ॐ Hindu Of Universe ॐ
“God’s light is within you, It never leaves you.”
Lord Hayagriva
Lord Hayagriva is an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Lord Hayagriva is depicted with human body, horse face wearing white garments and seated on white lotus. Hayagriva is praised as the lord of wisdom and deep knowledge. Haya implies “Horse” and Greeva means neck. He is believed to be the one who won ignorance and foolishness with his pure knowledge. People worship this Lord to be blessed with pure wisdom, intelligence and knowledge. His consort is Lakshmi.
Hayagreeva
In Sanskrit “Haya” means horse and “Greeva” means neck. So “Hayagreeva” means — “The one with the horse’s head” This is an Avatar of Lord Vishnu who, at the request of Lord Brahma dove into the cosmic ocean to rescue the Vedas stolen by the two demons, Madhu and Kaitabha.
Legend
Brahma is said to be the master of vedic knowledge and he had the Vedas with him. Once, when he was feeling sleepy, a demon called Ajnana stole the Vedas from Brahma. Then, Lord Vishnu took the form of Hayagriva and demolished the demon. He then returned the Vedas to Brahma, when he begged for them. Brahma is a trustworthy Lord and hence he offered the vedic knowledge to Hayagriva , when he asked them. Thus, Hayagriva remained as a protector of the Vedic knowledge.
There is also another legend that the demons Madhu and Kaitabha stole the Vedas from Brahma. Then, Vishnu took up the Hayagriva form, fought with them and won. During the fight, the disintegration of the two bodies of Madhu and Kaitabha into twelve pieces took place which are believed to represent the twelve seismic plates of Earth in course of time.
Also,Some believed that during the creation of the world, Vishnu compiled the Vedas in the form of Hayagriva.
Hayagriva is depicted with 4 armed, carrying a Conch & Wheel known as Shanka and chakra in His two hands, a rosary (aksha-mala) in the third and his fourth is in the vyakhya mudra. He is also found holding the vedas in some occasions. Hayagreeva is associated with the purity of knowledge and is represented in the same way as Saraswati. White is a symbolism of purity that is depicted in the “white horse” face he adorns.
Jnananandamayam devam nirmala sphatikakrutim
Adharam sarva vidyanam hayagrivam upasmahe.
ज्ञानानन्द मयं देवं निर्मल स्फटिकाकृतिं
आधारं सर्वविद्यानं हयग्रीवं उपास्महे
Meaning:
Lord hayagriva, you are the supreme form of nature, pure and clear as a crystal and the support and base of eternal knowledge. I worship you , the form of wisdom.
Hayagriva Gayatri Mantra
Benefit (s) : The gayatri mantra of Lord Hayagriva is a highly beneficial mantra for students to improve their studies. Best to be chanted before sitting for exams. Chanting of the Hayagriva Gayatri mantra leads one to the divine path of life. It also sharpens one’s intellect and makes the person extremely alert.Those who are suffering from emotional distress, stress, tensions, depression, etc can benefit from praying to Lord Hayagriva by chanting the Hayagriva Gayatri Mantra.Pregnant ladies can also benefit from chanting this mantra as it is believed that Lord Hayagriva will bless the child with good intellect, strong body, valour, and beauty. It is also said that the baby will be born free from defects and diseases if there are blessings of Lord Hayagriva.Those who wants to excel in sports and athletes can also chant the gayatri mantra of Lord Hayagriva and gain benefits from it. As Lord Hayagriva will bless the devotees with speed, strength, and intelligence.
Best Time to Chant : Brahma muhurta, Ekadasi thithi, Navami thithi Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays
Direction :Chant This Mantra Facing East
Japa Mala : One can use clear quartz crystal rosary beads (also known as sphatik mala) or rosary beads made from basil’s bark (also known as tulasi mala / tulsi mala)
Number of Times to Chant : 9, 11, 108, or 1008 times
The following are the Hayagriva Gayatri Mantras :
Aum Vaakeeshvaraaya Vidmahe
Hayagrivaaya Dhimahee
Thanno Hamsa Prachodayath
Or
Aum Vanishwaraaya Vidmahe
Haya Grivaaya Dhimahee
Thanno Hayagriva Prachodayath
Or
Aum Akshareshwaraaya Vidmahe
Mantra Rajaaya Dhimahi
Thanno Hayagriva Prachodayath
Festivals associated with Lord Hayagriva
Swarna Pournami on the full moon day of August.
Mahanavami on the ninth day of Navarathri.
Famous Temples of Lord Hayagriva
Tiruvahindapuram Hayagriva Temple, near Cuddalore, Tamil nadu
Chettypunyam Hayagriva temple, near Chengalpattu,Tamil Nadu
Sri Lakshmi Hayagriva temple, Nanganallur, Chennai
Sri Lakshmi Hayagriva temple, Mohnur, Karnataka
Sri Hayagriva Madhava Temple, Hajo, Assam
Sri Lakshmi Hayagriva temple, Muthialpet, Pondicherry
Hayagreeva the embodiment of higher intelligence
Hayagreeva
Hayagreeva is an incarnation of Vishnu, depicted with a human body and a horse’s head, brilliant white in color, with white garments, seated on a white lotus.
Hayagreeva is a very important deity in the Vaishnava tradition. His blessings are sought when beginning study of both sacred and secular subjects. Special worship is conducted on the day of the full moon in August (Sravana-Paurnami) (his avatara-dina) and on Mahanavami, the ninth day of the Navaratri festival. He is also hailed as “Hayasirsa”. meaning the Horse (Haya) Sirsa (Headed one) and is considered to be the guru of the goddess of knowledge, Saraswathi.
One of the legends states that during the creation, the demons Madhu and Kaithaba stole the Vedas from the creator Brahma, and to save them Vishnu took the form of Hayagreeva. This story represents the triumph of pure knowledge, guided by the divine over demonic forces of darkness.
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Legends of Hayagreeva
Vedanta Desika’s dhyana-sloka (meditative verse) on Hayagreeva typifies this deity’s depiction in Hindu iconography:
“He has four lotus hands, with one in the mode of bestowing knowledge; another holds books of wisdom, and the other two hold the Conch and Discus. His beauty, like fresh cut crystal, is an auspicious brilliance that never decays. May this Lord of speech who showers such cooling rays of grace on me be forever manifest in my heart! In the Mahavairocana-sutra [Sutra of the Great Sun] translated and copied in 1796 by I-hsing it says: “Beneath the buddhas is Hayagriva. His body is the color of the sun at dawn. He wears flaming effulgence and skulls as a garland. His nails are long and sharp; his face shows a pair of bare tiger’s fangs. His hair is that of a burning lion’s mane. He is awesomely powerful and fierce! This is the fierce Vidyaraja [wrathful vehicle] of the Lotus section.
He is just like a horse-jewel of a Cakravartin that wanders the four continents, nowhere and never does he rest, having all the great and terrible force of all the buddhas’. This is his nature, and therefore he possesses this terrible and all-mighty light. Amidst the greatest obstacles of death and evil he is without the slightest care for his own welfare, his conspicuous and uncommon gallantry, intrepidity, and wrath is legendary among the gods, and therefore he easily and quickly vanquishes all who oppose him! Many others submit to him at first sight! This is because though he is fierce and terrible; his heart is full of compassion (unbiased, dispassionate understanding).” — Hayagriva Stotram, v.32
Later on Hayagreeva is referred to as the “Horse necked one”, “Defender of Faith”, the “Terrible Executioner”, the “Excellent Horse”, and the “Aerial horse”.
