ThErazhundhUr MahAthmyam : Part 9 ( Sri HayagrIvAvathAram )

[Guest guest]

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