Sri HayagrIva SthOthram : Part X -Third SlOkam , First Paadham

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NamO NaarAyaNAya

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

 

Dear BhakthAs:

 

In today's posting , we will cover the meaning of

the first Paadham of the third slOkam of Sri HayagrIva

SthOthram:

 

SamAhAra: SaamnAm prathipadham-ruchAm dhAma yajushAm

laya: prathyUhAnAm laharivithathir-BhOdhajaladhE:

kaTA-dharpa-kshubhyath-kaTaka-kula kOlAhala-bhavam

harathu anthar-dhvAntham Hayavadhana hEshA hala-hala:

 

(meaning): The Hala-Hala sounds in the form of

neighings emanating from the divine throat of

Sri HayagrIvan , the Horse-faced Lord , are

the aggregate of Saama VedA mantrAs ,

the word for word meanings of the Rg vedA (Rks)

and the abode of Yajur VedA manthrams .These

Hala-Hala nadhams are the destroyers of all

obstacles to true Jn~Anam about ChEthana-

AchEthana-Isvara tatthvams ; these Hala-Hala sounds

are like the movement of the waves from the ocean of

true knowledge (Jn~Anam). May these sunAdhams

chase away the inner darkness (ajn~nam) arising

from the uproar (loud and confusing noise) of debaters

whose minds are driven by their own pride ,

arrogance and viparItha Jn~Anam .

 

Sri HayagrIvan's neighing sounds are

in the form of the tree of Saama Vedam

(Saamans) with its thousand branches(SaakhAs).

They stand in for the meanings of Rg Veda

manthrams (Rks).They contain the essence of

Yajur Veda Manthrams.They destroy all obstacles

that stand in the way of acquisition of para

and apara vidhyais;they appear like the never-ceasing

waves from the ocean of true Jn~Anam. Thus ,

these sunAdhams associated with Sri HayagrIvan

are the integrated essence of the three

Vedams ; they remove the obstacles towards gaining

adhyAthmika vidhyai (true spiritual knowledge);

they kindle the wick of the dheepam of knowledge

and makes it shine bright to illumine our path towards

mOksham ; they destroy the clever and fallacious

arguments of the debaters from avaidhika-mathams

(Mathams that reject Vedams as PramANams)and kudhrushti-

mathams ( philosophies that distort the true meaning of

the Vedams) ;they( the sacred sounds of hala-hala)

rescue the gullible from the delusions caused by

the loud and spirited argumnets advanced by

the proponents of avaidhika and Kudhrushti mathams

in favor of their illusory doctrines ; May the sacred

sound of the neighings of Sri HayagrIva BhagavAN

banish forever the dark clouds of ajn~Anam

clouding our cognition of the true tatthvams and liberate

us from the cycles of births and deaths (SamsAram)!

 

The third slOkam contains a section of

Sri HayagrIva manthram and hence it is very

sacred. Out of his infinite DayA , Swami

Desikan housed the manthrams inside the different

sections of his sthuthis addressed to Sri HayagrIvan ,

Sri Raaja GopAlan , Sri Devi and Garuda BhagavAn .This

was done for helping the aasthikAs , who did not have

the benefit of ManthrOpadEsam through an AchAryan .

The mere reciting of these sthOthrams would then

yield the fruits of manthrOpadEsam directly from

Sri NigamAntha MahA desikan . Of all the sthOthrams,

Si HayagrIva sthOthram is the most important one

for every one to learn and recite . Sri HayagrIva

BhagavAn is adhi Moorthy and has been recognized

as the One with " Manthra Mayam SarIram " . All manthrams

are embedded in Him . He is thus the treasure house of

all Veda Manthrams and upAsana manthrams for gaining

this-worldly and other-worldly gains.

 

In the second slOkam , Swamy Desikan mentioned

for the first time , the power of the hala-Hala

Sabdham : " anathai: thrayyanthai: anuvihitha hEshA

Hala-halam hatha asEsha avadhyam " . Here ,Swamy

Desikan elaborates on the unique significance of

the hala-hala sabdham emanating from the throat

of the Horse-faced Lord , Sri HayagrIvan.

 

He provides extended commentary on the " ananthai:

thrayyanthi:( Limitless three Veda SaakhAs)first "

in the first paadham of the third slOkam .

 

SaamnAm SamAhAra:

******************

SamAhAra: means the assemblage, an aggregation.

a compendium. " SaamAnAm SamAhAra: " means then

the assembly of the entire 1875 verses of

Saama Vedam with its three parts(pUrva Aarchika,

Uttara Aarchika ,and MahA-Naamni AarchikAa saamans).