This said, the Horse god is seen as pulling the sun up to the heavens every day, bringing light to darkness. Hayagreeva’s consort is Lakshmi (Marici or Kan’non), the goddess of the rising sun, more accurately the sun’s light which is the life force of all things, and which is seen as the female [in, yin] aspect of Hayagreeva. This relationship is the classic non-duality of the Hindu Tantra. Marici represents the essence of the power of creation of the cosmos, and is the in/yin half of Dainichi Nyorai. Whereas, Hayagreeva represents the other yang/yo aspect, that of the manifestation of the power of yin/in as action.
In other words, Hayagreeva represents the manifestation of yin/in as the power and action of the cosmos manifested as action. This is the very definition of Tantra, that of action.
In several other sources he is a white horse who pulls the sun into the sky every morning. In others such as the great epic Taraka-battle where the gods are fallen on and attacked by the danava’s [demons], Vishnu appears as the great ferocious warrior called Hayagreeva when he comes to their aid. It says;
“Hayagreeva appears in his chariot, drawn by 1,000 powerful steeds, crushing the enemies of the gods beneath him!”
There are many other references to Hayagreeva throughout the Mahabharata. It is said that Vishnu comes from battle as a conqueror in the magnificent mystic from of the great and terrible Hayagreeva;
“The great Hayagreeva having been praised in this way by the different saints and ascetics, assumes a great white horses head. The veda’s [mantras] made up his shape, his body built of all the great gods; in the middle of his head was Shiva, in his heart was Bhrama [god of heaven]; the rays of sun (Marici) were his mane, the sun and moon his eyes; the Vashu’s and Sadhya’s were his legs, in all his bones were the gods. Agni [Ka-ten; god of fire] was his tongue, the goddess Satya his speech, while his knees were formed by the Maruts and Varuna. Having assumed this form, a awesome wonder to behold to the gods, he vanquished the asura, and cast them down, with eyes that were red with anger.”
Invariably, Hayagreeva is depicted seated, most often with his right hand either blessing the supplicant or in the vyaakhyaa mudraa pose of teaching. The right hand also usually holds a aksha-maalaa (rosary), indicating his identification with meditative knowledge. His left holds a book, indicating his role as a teacher. His face is always serene and peaceful, if not smiling.
Unlike his Buddhist counterpart, there is no hint of a fearsome side in the Hindu description of this deity. Indeed, the two deities seem to be totally unrelated to one another. Hayagreeva is sometimes worshipped in a solitary pose of meditation, as in the Thiruvanthipuram temple. This form is known as Yoga-Hayagreeva. However, he is most commonly worshipped along with his consort Lakshmi and is known as Lakshmi-Hayagreeva. Hayagreeva in this form is the presiding deity of Mysore’s Parakala Mutt, a significant Srivaishnava monastic institution.
What does Hayagreeva represent?
Hayagreeva is an embodiment of intelligence and knowledge. He is a divine being who gives divine intelligence and wisdom. Hayagreeva can also bestow siddhi (Supernatural) powers on you when you connect with his divine energies, with sincerity.
The story of Hayagreeva retrieving the Vedas represents triumph of pure knowledge, guided by the divine, over forces of passion and darkness.
Hayagreeva is an important deity in Vaishnava tradition. His blessings are sought when beginning study of both sacred and secular subject.
Hayagreev Worship
Hayagriva is the lord for knowledge. He retrieved the Vedas, the source of knowledge, and hence worshipping him will help one achieve great heights in knowledge.
Sri Hayagriva Stotram for education
Hayagreev worship has gained great momentum. It has become a custom to invoke his blessings before the Vidyarambam (commencement of education) ceremony. Students participate in the Hayagreeva homa (fire lab) and seek his blessings before appearing in exams.
The stotram, “Jnananandamayam devam nirmalam spadikaakrudham; Aadhaaram sarva vidyanaaam hayagreeva upasmahe” is a popular Hayagreeva mantra for education.
Famous devotees
The two most well-known devotees of lord Hayagreevar are Vedanta Desika and Sri Vadiraja. Sri Vedanta Desika belonged to the 13th century and was a great scholar and an exponent of Sri Vaishnavism. Sri Desika was a master of 64 arts, and has hailed Hayagreevar as a reason for his knowledge.
Sri Vadiraja belonged to the 15th century and belonged to Madhwa sampradaya philosophy. He has greatly devoted himself to Hayagreevar. He daily prepared a specially prasad (food offering) for Lord Hayagreeva, and in turn, lord Hayagreeva took the form of a white horse and appeared daily to eat the special offering.
Both Vedanta Desika and Vadiraja have composed Sri Hayagriva Stotram praising the divine grace and form of Lord Hayagreeva.
Famous Hayagreevar temples in India
There are not too many separate temples for Hayagreevar. Usually, there is a shrine for him in all major Vishnu temples. Below is a list of famous Hayagriva swami temples in India.
Thiruvahindrapuram temple, Cuddalore, Tamilnadu
Chettipuniyam temple, Chengelpet, Tamilnadu
Parakala Mutt, Karnataka
Sodhe Mutt, Sirsi, Karnataka
Tirumala Hayagriv temple on North Mada street of Balaji Temple, Tirumala, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh
Sri Lakshmi Hayagriva Swami Temple, Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh
Lord Hayagreeva shlokas
In Hinduism, Lord Hayagriva(Hayavadhana, the Horse Faced God, is the lesser known avatar of Lord Vishnu. He is the ocean of knowledge, Wisdom, where Brahma & Goddess Saraswathi riside. He is the Four forms of Veda, viz. Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Vedas. He is worshipped as the God of knowledge and wisdom. He is the one who taught knowledge to Goddess Saraswati.
Haya means horse and Greeva means neck. Brilliant white in colour, with white garments and seated on a white lotus, the horse faced form of Vishnu, is the God of Vidya or knowledge, wisdom and prosperity according to scriptures. He has four hands, one in the mode of bestowing knowledge; another holds books of wisdom, and the other two hold the Conch and Discus.
ज्ञानानन्दमयं देवं निर्मल स्फटिकाकृतिम्
आधारं सर्व विद्द्यानां हयग्रीवं उपास्महे
Jnyaana-Anandamayam Devam Nirmala Sphatikaakrtim,
Aadharam Sarva-vidyaanaam Hayagreevam-Upasmahe
Meaning:
The God, who is the very form of True Spiritual knowledge and True Bliss, Pure as a crystal
One, who is the Basis/Foundation of all Knowledge, I worship that Lord Hayagreeva.
Meaning in Depth
Jnyaana-True Knowledge; Ananda– True Bliss; Mayam– Full of/ Made up of; Devam– God
One, who is made up of True Spiritual knowledge and True Bliss.
