a human .
AzhwAr's mind takes him back to the times , when Parimuka
( Haya Vadhana ) PerumAn helped with the restoration of  
the VedAs lost by BrahmA :

minnivulahEshum iruL maNDiuNNa munivarodu dhanavarkal disaippa , vanthu
pannu kalai naal vEdap poruLaiyellAm ParimuhamAi aruLiya yenn Paraman kANmin
sennel mali kathir veesac changamavai muralac chenkamala malarai yEri
annam mali pedaiOdu amarum selvatthu ANiazhundhUr ninRuhantha amarar kOvE

AzhwAr describes the scene soon after BrahmA lost the VedAs.
The seven universes were covered with darkness . The sages as
well as the asurAs were confounded . At that time Sri HayagrIvan
appeared and restored the stolen vedAs to BrahmA and normalcy
to the worlds .

Other tributes to Sri HayagrIvan 
*********************************
It is interesting to note that the three Sahasra Naamams
of HayagrIvan salute Him as Vatapathra Saayee . The previous
posting discussed in detail Thirumangai's vision of 
TherazhundhUr EmperumAn as vatapathra Saayee . These three
naamAvaLis realting to Vatapatra Saayee HayagrIvan are :

VatapthrasayAya Nama:( one who is resting on the pupil leaf )
BaalAya nama: ( Baala Mukhundhan )
lalathE nama: ( one who is playing with His big toe , while
floating on the pralaya waters ).

The very first four of the sahasra naamams of Sri HayagrIvan
connects to the Hamsa dampathis ( Lakshmi hayagrIvan ) that
inspired Thirumangai to compose this paasuram :

( praNavam ) Sri HayagrIvAya Nama:
( PraNavam ) Sreem nama:
( PraNavam ) HamsAya nama:
( Pranavam ) HamhayagrIvAya nama :

Sri HayagrIvan's body is known as Manthra mayam .
All the Sahasra Naamams and Asthotthara Naamams 
attest to this Tattvam . Swami Desikan acknowledged
the manthra Maya sarIram of BhagavAn HayagrIvan
in the tenth slOkma of His hayagrIva SthOthram :

agnou samiddhArchitha sapthatanthO:
aathasthivAn MANTHRAMAYAM SAREERAM 
akaNda saarair havishAm pradhAnai:
aapyAyanam vyOma sadhAm vidhathsE 

I will translate and comment on the meaning
of this slOkam and th other slOkams of Sri
HayagrIva sthuthi of Swami Desikan tomorrow,
the SravaNa DhvAdasi day .That will compliment 
the earlier postings of Sri KrishNamAchAri
on Sri HayagrIva sthOthram .

Sri LakshmI Hayavadhana ParabrahmaNE Nama;
Oppilappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan