Hayagriva
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since February 2007. |
Contents |
[edit] Hinduism
In Hinduism, Hayagriva (also Hayagreeva) is an avatar of Vishnu. He is worshipped 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. Hayagriva is celebrated in the Puranas for rescuing the Vedas from the demons Madhu and Kaitabha and teaching them again to Brahma. Symbolically, the story of Hayagriva represents the triumph of pure knowledge, guided by the hand of God, over the demonic forces of passion and darkness.
Hayagriva 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.
jnAna-Ananda-mayam devam nirmala-sphaTikAkRtim
AdhAram sarvavidyAnAm hayagrIvam upAsmahe.
This verse, originally found in the Pancaratra Agamas, is popular among devotees of Hayagriva.
[edit] Hindu Iconography
Vedanta Desika's loving meditation on Hayagriva 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! -- Hayagriva Stotram, v.32
Invariably, Hayagriva 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.
Hayagriva is sometimes worshipped in a solitary pose of meditation, as in the Tiruvahindrapuram temple. This form is known as Yoga-Hayagriva. However, he is most commonly worshipped along with his consort Lakshmi and is known as Lakshmi-Hayagriva. Hayagriva in this form is the presiding deity of Mysore's Parakala Matham, a significant Srivaishnava monastic institution.
[edit] Buddhism
In Tibetan Buddhism, Hayagriva is a wrathful manifestation of Avalokiteshvara. There are believed to be 108 forms of Hayagriva. His special ability is to cure diseases, especially skin diseases even as serious as leprosy, which is said[Please name specific person or group] to be caused by the Nagas (water spirits with serpent bodies).
It is rumoured that Tibetan horse-dealers worship Hayagriva because he is believed to frighten away demons by neighing like a horse. When invoked, he is said[Please name specific person or group] to announce his coming by neighing, which accounts for the presence of a horse’s head, his distinctive mark, in his head-dress. The horse’s head neighs loudly, and the sound is said[Please name specific person or group] to pierce all false appearances of substantiality, revealing the shining reality of freedom.
[edit] Buddhist Iconography
In his simplest form he is depicted with one face, two arms and two legs. Everything about him is terrific-his scowling face with three glaring eyes, his roaring mouth with protruding fangs, his pose of warrior’s aggressiveness, his broad belly bulging with inner energy, his sword raised threateningly in his right hand, his left hand raised in a threatening gesture and his snake ornaments. His beautiful, terrific aspect expresses compassion’s fierce determination to help us overcome inner egotistic addictions and outer obstructions if any.
[edit] References
- Wrathful Guardians of Buddhism - Aesthetics and Mythology
- Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna L. Dallapiccola
- Sri Viswaroopa Panchamukha Hanuman with Hayagriva as one of the faces
[edit] External links
| Hinduism | Dashavatara of Vishnu |  |
|---|---|
| Matsya | Kurma | Varaha | Narasimha | Vamana | Parashurama | Rama | Krishna | Balarama | Buddha | Kalki |