The Supreme Reality(ParaBrahmam) is referred to a true knowledge, because outside of that, evrything is an illusion, a false image, Maya. The essence of Parabrahmam is Aananda or True Bliss. Bliss as we imagine is false too, as it is only what we can feel with our limited senses. True bliss is beyond the reach of the common man. Only through seep meditation and advanced spiritual practices can one experience the nature of Parabrahmam, True Bliss. Lord Hayagreeva, is described here as a being of true knowledge and bliss or in other words, as Brahman Himself.
Nir– Without; Mala– Dirt(Ignorance); Sphatika– Crystal; Aakrti- Form: One, whose form is without dirt and pure as a crystal.
As Lord Hayagreeva is the embodiment of True Knowledge, He does not have even a trace of dirt. Ignorance is considered the dirt that surrounds True Knowledge to make it unrecognisabe to us.
(It is because of this ignorance that we percieve ourselves as being different from others and from animals and plants and planets. We are all indeed, just different reflections of the Supreme, say the learned Saints. But we find it difficult to even understand the full implications of that sentence.)
Aadharam– Foundation/Sub-stratum; Sarva-All; Vidyaa– Knowledge: One, who is the foundation/ Origin/ Sub-stratum of all knowledge.
All creation is permeated by the Universal Consciousness. Even the formation of a spec in the universe requires the Know-how for it. Nature is ruled by laws laid down at the time of Creation. These laws allow for the formation of everything, there are no random events in Creation. These rules, this know-how, are all the basis of creation, therefore nothing is possible without this basic “knowledge”, which makes everything work. That basis, that knowledge, that foundation is Lord Hayagreeva.
Hayagreevam– O Lord Hayagreeva; Upa– Near; Aas– Sit; Upaasmahe – We sit (together) to perform the formal worship of/ to formally (and in Reverence) worship.
O, Lord Hayagriva, You who are the substratum of all knowledge, Whose nature is True Knowledge and True Bliss, Who is as pure as a crystal, We worship Thee !
Chanting the mantra:
Best time to chant this mantra is at Brahma Muhurta, Ekadasis, Navami thithis; Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Special worship is conducted on the day of the full moon in August (Śravaṇa-Paurṇamī) (his avatāra-dina) and on Mahanavami, the ninth day of the Navaratri festival.
One can chant this mantra 9, 11, 108 or 1008 times, facing east direction.
One can use clear quartz crystal Japa mala – rosary beads.
BENEFITS
One who worships Lord Hayagreeva and chants this sloka will be blessed with:
Education: Students will attain:
Concentration in studies
Fluency in language, speech, vocabulary, mastery in debates etc
Good memory power.
Excellence in technical and vocational education, learning skills, advancement in new fields and in innovation.
Spiritual knowledge: Devotees will gain:
Interest in Spiritual path.
Spiritual growth leading to Liberation.
Relief from emotional distress, stress, tensions, depression.
Story of Lord Hayagreeva – the safe-keeper of Knowledge:
Lord Hayagriva is celebrated in the Puranas for rescuing the Vedas from the demons Madhu and Kaitabha and teaching them again to Brahma.
The Puranas say that the Asuras Madhu and Kaitabha stole the Vedas from Lord Brahma. Desolate, Lord Brahman approached Lord Vishnu for help. The Lord assumed the form of Hayagreeva to recover the Vedas from the Asuras. There is also a mention, that it was Lord Hayagreeva who composed the Vedas and gave it to Brahma, therefore this Avatara preceeds the Matsya Avatara.
Symbolically, the story represents the triumph of Pure Eternal Knowledge, guided by the hand of God, over the destructive forces of passion and darkness. It establishes that True knowledge is ever present and held by the Almighty, rescued if required from wrongful use and restored when required for the growth of good.
Lord Hayagreeva
Hayagreeva is an incarnation of Vishnu, depicted with a human body and a horse’s head, brilliant white in color, with white garments, seated on a white lotus. He has four lotus hands, with one in the mode of bestowing knowledge; another holds books of wisdom, and the other two hold the Conch and Discus. Special worship is conducted on the day of the full moon in August (Sravana-Paurnami) (his avatara-dina) and on Mahanavami, the ninth day of the Navaratri festival.
Story of Hayagriva
Long ago, lord Vishnu ( also known as Janardhana) and asuras was engaged in a war which lasted for sixteen thousand years. At the end of the battle, because of lethargy, lord Vishnu went to a deep sleep in a standing posture, with his head supported by the tip of his peerless bow, unaware of his surroundings and stood as one whose life had become extinct. The Devas and the divine sages became worried noticing this, with the thought “who would protect the world if the great protector is sleeping?” Also, Vishnu’s presence was essential for the Yagna to be conducted in heaven. Even Brahma and Shiva were concerned about Vishnu’s state.
Lord Indra appealed himself before Lord Shiva and said, “O Lord, it is the time for the great yagna to be conducted by us. The world is descending into confusion as the Lord of the yagna, Lord Janardhana, is in deep sleep. Please help us!”. Shiva turned to Brahma and said, “Waking someone who is in deep sleep is a great sin. However, certain situations call for desperate measures. Among your infinte creations, I remember a tiny beetle, belonging to the Chel species. Let it eat the bowstring from the bottom as when the bow recoils from its tense state, the noise will wake Lord Vishnu up.”
As Shiva said, Brahma directed the insect to break the bowstring. When the string broke, the bow cracked with such a noise, that sounded like the end of the world. All those present got frightened by the horrible sound. Ill indications appeared in the air. The sun disappeared before its time. All creation started acting in a manner contrary to their normal behavior. When the Devas looked to see if Vishnu had woken, they noticed that the recoiling bow tip had beheaded Vishnu. Only his lifeless figure stood there, a grim sight that shook the beholders to the core of their being.
As a solution Brahma said, “The only thing we can do during this unpleasant time, is to pray to Devi who is the life force behind the universe. Everything that happens is according to her will. If Vishnu has been beheaded, she must have decided it to happen and only she can show us the path from our present hardship” Accordingly, all the Devas, Shiva and Brahma, started praying to Shakthi. They chanted acclaiming her ability, praising her great love for all her creations. They praised her as the force behind all the creation, one who controls the destiny of the universe.
At last, an immaterial voice was heard from the sky, “O Devas, you have nothing to worry. You have worshiped me as per the vedas. I am very much pleased. There is a reason why I beheaded Vishnu. Listen to this story.”
Long ago, there a great Asura king named Hayagreeva performed a great penance directed to me on the banks of the river Saraswati. When I appeared before him, he asked for the boon of immortality. When I told him that it was impossible, he then asked for a boon that he may be killed only by a creature with the face of a horse.
Energized by my boon, he abused the world for a long time. Nobody stayed safe from his harassing forces. I have decided that Vishnu should slay him. my will be shall accomplished as Brahma fit the body Hari(Lord Vishnu) with that of a horse head”
As per the instructions of Devi, immediately beheaded a horse with a sword and fitted Vishnu’s body with its head. Vishnu was transformed into a wondrous creature, of immense strength, with the body of a man, and with the head of a head by the grace of Devi. He was known as Hayagreeva(horse-headed). At the end of a vicious battle, the Asura Hayagreeva was killed by Vishnu, in his form as Hayagreeva. By the Devi’s grace, Vishnu regained his previous form at the end of this battle.
