Articles on Sri Parakala Matham Vaibhavam - II

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Sri:

Sri Laxmi Hayavadana Parabrahmane Nama:

Sri Vakula Bhushana Maha Desikaya Nama:

Srimate Ramanujaya Nama:

Srimate Nigamantha Maha Desikaya Nama:

Srimate Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala Maha Desikaya Nama:

Srimate Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala Guru Paramparaayai Nama:

 

Sri Hayagriva Avataram

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It is popularly known that Supreme Lord has taken ten avataras for the

cause of righteousness and Dharma. Besides these there have been many

more. One of them is the avataram of Sri Hayagriva, the presiding

deity of learning and all vidyas have their origin in and emanate from

Him. The avataram of Sri Hayagriva is the foremost of all the other

avatarams of Lord Sriman Narayana. It is an avataram with great

significance. Brahma, Rudra, Rishis and Devathais meditate upon this

Lord for gaining knowledge. Bhagavan Vyasa, who has extoled Him

as “vidyaasahaayavaan” (one who guides all forms of study) has

described the greatness of this avataram in Mahabharata shantiparvam

moksha dharma narayaniyam, 375 sargam. Sarasvathi herself is said to

worship this form of Vishnu Hayagriva.

 

Lord Sriman Narayana after waking up from his yoga nidra created

Chaturmukha Brahma, the representation of satva gunam and ordained

him with the duties of creation. Two rakshasas Madhu, who was the very

representation of tamo gunam and Kaitabha, who was the representation

of rajo gunam saw Brahma singing the four vedas in a nectarous tune

with his four faces. They then plundered with the four vedas and went

into the patala lokam (nether worlds).

 

Brahma, helpless and having lost the radiance of his knowledge, prayed

to Lord Sriman Narayana with all devotion. Pleased with his devotion,

the Lord with the power of His Yoga, incarnated as a beautiful horse

faced individual. The reason for a horse face is because it is said in

the Vedas that in order to subdue rajo guna and tamo guna the best form

of build is that of Hayashira or Hayagriva. And so the Lord incarnated

as a resplendent spotless white Hayagriva with four hands (chaturbhujam).

The head depicted the dwelling of the four Vedas

showing the forms of the stellar world. His mane

shone like the rays of Sun. His two ears beamed like Akasha and Patala,

forehead like the Earth and eyebrows like the rivers Ganga and

Sarasvathi. His two eyes looked like the Sun and the Moon with oceans

inside. His nose looked like dusk (sandhya) and His utterance was

Omkara. His tongue looked like a lightening streak and His lips looked

like the bhulokam and pitrulokam. His neck looked like a deep dark

night. The Lord after having attained this divine form that was the

substructure for all other forms of His, then went after the two

rakshasas into the Patala lokam. Having killed the asuras and redeemed

the Vedas back to their pristine glory, He then taught Brahma the

entire Veda, Vedanta along with the Pancharatra and other shastras.

It is for this reason that Lord Hayagriva is considered the first

acharya in the lineage of preceptors and also the treasure house of the

Vedas and the essence of all knowledge and vidya.

 

This avataram is full of Vedantic truths and realizations. The Lord in

Ramavataram preached the truths of Sharanagati and Varnashrama dharma,

in Krishnavataram preached the Geeta, along with vishwaroopa darshana

and the destruction of the evil. In all the other avatarams of the

Lord it can be seen that the Lord preaches some important truth, but

it is only in Hayagriva avataram that one can have a complete

realization of all the truths of Vedanta. The reason for this is that

this avataram teaches about the presence of the Lord’s four vyuhas, the

creation of Brahma before the creation of the worlds, the theft of the

Vedas and their restoration, bhagavat shastras and others.

 

Sri Hayagrivar is considered as the principal deity of all knowledge

and enlightenment. It is said that one becomes wise and erudite,

worshipping and contemplating on Sri Hayagriva.

 

During Krishnavataram, the Lord preached Geetha by holding on to the

horses of His chariot. He upheld the fact that He is the supreme being.

The Lord LakshmiHayagriva who is the “Yajnapurusha” and one who bestows

moksha also preached the Shukla Yajurveda to Yajnavalkya.

 

Lakshmi Hayagrivar at the Sri Matham

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Sri Ramanuja got an image of Sri Lakshmi Hayagrivar from Sri Sarasvathi

in recognition of the expounding of the Vishishtadvaitha system of

philosophy “The Sri Bhashya” before the assemblage of pandits of

Kashmir at “Sarasvathi Peetam” about the beginning of the twelfth (12th)

century, during his visit to that country. Bhashyakara worshipped this

murthy during his lifetime and then handed it over along with the

spiritual succession to Thirukkurukaippiraan Pillan.

 

Pillan and his successive generations, Pundarikaksha, Shathakopa Deshikan

and Pundarikaksha Deshikan continued to worship this veda murthy.

Pundarikakshar, who also had become the Rajaguru of the

Vijayanagar rulers, was the son-in-law of Sri Appullar. Upon the

request of Sri Appullar, Pundarikaakshar handed over this murthy to

Swamy Deshikan with all attendant Imperial paraphernalia.

 

Swamy Desikan worshipped this murthy for over 80 years. Towards

the later part of His life here on Earth, Swamy Desikan realized that

unless a new order of Acharya Paramapara was not established,

the world would have no way of emerging from the darkness that is

caused due to the outside influences and internal struggles.

Enabled with His Diving Foresight, Swamy Desikan caused his dearest

disciple to take to asceticism, and established him as the first of

a new series of Acharyas. He then named Him as Brahma Tantra

Swatantra Jeeyar. This happenned in the year 1338 (bahudhaanya naama

samvatsaram). Swamy Desika himself continued to give directions

till 1370, when Swamy Desika attained the Holy Feet of the Lord.

 

There is a very beautiful and very old painting in Sri Matham at

Mysore that depicts the Acharya Paramapara of Sri Parakala Matham.

This painting shows the origins of Sri Matham acharya parampara.

At the very top of the painting, one can have the darshanam

of Lord Laxmi Hayagriva. Immediately below, Bhagavan Ramanuja,

Sri Ranganaatha Muni and Sri Yamunamuni are present. Below

them are the paintings of Swamy Sri Vedanta Desikan flanked

by Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Jeer and Sri Kumara Varadacharya

on his sides. At the bottom of the painting is the swaroopam of

Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Periya Parakala Yateendra Maha Desikan,

the 21st Jeer of the Matham. Due the efforts of the Sri Matham

volunteers and Shishyas, an <A

href="http://www.parakalamatham.org/parampara.shtml">soft copy of this

painting is now

available for viewing</a> at the Parakala Matham website.

 

Thus was started what is now known as Brahma Tantra Swatantra Parakala

Mutt, and 36 eminent scholars and sages have adorned its Holy Seat, the

present Pontiff <a

href="http://www.parakalamatham.org/jeers/jeer36.shtml">Sri Sri Srimad

Abhinava Vageesha Brahma Tantra Swatantra

Parakala Maha Desikan Swamy</a> being the 36th, who was coronated in

1992.

 

In the next posting, we will cover some of the article on

the first few acharyas of the Matham.

 

Sri Laxmi Hayagriva Parabrahmane Nama:

 

Regards

 

Rajeev

 

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