 

These Hala-Hala dhvani is recognized as

the rustle of the assembly of the thousand-branched Saama

Veda tree. Thus not only the samhithA portion of

Saama Vedam but the thousand shAkhAs ( recensions or

branches )are referred to here .

 

GeethAchAryan has declared that He is

in the form of Saama Vedam among the VedAs

(vedAnAm Saama VedOsmi)to celebrate its supermacy

among the VedAs. That is why , Swamy Desikan

starts with the Saama Veda SvarUpam of

Sri HayagrIvan sitting in front of him

at ThiruvhaIndhrapuram .

 

The neighings of HayagrIva Moorthy is in

the form of Saama GhAnam covering all

the saamans (manthrams) in all its forms.

The Rig Vedam deals with Jn~Anam , the Saama vedam

with UpAsanA , worship and contemplation and

Yajur Vedam with kriyA/KarmA or the observance of

Vedic rites . Although Rg Vedam is the " parent " ,

Swamy Desikan mentions Saama Vedam first

because of manthra siddhi that he attained from

Sri HayagrIva manthra Upaasanai .

 

The tradional hierarchy among the VedAs is Rg, Yajus

and Saamam .Most of the Saama veda ManthrAs are rks

from Rg Vedam set to music. It is generally

believed that Saama vedam has only 75 verses of its

own and the remaining 1,800 Saamans are from the different

cantos of the Rg Vedam . The same Rk in Rg Vedam

deals with knowledge and the identical Rk(Saaman)

in saama Vedam deals with prayer and worship (AarAdhanam)

to a devatA , whose antharyAmi is Sri Lakshmi HayagrIvan,

the Sarva VidhyA Moorthy .

 

RuchAm Prathipadham

*********************

 

Swamy Desikan salutes Rg Vedam next and shows

us its links to the body ( Hala-Hala Sabdham )

of Lord HayagrIvan. " RuchAm " refers to Rg veda

Rks(manthrams).As we mentioned earlier, the prefix

" Prathi " , when going before a noun means " likeness,

or resemblence or equality " . " Prathi-padham means then

" every where or in every word " . The word group

" RuchAm Prathipadham " chosen by Swami Desikan

points out that the Hala-Hala Naadham of Sri HayagrIvan

is the sum of the meanings of every word of

Rg Veda Manthrams. Viewed in the context of

the aphoristic statement , " The Veda itself is the secret

of VedAs " , One can understand that the VedAs in general

and the Rg Vedam linked with Jn~Anam in particular

deals with Rutham ( Truth),dhee ( Thought or understanding

or comprehension) ,rAyE (spiritual felicity) ,

Vaaja ( Homogeneous totality of thought ), ghrutha ( mind ),

asva (vital energy ) and amrutham ( sath-chith-aanandham).

It is intersting to note the important connection between

two tathvams mentioned above , " Vaaja and Aasvam " with

the two sacred names of Sri HayagRivan: " Vaaji- Vakthran

and MahA asva siras " .

 

DhAma YajushAm

***************

 

Sri HayagrIvan houses the essence of the meanings of

all Yajyur Veda Manthrams dealing with karma-

KaaNDam. That is why He is saluted by Sri HayagrIva

Sahasra Naamam at three places as:

 

" Padham kriyA kaaraksccha nipAthO Gathiravyaya: "

 

" Sarva karma SamArAdhya: Sarva VedamayO Vibhu: "

 

" Niranthara namOvAka suddhayAji hrudhayAsraya: "

 

There are 1984 manthrams in Yajur vedam .

 

The Param-dhAman , Sri Lakshmi Haygrivan is

the dhaman for the Yajur Vedam (YajushAM dhaama:).

" Dhaman " means abode or house . DhAman also means

a majestic lustre .Dhama ChaDh is the Vedic

name for Agni , which is central to Yaagams and

Yaj~nams. Invocation of the word " DhAman " in

" DhAma yajushAm " is very revealing in that

the Lord , who accepts all Veda Havis in Yaj~nams,

the antharyAmi Brahman of Agni ,is invoked here.

 

adiyen will take up the meaning of the second paadham ,

" Laya: PrathyUhAnAm laharivithathi BhOdhajalatE : "

in the next posting .

 

Sri Lakshmi HayagrIva ParabrahamNe nama:

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Satakopan