Mantra:
OM Sri HayaGreevaaya Namaha
Hayagreeva Moola Mantra:
“Uthgeetha prana vothgeetha
Sarva vakeeshwareshwara
Sarva veda mayachinthya
Sarvam bhodhaya bhodhaya”
Hayagreeva Mantra:
”Gnanananda Mayam Devam Nirmala Spatika krutim
Aadharam Sarva Vidyanaam Hayagreevam Upasmahe.”
Hayagreeva Gayatri Mantra:
”Aum Vanishwaraaya Vidmahe.
Haya Grivaaya Dhimahee.
Thanno Hayagriva Prachodayath.”
Mantra Chanting Benefits:
Prayers to Lord Hayagreeva are particularly beneficial in these degenerate times when illnesses and sufferings are growing due to the dominant misbeliefs of conscious beings. Daily chanting of this mantra is a highly beneficial for students to improve their studies. It also leads to divine path of life, sharpens one’s intellect and makes the person extremely alert. Worshiping Lord Hayagreeva brings clarity of mind and ability to communicate with others. Chanting moola mantra is benifited for those who suffer from emotional distress, stress, tensions, depression etc.
Story of Hayagreeva Incarnation of Lord Vishnu
Once upon a time, Lord Vishnu fought a fierce battle for 10,000 years. After this war, he got tired and came to his Vaikuntha slept with his bow as support. At the same time the plan to perform the yajna by the gods was going on and they came to Vaikuntha along with Brahma and Shiva to meet Lord Vishnu. There, they saw that Lord Vishnu was in deep sleep. Thinking that the sleeping person should not be disturbed, those people stood there. But even after a long time, Lord Vishnu did not wake up from sleep, then after thinking they decided to awaken Lord Vishnu . Then Brahma created a worm and asked it to awaken Lord Vishnu. The worm cut the string of the bow, thinking that this work will give it the remainants from tha yjana in future as said by brahma. A terrible sound was produced after cutting the string of the bow and darkness enveloped all around.
When after some time the darkness gradually subsided, the gods saw that Lord Vishnu’s head was not on his body. Then the gods became very worried, seeing the gods in worry, Brahma Ji said, Gods don’t worry, whatever happens in the world, some reason is there behind it, there is no action without reason. We will worship Goddess Parashakti, surely she will solve this problem. Having said this, Brahma Ji ordered the Vedas to praise the goddess. When the Vedas praised the goddess, the goddess was very pleased.
After this, goddess spoke through her voice she said , dear deities I am very happy with the praise of the Vedas. You do not need to worry. There are two reasons why Lord Vishnu’s head is cut, first of all, once Lakshmi ji had told him to become headless, because Vishnu ji was laughing after seeing Lakshmi ji. The second reason is to end the monster named Hayagriva. There is a monster named Hayagriva. He did penance for 1000 years after renouncing food and water. At that time this monster had subdued all his senses and used to chant only one of my single lettered mantra. He did such austere penance to get a glimpse of my Tamasi form, then I Parashakti revealed in front of this monster in my Tamasi form.
Seeing the Goddess appear in front of him, this monster was very pleased and stood up. He began to revolve around that form of mine and praised me. I asked him to ask for the desired boon. Then she said Goddess I want to be immortal. Hearing his words, my Tamasi energy said , demon hayagreeva t death is for everyone in the world , this is the rule. I will not break this rule, that is why you should consider asking for another boon. After that the monster asked hoon from me that, he should die only by the hands of Lord Hayagreeva. Then I gave him the boon of getting death from the hands of hayagreeva.
At this moment, the same monster is missing his powers and causing suffering Brahmins, Gods and sages. In order to free everyone from the tyranny of this monster, it is necessary to have the head of Lord Vishnu replaced with the head of horse. That is why his head is cut today. Lord Brahma, you cut off the head of a horse and put it on Vishnu’s body, this will lead to his hayagriva incarnation and he will end that hayagriva monster. Saying this, the goddess disappeared. After this, Brahma Ji cut off the horse’s head with his sword and placed it on Lord Vishnu’s body and at that moment Lord Vishnu woke up and stood in front of gods. In this way there was a Hayagriva incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
After this, terrible war broke out between horse headed incarnation Hayagriva of Lord Vishnu and that monster named Hayagriva. It was not so easy to kill him, Lord Vishnu fought with him for a long time, later according to the boon of Goddess Jagadamba, by the hands of Lord Hayagreeva ,life of demon hayagreeva came to an end.
The Horse-headed God: Hayagriva
Hayagriva, the God of knowledge and wisdom, appears with the body of a human and the head of a horse. His pearly white color symbolizes purity and divinity. On the one hand, he is the guru of goddess Saraswati; and on the other hand, one may have known Hayagriva as a demon.
Story of Hayagriva
Hayagriva is a God, who is the avatar of Lord Vishnu. He is worshipped as “Gyanaswaroopa,” the embodiment of knowledge, wisdom, and spirituality. In various sources, including the Mahabharata, Hayagriva establishes its place. It is stated that, Vishnu takes on the beautiful mystic form of the mighty and terrifying Hayagriva and emerges victoriously from battle of Kurukshetra.
Even though he is one of the lesser-known incarnations of Vishnu, the mythical stories of Hayagriva are fascinating enough to bind you with an unseen spiritual thread. One such tale is inscribed in the Brahma Purana.
During the creation of the cosmos, Brahma piled up all the Vedas for the betterment of human beings. But, they were stolen by two demons named Madhu and Kaitabha to empower their demonic clan. When helpless Brahma approached Lord Vishnu for assistance, Vishnu assumed the form of Hayagriva to free the Vedas from the demons. He slayed the demons and integrated their bodies into 12 parts, giving them a vicious death.
The Mahabharata has reflected the Hayagriva form many times when it mentions, “Having compelled the destruction of the two Asuras and restored the Vedas to Brahma, the Supreme Being dispelled the grief of Brahma.”
However, if we skip this narrative and focus on the legend of the demon Hayagriva, he takes the place of Madhu and Kaitabha and is accused of stealing the Vedas from Brahma.
In the Devi Bhagavata Purana, the demon Hayagriva was born to Kashyap and Danu. Kashyap performed deep penance to get a boon. He prayed to Goddess Durga to bless his son, asking that he could only be killed by another “Hayagriva”. This made the demon arrogant, and he began creating havoc in the Devloka.
He stole the Vedas in the absence of Brahma and established terror among every god. This resulted in a long and fierce battle, but Hayagriva remained invincible. So it was time to turn to Vishnu for assistance. Because only another Hayagriva could slay the mighty demon, he assumed the form of a Hayagriva and killed it.
Hayagriva’s Mahabharata form is described as having the head of a white horse. “The Vedas composed his structure; his body was made up of all the chief gods; Shiva was in the centre of his head; Brahma was in his heart; the sun’s rays were his mane; the sun and moon were his eyes; the Vasus and Sadhyas were his legs; the gods were in all his bones.”
