Sri HayagrIva SthOthram of Swamy Desikan : Part I

[Guest guest]

Sri Hayavadhana ParabrahmaNE nama:

Sri NigamAntha MahA DesikAya nama:

 

Dear BhakthAs :

 

Sri HayagrIva Jayanthi falls on September 10

(AvaNi SravaNam)this year .It is an important day

for all who worship Sri HayagrIvan as " AaadhAram

Sarva VidhyAnAm". Swamy Desikan's first sthOthram

is on Lord HayagrIvA .Sri HayagrIvan presented

Himself before Swamy Desikan at Thiruvahindrapuram's

OushadAdri Hill . Sri HayagrIva BhagavAn's

laalAmrutham fell on the tongue of Swamy Desikan

and blessed him to become the AchArya Saarvabhouman.

 

AdiyEn would like to post a series of articles

on the most moving personal eulogy of Swamy

Desikan revered as "Sri HayagrIva sthOthram".

This sthOthram has powerful manthra siddhi

in adiyEn's experience .

 

These postings on Sri HayagrIva sthuthi are part

of the series of postings on other SthOthrams of

Swamy Desikan ( Sri SudarsanAshtakam , Sri GodhA Sthuthi ,

Sri Gopaala Vimsathi et al )that adiyEn posted in

the Bhakthi list earlier.

 

Swamy Desikan has captured the essence of

Vedams , Upanishads , Brahma Soothrams

and other sacred texts in choosing the words

in this sthOthram to eulogize the greatness of

Sri HayagrIva BhagavAn and the ancient tattvam

that He represents .

 

AdiyEn will attempt to comment on the deeper

meanings behind the selected passages and

word groups in the 33 slOkams of Sri HayagrIva

shtothram in the subsequent articles and try

to conclude this series with His anugraham

by Sri HayagrIva Jayanthi day this year.

May Sri HayagrIva Bhagavaan bless this meager

effort and accept it as a humble samarpaNam

at His lotus feet .

 

We must remember that Sri VedAntha Desikan of Thuppul

was only in his twenties , when he composed this

sacred sthOthram . By the tender age of twenty ,

Swamy Desikan had already mastered VedAdhyayanam ,

Dhivya Prabhandham , Tarkam , VyAkaraNam and

other saamAnya Saasthrams. His uncle Sri AppuLLAr,

a direct disciple of the famous NadAthUr ammAL

was Swamy Desikan's AchAryan. AppuLLAr taught

Swamy Desikan Sri BhAshyam, Sri GeethA BHAshyam,

Rahasyaarthams and other AchArya Sookthis as well .

Swamy Desikan's pravachana sakthi and medhA

vilAsam even at the age of twenty was extraordinary.

AppuLLAr initiated his dear disciple further into

Garuda manthram , which was a family treasure.

 

After AppuLLAr ascended parama Padham ,

Swamy Desikan travelled to ThiruvahIndhrapuram

to worship Sri HemAbhja Valli samEtha Sri DEvanAthan.

One day , he climbed the small hillock in front of

Lord DeavanAthan's temple known as OushadhAdhri

and sat under a big pupil tree. With immense

tranquility descending on him , he began to

recite Garuda manthram for number of hours .

Garuda BhagavAn was immensely pleased with

VedAntha Desikan's japam and appeared before latter,

blessed him and initiated VedAntha Desikan into

Sri HayagrIva manthram . Garuda BhagavAn also

presented Swamy Desikan with a vigraham of

Sri HayagrIvan in the Yogaasikai (seated in

YogAsanam) posture.

 

Swamy Desikan was immensely happy with

PakshirAjAn's blessing and began to do

Sri HayagrIva Manthra japam for many days.

Lord HayagrIvan was so pleased with

Swamy Desikan that He appeared before latter

to grant the boons of unsurpassed Pravachana

sakthi , visEsha Jn~Anam on para and apara

vidhyais and power to defeat the opponents

in adhyAthmika saasthra debates and to raise

the vijaya dhvajam of Sri Bhagavath RaamAnuja

Darsanam .

 

Sri Hayagriva SaakshAthkAram spurred Swamy Desikan

to compose on the spot the sacred HayagrIva

SthOthram as his reverential tribute to the Lord

of all Vidhyais for His dhivya anugraham .

 

The vigraham of Yoga HayagrIvan presented by

Garuda BhagavAn became an ArAdhana Moorthy

for Swamy Desikan along with VaradarAja PerumAL.

Another Vigraham of Lord HayagrIvan presented

by Goddess sarasvathi to Sri BhAshyakArar at

Srinagar also reached Swamy Desikan through

his AchArya paramparai . This vigraham is

a Lakshmi Hayagriva Vigraham , which is today

at the ParakAla matam and is the ArAdhana Moorthy

of the YathIsvarALs of that Matam at Mysore.

The YogAsikA Hayagrivan presented by Garudan

is with Swamy Desikan at his sannidhi at

ThiruvahIndhrapuram .BhakthAls have the darsanam

of these two dhivya mangaLa vigrahams at

the ParakAla matam web pages and at the home

pages created by Sri Mani VaradarAjan for

the ThiruvahIndhrapuram temple .

 

In the next post ,we will cover the avathAram

of Sri HayagrIvan and start with the first

slOkam of the HayagrIva sthothram . We will

focus on the first three words of the first slOkam

(Jn~Anadha-mayam dEvam) and relate them to

the Vedic and Brahma Soothram passages that

they echo.

 

BhakthALs are referred to an excellent article

on HayagrivAn in the AchArya RaamAnjuA

pages created by Srimans MadhavakkaNNan and

Achutharaman of Singapore.

 

Hayavadhana hEshA hala hala: na: paathu

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan

[Guest guest]

srimathe mAlola narasimhAya namaha:

 

Dear Bhaktas,

 

Following Sriman V Satakopan's article on Sri Hayagreeva Perumal, I wish

to get clarified a childish doubt that is in my mind.

 

"Why does the most ausipcious lord share his name ( Hayageeva) with

Rakshasha who is also refered by that name?"

Forgive me for my wordings,but I cannot be in darkness not knowing

anything clearly.

 

adiyen sri malola narsimha dasan.,

 

Malolan Cadambi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Sri:

Srimathe Gopaladesika Mahadesikaya Namah:

Sri Lakshmi Hayavadhana ParabrahmaNE Namah:

Dear Sri Malolan Kadambi,

 

You had asked:

=========

"Why does the most ausipcious lord share his name ( Hayageeva) with

Rakshasha who is also refered by that name?"

==============

The traditions say: The rAkshasa (horse faced whose name was Hayagriva) had

obtained the boon described in BrahmANda PuraaNam. There was a asurA, by

name Hayagreeva (with horse face) who did his severe penance/ tapas on

Parvathi Devi. Parvathi, pleased with his tapas, appeared in his front and

the asurA asked for "no death". She said "Impossible-can not be granted".

Then the asurA amended the request and said "Except for a horse faced one,

(which means: Hayagrivan- Haya-horse: greeva-neck: or Hayavadhanan) no one

else can kill me". (thinking that it can never happen!). She consented.

 

He became tremendously proud of his achievement and started harassing

every deva and rishi. He troubles all three worlds. He snatched away the

Vedas from BrahmA and disappeared. Then is the history. The Lord

appeared as Hayagreevar and killed the asurA to save the world and bring

back the Vedas.

 

Regards

Narayana Narayana

adiyEn Narayana dAsan Madhavkkannan

______________________

Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com