Si HayagrIva SthOthram : Part XIII --SlOkam 4 set in SaalinI metre

[Guest guest]

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Namo NaarAyaNAya !

 

Dear BhakthAs:

 

The fourth slOkam is a prayer for

the gift of Vedic speech arising out of

the destruction of the inner darkness

described in the previous slOkam

( Haya Vadhan hEshA hala-Hala: anthar-

dhvAntham harathu). Here Swamy describes

the power of that Hala-Hala dhvani further.

He states that the anugraham of Sri HayagrIvan

is like the the Sun rise that chases away

the night's darkness ( Anthar nisAyaa kaachith

prAchi SandhyA ). He describes the unique

anugraham of Sri HayagrIvan also as ," praj~nA

dhrushtE: apoorvA anjana SrI:". The imagery

used by Swami Desikan is powerful and revealing.

 

That lustorous image of Sri HayagrIvan

is like kOti SuryOdhayam with the power to

banish the terrors of the night of inner darkness .

That lustre is also of divinely wonderous nature

(kaachith prAchi SandhyA ). That lustre , which is

in the form of praatha: sandhyA Kaalam drives away

swiftly and decisively the inner darkness.

 

The Saama MaadhyAhnika UpasthAna manthram

translated by the Sri Kaaryam of Poundarikapuram

Aasramam, Professor Anantha NarasimhAcchAr Swamy

is very appropriate in the context of invocation

of the uniqueness of Praatha: sandhyA image

invoked by Swamy Desikan ( PraachI SandhyA Kaachith):

 

" The Lord from whom the Sun derives the light ,

The Lord who is the propagator of the VedAs ,

The Lord whom the great souls sustain in their

heart through meditation and see the entire

universe , The Lord from whom the army for

the protection of the DevAs came into being ,

The Lord for whom VaruNA and Agni are like two

eyes , He is the inner soul (AntaryAmi) living

inside all things and beings in the Universe .

He is pervading the Upper worlds , the earth

and the intervening space.May This Lord (Adithya

Mandala Madhya Vaasi) ---- bestow on me lustre

like Sun , life like Vaayu , Smell(fragrance)

like SomA , intelligence like Brihaspathi ,

beauty (youth) like Aswins ,Strength like

IndrA and Agni ".

 

That radiant form of Sri HayagrIvan also

has the power to reveal what was hitherto

unseen. What is being revealed is the true

Jn~Anam. How was it revealed ? What was

the power that made it possible to see

what could not be seen until now ? It

is the power of Sri HayagrIvan , which

acts like the rare kind of sacred anjanam

( collyrium ) , which opens up the eye of

Jn~Anam to experience the entire range of

Vedic knowledge , which helps to understand

what are true Tatthvam, Hitham and PurushArtham

among a bewildering array of false entities.

 

This powerful VidhyA Moorthy blessing those

who seek refuge is Sri HayagrIvan , who performed

Veda UpadEsam to Brahma Devan ( VakthrI Vedaan).

Swamy identifies this Nru-Turangan as the avathAram

of Sri VaikuntanAthan, Para VaasudEvan.

 

The fourth slOkam houisng all these

thought is as follows:

 

"prAchi SandhyA kaachidanthar nisayA:

praj~nA dhrushDEranjana-SrirapUrvA

VakthrI VedAn bhaathu mE VaajivakthrA

VaaghIsAkhyA VaasudEvasya Moorthy:"

 

(meaning): The Horse-faced Lord worshipped as

the Lord of Speech (VaagIsan )is indeed the avathAra

roopam of Para VaasudEvan of Sri VaikuNtam. He instructs

Brahma Devan on the VedAs and is like the unique ,

morning light ( prAtha: SandhyA )to drive away

our inner darkness . He is the matchless ,

sacred collyrium (anjanam) for revelation of

the dhivya Jn~Anam .May this subhAsraya ThirumEni

of this incarnation of Para VaasudEvan shine with in

and before me always !

 

Swami Desikan touches on the avathAra rahasyam

of Sri HayagrIva BhagavAn here since the avathAra

rahasya chinthanam ( reflections on the Six rahasyams

underlying His incarnation ) is vital for the successful

completion of the Bhakthi or Prapatthi anushtAnam

for Moksham without delayed phalan . In His magnum

opus , Sri Rahasya Thraya Saaram ( Charama SlOkAdhikAram),

Swamy Desikan sums up the six rahayams this way :

 

avathArasya sathyathvam ajahath svasvabhAvathA

Suddha Satthvamayathvam cha SvEcchAmAthranidhAnathA

Dharma glAnou samudhaya: Saadhu samraksdhANArTathA

Ithi Janma rahasyam yO vEtthi naasya Punarbhaav:

 

(meaning):(1) Our Lord's incarnations (avathArams)

are real .(2) They happen without any dimunition

in His svabhAvam .(3) These avathArams are constituted

by Suddha Satthva Dhravyam.(4) These avathArams happen

because of our Lord's own volition (Sankalpam).

(5)These avathArams take place , when there is

even the slightest harm to dharmam in His world.

(6) The avathArams of the Lord are intended for

the protection of His BhakthAs.Those who reflect on

these six inner meanings of the reasons behind

the Lord's avathArams do not get rebirth (na Punarbhava:).

 

When Swami Desikan salutes Sri HayagrIva-

BhagavAn in the fourth paadham of this slOkam

as " VaaghIsAkhyA VaasudEvasya Moorthy:" ,

He wants us to remember the avathAra Rahasyam

of Sri Nru-Turanga HayagrIvan ( The avathAram with

human body and a horse's face).

 

This HayagrivAvathAram came about to save

Brahma Devan , who had lost the VedAs to

two asurAs . Bhagavan incarnated to punish those

asurAs (Madhu KaiDapan). Out of His own sankalpam ,

without the least dimunition in His svAbhAvIka-kalyANa

guNams , Para VaasudEvan took on the Suddha

Sathva Drvya maya svarUpam of HayagrIvan

and came to the rescue of Brahma Devan

and helped him continue with his assigned duty of

creation (Srushti karmA).

 

In this avathAram , Para VaasudEvan has

the face of a horse ( Vaaji Vakthra:).

He stays as the Supreme God of Learning

and instructs Brahma Devan on the four Vedams

that are essential for him to continue his

srishti karmAs. Brahma Devan pleaded with

the Lord to restore the VedAs from the two

asurAs, which the Lord did effortlessly.

Swamy Desikan prays for that illustrious

avathAra Moorthy (HayagrIvan ) to shine

always in his mind and in front of him

with the words of the third and fourth

paadhams of this fourth slOkam:

 

" VakthrI VedAn Bhaathu mE Vaaji VakthrA

VaaghIsAkhyA VaasudEvasya Moorthy: "

 

Vaikunta Vaasi Sri D.Ramaswamy Iyengar

quotes in this context the Upanishidaic passage

dealing with the extraordinary effect of

the darsana soubhAgyam of the Para Brahmam.

All the knots of confusion are broken apart

and frees one to receive and benefit from

the full range of Vedic wisdom ( True Jn~Anam ).

 

With the fifth slOkam set in the UpajAthi

metre, the SthOthram proper is said to start

and goes upto slOkam 31 followed by the DhyAna

slOkam ( 32nd SlOkam set in MandhaakrAnthA metre)

and concludes with the Phala Sruthi SlOkam (33)

set in the AaryA metre .

 

Sri HayagrIva ParabrahmaNE Nama:

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Satakopan