Thus, Hayagriva is regarded as a supreme deity in Hinduism. He is revered in several parts of India, including the famous Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam. He is also among the prominent deities in Sri Vaishnavism and Madhwa Brahmin traditions. As he is a manifestation of Lord Vishnu, he is worshipped alongside his wife, Lakshmi, and the form is known as Lakshmi-Hayagriva. However, he is also revered in a solitary form known as Yoga-Hayagriva.
Story Lord Hayagriva – Less known form of Lord Vishnu
Brahmanda Puranam, Devi Puranam and Garuda Puranam describes Lord Hayagreeva as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu . Lord Hayagreeva is the Horse faced Lord and Epitome of Intelligence. He is the Guru of Goddess Saraswathy – Lord of Wisdom. Chanting of hundred and eight names of Lord Hayagreeva helps to activate the nerves in the brain which perform the function of memory power . Worship of Lord Hayagreeva needs utmost devotion, hygiene, dedication etc.. like worship of Sivalingam, Lord Narasimha and Anjaneya. Lord Hayagreeva worshipped as Spatika Akruthi (shape).
Story of Lord Hayagrivam According to Devi Puranam – Shakti Purana
In the Sakta tradition of Hinduism, Hayagriva occupies a different role. Here, a demon named Hayagriva first appears as son of Kashyapa Prajapati. Through great penance the demon managed to obtain a boon from the Goddess Durga that he can only be killed by another “Hayagriva”. This instilled a sense of invincibility and he started harassing the Devas. The Devas turned to Vishnu for aid, but despite a long struggle he was also unable to kill Hayagriva.
Tired and drained after the battle, Vishnu proceeded to Vaikuntha Dham to rejuvenate and meditate in padamaasna (a yoga posture) with his head supported by the upper end of his taut bow. The Devas once again approached Vishnu for help against Hayagriva but were unable to rouse him from his meditation. The Devas asked a swarm of termites to assist in waking Vishnu by gnawing away the string of the bow upon which he was resting. However, the snapping of the bow string produced such a resonant sound that the universe trembled, and the broken string lashed out with such force that Vishnu’s head was severed from his body.
The Devas were mortified, and prayed to the goddess Durga for guidance. Durga was pleased with their prayers and told the Devas that they need not fear, as no incident in this universe was without some purpose. She then told them of her boon to Hayagriva and asked them to attach the head of a horse to Vishnu so that he in the guise of “Hayagriva” (that is, one with a horse’s neck) could kill his foe.
Brahma attached the head of a white horse to Vishnu’s body and the revived Vishnu entered into battle with Hayagriva and eventually killed him.
According to some Vishnu and Brahma puranas
Another legend has it that during the creation, the demons Madhu and Kaitabha stole the Vedas from Brahma, and Vishnu then took the Hayagriva form to recover them. The two bodies of Madhu and Kaitabh disintegrated into 2 times 6 — which is twelve pieces (two heads, two torsos, four arms and four legs). These are considered to represent the twelve seismic plates of the Earth. Yet another legend has it that during the creation, Vishnu compiled the Vedas in the Hayagriva form.
Another Version of Same story was – When the destruction of the earth was going on and then a demon named HayaGreeva was memorizing all the vedas to become immortal – then Lord Vishnu cut his head where all the Vedas are stored and he himself took that head had with him safely and returned to Brahma to continue the Creation –
Some consider Hayagriva to be one of the Dashavatars of Vishnu.
He along with Krishna, Rama and Narasimha is considered to be an important avatar of Vishnu.
In Pancha mukhi Hanuman (five Head)one of the five heads is considered to be Hayagriva( some times shown as horse head and sometimes shown as normal human head.
Lord Hayagreev’s Sannithanam is there in Srirangam Temple. Hayagreev in Srirangam is very famous for children’s education. The sannithanam is very beautiful and all rituals done according to vedic principles very strictly.
Hayagriva, also spelt Hayagreeva is an Avatar of Sri Vishnu with a horse’s head and a bright white human body. He is worshipped as “Gnanaswaroopa”, embodiment of all growth, knowledge and spiritual wisdom.
It is assumed that our sages and seers have derived their spiritual ideas and extraordinary powers through the grace of Lord Hayagreeva. It is believed that Lalitha sahasranama, the thousand names of Mother Lalithambika, were taught by him to Agasthya Maharshi.
Mahanavami of Navarathri and Sravan-Pournami are considered special days for worshiping the deity.
Story Version 1:
Sri Vishnu revealed the Vedas to Brahma at the time of creation. Realizing the power of these Vedas, two demons named Madhu and Kaitabha stole the Vedas from Brahma and hid them in the bottom of the ocean. When Brahma sought Sri Vishnu’s help in recovering the sacred texts, Sri Vishnu took the Hayagreeva Avatar and killed the two demons, and brought the Vedas back to Brahma.
Story Version 2:
Found at Devi Bhagwat Purana. A demon named Hayagriva with a horse face, son of Kasyapa Prajapati, performed severe penance and obtained a blessing from the goddess Durga, who could only be killed by another “Hayagriva” and no one else. After getting this boon, he became arrogant and began to wreak havoc on Devaloka.
As always, the unhappy Devas turned to Sri Vishnu to free themselves from the devilish and cruel demon. But the blessing proved to be too powerful even for Sri Vishnu, since it was given for nothing less than the Supreme Goddess.
Even after a long and fierce battle, the Hayagriva demon remained invincible, but the battle fell in Vishnu and he went to Vaikunta to recover and restore his power and strength. It is said that he was sitting in Padmasana, his head on the floor. upper end of his bow stretched and was absorbed in deep meditation (Yoganidra).
The Devas wanted Him to resume the battle but but none could arouse Vishnu from His yoganidra.So,Brahma thought of a plan .He created termites that would gnaw at the bowstring and when the string broke , the resonant sound created, would surely wake up the Lord.
The Devas wanted the battle to restart, but no one could evoke Sri Vishnu out of his yoganidra. Then Brahma thought of a plan. He created termites that would gnaw at the bow string and when the rope breaks, the resonant sound will surely wake up the Lord.
The rope broke with the tremendous sound that resonated throughout the universe, but because of the force with which it broke, Sri Vishnu’s head separated from his body and fell into Lavan Sagar . Brama’s plan failed and caused total disaster. The Devas were distressed and dismayed at the calamity.
His only hope now was to invoke the mother goddess, who had always protected them in case of urgent need, again and again. Then they prayed and asked for help.
Delighted with their prayers, she assured them that this incident had a divine purpose. Sri Visnu would regain his form once this goal is reached.
She asked them to attach the head of a horse to Sri Vishnu’s neck, which would later become a “Hayagreeva” and, therefore, a position to kill the demon.
As a result, Brahma attached the head of a white horse to Sri Vishnu’s body and the revived Vishnu destroyed the demon. Later, he resumed his usual form.
The incarnation, Hayagreeva, was, however, worshipped and revered as the personification of all knowledge (Jnananandmayam devam), speaking, vidya (education) – of all kinds (adhaaram sarva vidyanam) – a victory, the brilliance of wisdom on the darkness of ignorance and the supremacy of the divine over the demonic.
Ezoic
Sri Hayagriva Slokam:
“Jnananand mayam devam nirmala sphatikakriteem
Adhaaram sarvavidyanaam hayagreevam upasmahe.”
In Hinduism, Hayagriva or Hayagreeva is also considered an Avatar of Lord Vishnu. He is worshiped as the God of knowledge and wisdom, with a human body and a horse’s head, brilliant white in color, with white garments and seated on a white lotus. Symbolically, the story represents the triumph of pure knowledge, guided by the hand of God, over the demonic forces of passion and darkness.
There are several stories about this unique avatar of Lord Vishnu.
One of the versions is that Vishnu revealed the Vedas to Brahma at the time of creation. Realizing the power of these Vedas, two demons Madhu and Kaitabha stole the Vedas from Brahma and hid them at the bottom of the ocean. When Brahma sought Vishnu’s help to retrieve the sacred texts, Vishnu took the Hayagreeva form, killed the two demons and returned the Vedas to Brahma.
Another very interesting version is found in Devi Bhagawat Purana .A demon named Hayagriva (one with the face of a horse), son of Kashyapa Prajapati, performed severe penance and obtained a boon from Goddess Durga, that he could be killed only by another “Hayagriva” and none other. Having got this boon, he grew arrogant and started creating havoc in Devaloka. The hapless Devas, as usual, turned to Vishnu for deliverance from the evil and cruel demon. But the boon proved too powerful even to Vishnu as it was given by none other than the Supreme Goddess.
Even after a prolonged and fierce battle, the demon Hayagriva remained invincible. But the battle took its toll on Vishnu. He proceeded to Vaikuntha to recuperate and replenish His power and strength. It is said that He sat in Padmasana with His head resting on the upper end of His taut bow and got engrossed in deep meditation (Yoganidra).
The Devas wanted Him to resume the battle but none could arouse Vishnu from His yoganidra. So, Brahma thought of a plan. He created termites that would gnaw at the bowstring and when the string broke, the resonant sound created, would surely wake up the Lord.
The string snapped with the tremendous sound that reverberated through the entire universe, but because of the force with which it snapped, Vishnu’s head got severed from His body and fell into Lavan Sagar .Brahma’s plan had backfired and resulted in total disaster. The Devas were distressed and dismayed at the calamity. Their only hope now, was to invoke the Mother Goddess. She had always protected them in times of dire need, time and again. So they prayed to Her and sought Her gracious help. Pleased with their prayers She assured them that there was a divine purpose behind this incident. Vishnu would get His form back once this purpose was achieved.
She instructed them to attach the head of a horse to Vishnu’s neck, who would then become a “Hayagriva” and therefore in a position to slay the demon. Accordingly, Brahma attached the head of a white horse To Vishnu’s body and the revived Vishnu destroyed the demon. Later He resumed His usual form. The incarnation, Hayagriva, however, came to be worshiped and revered as very personification of all knowledge (Jnananandmayam devam), speech, vidya(education)- of all types (adharma sarva vidyanam) —- a victory, of brightness of wisdom over darkness of ignorance and the supremacy of the divine over the demoniac.
Hayagrīva is a very important deity in the Vaishnava tradition. His blessings are sought when beginning study of both sacred and secular subjects. Special worship is conducted on the day of the full moon in August (Śravaṇa-Paurṇamī) (his avatāra-dina) and on Mahanavami, the ninth day of the festival. He is also hailed as “Hayashirasa”. Hayaśirṣa means haya=Horse, śhiraṣa=Head.
In IAST
Jñānānanda mayaṃ devam nirmala sphaṭikākṛtiṃ
Ādhāraṃ sarvavidyānaṃ hayagrīvaṃ upāsmahe
In Devanāgarī
ज्ञानानन्द मयं देवं निर्मल स्फटिकाकृतिं
आधारं सर्वविद्यानं हयग्रीवं उपास्महे
This verse is originally from the Pañcarātra Agamas but is now popularly prefixed to the Hayagrīva Stotram of the 13th century poet-philosopher Vedanta desika. It is very popular among devotees of Hayagrīva.
Vedanta desika’s dhyāna-śloka (meditative verse) on Hayagrīva typifies this deity’s depiction in Hindu iconography:
He has four lotus hands, with one in the mode of bestowing knowledge another holds books of wisdom, and the other two hold the Conch and Discus. His beauty, like fresh cut crystal, is an auspicious brilliance that never decays. May this Lord of speech who showers such cooling rays of grace on me be forever manifest in my heart! In the Mahāvairocana-sūtra [Sutra of the Great Sun] translated and copied in 1796 by I-hsing it says: “Beneath the buddhas is Hayagrīva. His body is the color of the sun at dawn. He wears flaming effulgence and skulls as a garland. His nails are long and sharp; his face shows a pair of bare tiger’s fangs. His hair is that of a burning lion’s mane. He is awesomely powerful and fierce! This is the fierce Vidyaraja [wrathful vehicle] of the Lotus section. He is just like a horse-jewel of a Chakravarti that wanders the four continents, nowhere and never does he rest, having all the great and terrible force of all the Buddhas’. This is his nature, and therefore he possesses this terrible and all-mighty light. Amidst the greatest obstacles of death and evil he is without the slightest care for his own welfare, his conspicuous and uncommon gallantry, intrepidity, and wrath is legendary among the gods, and therefore he easily and quickly vanquishes all who oppose him! Many others submit to him at first sight! This is because though he is fierce and terrible; his heart is full of compassion (unbiased, dispassionate understanding).” — Hayagrīva Stotram, v.32
Lord Hayagriva – The Lesser Known Incarnation of MahavishnuLater on Hayagriva is referred to as the “Horse necked one”, Defender of faith”, the “Terrible executioner”, the “Excellent Horse”, and the “Aerial horse”.
This said, the Horse god is seen as pulling the sun up to the heavens every day, bringing light to darkness. Marici represents the essence of the power of creation of the cosmos. Hayagriva represents the manifestation of yin/in as the power and action of the cosmos manifested as action. This is the very definition of Tantra, that of action.
In several other sources he is a white horse who pulls the sun into the sky every morning. In others such as the great epic Taraka-battle where the gods are fallen on and attacked by the Danav’s [demons], Vishnu appears as great ferocious warrior called Hayagriva when he comes to their aid. It says;
“Hayagriva appears in his chariot, drawn by 1,000 powerful steeds, crushing the enemies of the gods beneath him!”
There are many other references to Hayagriva throughout the Mahabharata. It is said that Vishnu comes from battle as a conqueror in the magnificent mystic from of the great and terrible Hayagriva;
“The great Hayagriva having been praised in this way by the different saints and ascetics, assumes a great white horses head. The verda’s [mantras] made up his shape, his body built of all the great gods; in the middle of his head was Shiva, in his heart was Brahma, god of heaven; the rays of sun were his mane, the sun and moon his eyes; the Vashu’s and Sādhya’s were his legs, in all his bones were the gods. Agni was his tongue, the goddess Saraswati his speech, while his knees were formed by the maruts and varuna. Having assumed this form, an awesome wonder to behold to the gods, he vanquished the asura, and cast them down, with eyes that were red with anger.”
Invariably, Hayagriva is depicted seated, most often with his right hand either blessing the supplicant or in the Vyakhya mudra pose of teaching. The right hand also usually holds an aksha-maalaa (rosary), indicating his identification with meditative knowledge. His left holds a book, indicating his role as a teacher. His face is always serene and peaceful, if not smiling. Unlike his Buddhist counterpart, there is no hint of a fearsome side in the Hindu description of this deity. Indeed, the two deities seem to be totally unrelated to one another.
In Hinduism, Hayagriva or Hayagreeva is also considered an Avatar of Lord Vishnu. He is worshiped as the God of knowledge and wisdom, with a human body and a horse’s head, brilliant white in color, with white garments and seated on a white lotus. Symbolically, the story represents the triumph of pure knowledge, guided by the hand of God, over the demonic forces of passion and darkness.
There are several stories about this unique avatar of Lord Vishnu.
One of the versions is that Vishnu revealed the Vedas to Brahma at the time of creation. Realizing the power of these Vedas, two demons Madhu and Kaitabha stole the Vedas from Brahma and hid them at the bottom of the ocean. When Brahma sought Vishnu’s help to retrieve the sacred texts, Vishnu took the Hayagreeva form, killed the two demons and returned the Vedas to Brahma.
Another very interesting version is found in Devi Bhagawat Purana .A demon named Hayagriva (one with the face of a horse), son of Kashyapa Prajapati, performed severe penance and obtained a boon from Goddess Durga, that he could be killed only by another “Hayagriva” and none other. Having got this boon, he grew arrogant and started creating havoc in Devaloka. The hapless Devas, as usual, turned to Vishnu for deliverance from the evil and cruel demon. But the boon proved too powerful even to Vishnu as it was given by none other than the Supreme Goddess.
Even after a prolonged and fierce battle, the demon Hayagriva remained invincible. But the battle took its toll on Vishnu. He proceeded to Vaikuntha to recuperate and replenish His power and strength. It is said that He sat in Padmasana with His head resting on the upper end of His taut bow and got engrossed in deep meditation (Yoganidra).
The Devas wanted Him to resume the battle but none could arouse Vishnu from His yoganidra. So, Brahma thought of a plan. He created termites that would gnaw at the bowstring and when the string broke, the resonant sound created, would surely wake up the Lord.
The string snapped with the tremendous sound that reverberated through the entire universe, but because of the force with which it snapped, Vishnu’s head got severed from His body and fell into Lavan Sagar .Brahma’s plan had backfired and resulted in total disaster. The Devas were distressed and dismayed at the calamity. Their only hope now, was to invoke the Mother Goddess. She had always protected them in times of dire need, time and again. So they prayed to Her and sought Her gracious help. Pleased with their prayers She assured them that there was a divine purpose behind this incident. Vishnu would get His form back once this purpose was achieved.
She instructed them to attach the head of a horse to Vishnu’s neck, who would then become a “Hayagriva” and therefore in a position to slay the demon. Accordingly, Brahma attached the head of a white horse To Vishnu’s body and the revived Vishnu destroyed the demon. Later He resumed His usual form. The incarnation, Hayagriva, however, came to be worshiped and revered as very personification of all knowledge (Jnananandmayam devam), speech, vidya(education)- of all types (adharma sarva vidyanam) —- a victory, of brightness of wisdom over darkness of ignorance and the supremacy of the divine over the demoniac.
Hayagrīva is a very important deity in the Vaishnava tradition. His blessings are sought when beginning study of both sacred and secular subjects. Special worship is conducted on the day of the full moon in August (Śravaṇa-Paurṇamī) (his avatāra-dina) and on Mahanavami, the ninth day of the festival. He is also hailed as “Hayashirasa”. Hayaśirṣa means haya=Horse, śhiraṣa=Head.
This verse is originally from the Pañcarātra Agamas but is now popularly prefixed to the Hayagrīva Stotram of the 13th century poet-philosopher Vedanta desika. It is very popular among devotees of Hayagrīva.
Vedanta desika’s dhyāna-śloka (meditative verse) on Hayagrīva typifies this deity’s depiction in Hindu iconography:
He has four lotus hands, with one in the mode of bestowing knowledge another holds books of wisdom, and the other two hold the Conch and Discus. His beauty, like fresh cut crystal, is an auspicious brilliance that never decays. May this Lord of speech who showers such cooling rays of grace on me be forever manifest in my heart! In the Mahāvairocana-sūtra [Sutra of the Great Sun] translated and copied in 1796 by I-hsing it says: “Beneath the buddhas is Hayagrīva. His body is the color of the sun at dawn. He wears flaming effulgence and skulls as a garland. His nails are long and sharp; his face shows a pair of bare tiger’s fangs. His hair is that of a burning lion’s mane. He is awesomely powerful and fierce! This is the fierce Vidyaraja [wrathful vehicle] of the Lotus section. He is just like a horse-jewel of a Chakravarti that wanders the four continents, nowhere and never does he rest, having all the great and terrible force of all the Buddhas’. This is his nature, and therefore he possesses this terrible and all-mighty light. Amidst the greatest obstacles of death and evil he is without the slightest care for his own welfare, his conspicuous and uncommon gallantry, intrepidity, and wrath is legendary among the gods, and therefore he easily and quickly vanquishes all who oppose him! Many others submit to him at first sight! This is because though he is fierce and terrible; his heart is full of compassion (unbiased, dispassionate understanding).” — Hayagrīva Stotram, v.32
Lord Hayagriva – The Lesser Known Incarnation of MahavishnuLater on Hayagriva is referred to as the “Horse necked one”, Defender of faith”, the “Terrible executioner”, the “Excellent Horse”, and the “Aerial horse”.
This said, the Horse god is seen as pulling the sun up to the heavens every day, bringing light to darkness. Marici represents the essence of the power of creation of the cosmos. Hayagriva represents the manifestation of yin/in as the power and action of the cosmos manifested as action. This is the very definition of Tantra, that of action.
In several other sources he is a white horse who pulls the sun into the sky every morning. In others such as the great epic Taraka-battle where the gods are fallen on and attacked by the Danav’s [demons], Vishnu appears as great ferocious warrior called Hayagriva when he comes to their aid. It says;
“Hayagriva appears in his chariot, drawn by 1,000 powerful steeds, crushing the enemies of the gods beneath him!”
There are many other references to Hayagriva throughout the Mahabharata. It is said that Vishnu comes from battle as a conqueror in the magnificent mystic from of the great and terrible Hayagriva;
“The great Hayagriva having been praised in this way by the different saints and ascetics, assumes a great white horses head. The verda’s [mantras] made up his shape, his body built of all the great gods; in the middle of his head was Shiva, in his heart was Brahma, god of heaven; the rays of sun were his mane, the sun and moon his eyes; the Vashu’s and Sādhya’s were his legs, in all his bones were the gods. Agni was his tongue, the goddess Saraswati his speech, while his knees were formed by the maruts and varuna. Having assumed this form, an awesome wonder to behold to the gods, he vanquished the asura, and cast them down, with eyes that were red with anger.”
Invariably, Hayagriva is depicted seated, most often with his right hand either blessing the supplicant or in the Vyakhya mudra pose of teaching. The right hand also usually holds an aksha-maalaa (rosary), indicating his identification with meditative knowledge. His left holds a book, indicating his role as a teacher. His face is always serene and peaceful, if not smiling. Unlike his Buddhist counterpart, there is no hint of a fearsome side in the Hindu description of this deity. Indeed, the two deities seem to be totally unrelated to one another.
Hayagriva is sometimes worshiped in a solitary pose of meditation, as in the Shri Krishna mutt temple of sode paryaya.
Story Lord Hayagriva – Less known form of Lord Vishnu
Brahmanda Puranam, Devi Puranam and Garuda Puranam describes Lord Hayagreeva as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu . Lord Hayagreeva is the Horse faced Lord and Epitome of Intelligence. He is the Guru of Goddess Saraswathy – Lord of Wisdom. Chanting of hundred and eight names of Lord Hayagreeva helps to activate the nerves in the brain which perform the function of memory power . Worship of Lord Hayagreeva needs utmost devotion, hygiene, dedication etc.. like worship of Sivalingam, Lord Narasimha and Anjaneya. Lord Hayagreeva worshipped as Spatika Akruthi (shape).
Story of Lord Hayagrivam According to Devi Puranam – Shakti Purana
In the Sakta tradition of Hinduism, Hayagriva occupies a different role. Here, a demon named Hayagriva first appears as son of Kashyapa Prajapati. Through great penance the demon managed to obtain a boon from the Goddess Durga that he can only be killed by another “Hayagriva”. This instilled a sense of invincibility and he started harassing the Devas. The Devas turned to Vishnu for aid, but despite a long struggle he was also unable to kill Hayagriva.
Tired and drained after the battle, Vishnu proceeded to Vaikuntha Dham to rejuvenate and meditate in padamaasna (a yoga posture) with his head supported by the upper end of his taut bow. The Devas once again approached Vishnu for help against Hayagriva but were unable to rouse him from his meditation. The Devas asked a swarm of termites to assist in waking Vishnu by gnawing away the string of the bow upon which he was resting. However, the snapping of the bow string produced such a resonant sound that the universe trembled, and the broken string lashed out with such force that Vishnu’s head was severed from his body.
The Devas were mortified, and prayed to the goddess Durga for guidance. Durga was pleased with their prayers and told the Devas that they need not fear, as no incident in this universe was without some purpose. She then told them of her boon to Hayagriva and asked them to attach the head of a horse to Vishnu so that he in the guise of “Hayagriva” (that is, one with a horse’s neck) could kill his foe.
Brahma attached the head of a white horse to Vishnu’s body and the revived Vishnu entered into battle with Hayagriva and eventually killed him.
According to some Vishnu and Brahma puranas
Another legend has it that during the creation, the demons Madhu and Kaitabha stole the Vedas from Brahma, and Vishnu then took the Hayagriva form to recover them. The two bodies of Madhu and Kaitabh disintegrated into 2 times 6 — which is twelve pieces (two heads, two torsos, four arms and four legs). These are considered to represent the twelve seismic plates of the Earth. Yet another legend has it that during the creation, Vishnu compiled the Vedas in the Hayagriva form.
Another Version of Same story was – When the destruction of the earth was going on and then a demon named HayaGreeva was memorizing all the vedas to become immortal – then Lord Vishnu cut his head where all the Vedas are stored and he himself took that head had with him safely and returned to Brahma to continue the Creation –
Some consider Hayagriva to be one of the Dashavatars of Vishnu.
He along with Krishna, Rama and Narasimha is considered to be an important avatar of Vishnu.
In Pancha mukhi Hanuman (five Head)one of the five heads is considered to be Hayagriva( some times shown as horse head and sometimes shown as normal human head.
Lord Hayagreev’s Sannithanam is there in Srirangam Temple. Hayagreev in Srirangam is very famous for children’s education. The sannithanam is very beautiful and all rituals done according to vedic principles very strictly.
Story of Hayagreeva Incarnation of Lord Vishnu
After this, goddess spoke through her voice she said , dear deities I am very happy with the praise of the Vedas. You do not need to worry. There are two reasons why Lord Vishnu’s head is cut, first of all, once Lakshmi ji had told him to become headless, because Vishnu ji was laughing after seeing Lakshmi ji. The second reason is to end the monster named Hayagriva. There is a monster named Hayagriva. He did penance for 1000 years after renouncing food and water. At that time this monster had subdued all his senses and used to chant only one of my single lettered mantra. He did such austere penance to get a glimpse of my Tamasi form, then I Parashakti revealed in front of this monster in my Tamasi form.
Seeing the Goddess appear in front of him, this monster was very pleased and stood up. He began to revolve around that form of mine and praised me. I asked him to ask for the desired boon. Then she said Goddess I want to be immortal. Hearing his words, my Tamasi energy said , demon hayagreeva t death is for everyone in the world , this is the rule. I will not break this rule, that is why you should consider asking for another boon. After that the monster asked hoon from me that, he should die only by the hands of Lord Hayagreeva. Then I gave him the boon of getting death from the hands of hayagreeva.
At this moment, the same monster is missing his powers and causing suffering Brahmins, Gods and sages. In order to free everyone from the tyranny of this monster, it is necessary to have the head of Lord Vishnu replaced with the head of horse. That is why his head is cut today. Lord Brahma, you cut off the head of a horse and put it on Vishnu’s body, this will lead to his hayagriva incarnation and he will end that hayagriva monster. Saying this, the goddess disappeared. After this, Brahma Ji cut off the horse’s head with his sword and placed it on Lord Vishnu’s body and at that moment Lord Vishnu woke up and stood in front of gods. In this way there was a Hayagriva incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Once upon a time, Lord Vishnu fought a fierce battle for 10,000 years. After this war, he got tired and came to his Vaikuntha slept with his bow as support. At the same time the plan to perform the yajna by the gods was going on and they came to Vaikuntha along with Brahma and Shiva to meet Lord Vishnu. There, they saw that Lord Vishnu was in deep sleep. Thinking that the sleeping person should not be disturbed, those people stood there. But even after a long time, Lord Vishnu did not wake up from sleep, then after thinking they decided to awaken Lord Vishnu . Then Brahma created a worm and asked it to awaken Lord Vishnu. The worm cut the string of the bow, thinking that this work will give it the remainants from tha yjana in future as said by brahma. A terrible sound was produced after cutting the string of the bow and darkness enveloped all around.
When after some time the darkness gradually subsided, the gods saw that Lord Vishnu’s head was not on his body. Then the gods became very worried, seeing the gods in worry, Brahma Ji said, Gods don’t worry, whatever happens in the world, some reason is there behind it, there is no action without reason. We will worship Goddess Parashakti, surely she will solve this problem. Having said this, Brahma Ji ordered the Vedas to praise the goddess. When the Vedas praised the goddess, the goddess was very pleased.
After this, terrible war broke out between horse headed incarnation Hayagriva of Lord Vishnu and that monster named Hayagriva. It was not so easy to kill him, Lord Vishnu fought with him for a long time, later according to the boon of Goddess Jagadamba, by the hands of Lord Hayagreeva ,life of demon hayagreeva came to an end.