The history of Hayagriva

 Last week was the jayanti or birth anniversary of one of the greatest saints of the Madhwa parampare.  The saint was a philosopher par excellence and also a composer of extraordinary ability.

A disciple of Vyasa Raja or Vyasa Theertha, he was a strident proponent of Madhwa Siddantha and he is more remembered today for his many steps to streamline the administration of the Krishna Temple in Udupi.

Having lived for 120 years, he was the first Madhwa saint to enter Brindavana alive. His Brindavana is in Sode in Sirsi taluk and today draws a large number of people from all over the world.

This seer is none other than Vadiraja Theertha, popularly called Rajaru by millions of  his devote. Born in 1480 in a small hamlet set in verdant paddy fields in Hoovinakere, he strode across the earth till 1600 when he entered Brindavana.

Vadiraja is known for his devotion to Hayagriva, an avatar of Vishnu. Hayagriva is generally depicted as a God with the head of the horse. Vadiraja has picturised  with the horse god eating the prasada or Hayagreeva, a sweet dish.

What or who is Hayagreeva and what is his place in Hindu mythology. Let us examine some aspects related to the Horse God. Interestingly, Hayagriva is not only mentioned in the Hindu text but in Buddhist works also and he is a god not only in India but in several countries of South East Asia, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Japan and China.

The word Hayagriva is a Sanskrit term and it is also spelt as Hayagreeva.  Considered to be an avatar of Vishnu, Haya in Sanskrit means horse and Griva neck.

Hayagrīva is associated with knowledge, learning and wisdom. The horse head is pure white in colour and the god is seated on a lotus. White represents purity, wisdom and  truth and Hayagriva is invested with the character of  one who swept away darkness and passion and lit up the world.

Interestingly, it was not Vadiraja who first spoke or wrote about Hayagriva. The name goes back to more than 2000 years ago when the Aryans began worshipping many animals including cow, elephant, horse. The Aryans attributed speed, intelligence and strength to a horse.

In the Vedas, particularly Rg Veda, there are numerous references and hymns dedicated to a horse or a steed. In many of them, the horse is related to the Sun.

Many legends of the Hayagriva are found in the Mahabharata and the Puranas too. In Devi Bhagavatha, Hayagriva is a horse demon defeated by Vishnu.

In the Skanda Purana, the story of Vishnu-Hayagriva is related in chapter 14-15 of Dharmaranyakhanda. In the Vamana Purana, Prahalada worships Hayagriva at Asvatheertha near Kanauj. This Purana also speaks of  the worship of Hayagriva in different regions of India, including Assam and in the Krishna (river) regions. The Nilamata Purana refers to Hayagriva in the Kashmir region.

The Matysa Purana says Hayagriva avatar preceded Matysa avatar. However, the Vaman Purana contradicts this and says Hayavadana is the third incarnation of Vishnu. The Garuda Purana places Hayagriva after Datta.

In the Sanatkumara Samhita (Sanat Kumara was one of the four spiritual sons of Brahma), Hayagriva is placed alongside Surya and Chandra .

The Pancharatna agamas also mention Hayagriva. The agamas are a body of  religious-cum-philosophical literature which trace their origins too the Vedas.

The Visvaksena allots a northern direction to the world occupied by Lord Hayagriva. This is the Hayagriva Loka. The Naradiya Samhita also allots a similar world to Hayagriva.

The Hayagriva Upanishat belongs to the Atharvana Veda. This tells us about the benefits of chanting mantas relating to Hayagriva.

The Tantras also mention Hayagriva. The Meru Tantra gives us information on several aspects relating to Hayagriva. The Yogini Tantra deals with the power of the Hayagriva.

The agamas have an exclusive work devoted to minor gods and it is called Hayasira Samhita. It is here that we find mention of Hayagriva, who scholars say, is a minor avatar of Vishnu. The avatar of Hayagriva is believed to have come about on a full moon day in August (Shravana-Pournami ) and on the ninth day of  Navaratri.

There is a verse in the Pancharatna Agama that deals with the Hayagriva. It says.....

"jñānānanda mayaṃ devaṃ nirmala sphaṭikākṛtiṃ
ādhāraṃ sarvavidyānaṃ hayagrīvaṃ upāsmahe."

This verse is now the prefix to the Hayagriva Stotra of the renowned 13th-century Srivaishnava poet-philosopher Nigamanta Mahadesika popularly known as Vedanta Desika (1268-1370). The Stotra is one of the earliest compositions of Vedanta Desika.

Consisting of  32 slokas, it is a beautiful hymn on the attributes of Hayagriva. It is said that it was Garuda himself who appeared before him and taught the Hayagriva Mantra.

He says,

Visheshavitparishadeshu natha: vidagdhagoshthisamaranganeshu |

Jigishato me kavitarkikakendran jihvagrasimhasanamabhyupeya. ||

For Vedanta Desika,  his Hayagriva has four lotus hands, with one bestowing knowledge; another holding books of wisdom. The other two hands hold the Conch and Discus.

Vadiraja in his Hayagriva Sampada stotra, says

hayagreeva hayagreeva hayagreeveti vaadinam |
naram munchanti paapaani daridramiva yoshitah ||1||

hayagreeva hayagreeva hayagreeveti yo vadet.
tasya nihsarate vaanee jahnu kanyaapravaahavat ||2||

hayagreeva hayagreeva hayagreeveti yo dhvanih |
vishobhate cha vaikunTa kavaatodghaatanakshamaH ||3||

shloka trayamidam punyam hayagreevapadaankitam |
vaadiraaja yatiproktam pathataam sampadaam padam.||4||

Itee Shri Madvadiraja Poojya Charana Virachitha
Hayagreeva Sampada Stotram Sampurnam.

Apart from these two stotras, we can find Hayagriva stotra in the Garuda Purana. This is part of a chapter on Hayagriva Pooja Vidhi.

The other stotra is in Skanda Purana and it is part of Brahma Khanda, Hayagriva Upakhyana.

In Buddhism, Hayagriva is depicted as a fierce and awesome god whose wrath knows no bounds. In the Mahavairocana-sutra, Hayagriva is described as one wearing a garland of skulls. Here, he is a Krodha Vighnantaka. For the Buddhists, Hayagriva is an avatar of Bodhisattava.

It is interesting to note that Hayagriva transformed from a Brahminical God of knowledge and purity to a fierce and intimidating God of the Buddhists. This transformation is traced by Robert H Van Gulik in his work: "Hayagriva: The Mantrayana aspect of a Horse Cult in China and Japan".

Another Buddhist work where Hayagriva is mentioned is the Dharma Samgraha-a collection of ancient Buddhist texts.

Hayagriva is depicted as a Horse God in several temples of India. One of the best representations is in the Lakshmana temple in Khajuraho. Built by the Chandela Kings, the outer wall of this temple has images of over 600 gods. It is entirely dedicated to Vishnu.

The first ever historical representation of Hayagriva can be found in several sculptures belonging to the pre-Gupta period. One of the earliest such sculptures can be seen in the Bharat Kala Bhavan museum in Varanasi.

Another pre-Gupta idol of Hayagriva can be seen in a museum in Mathura. The image of Hayagriva is depicted in the Vishwaroopa sculptures of Deogarh, Mandasor, Samalji and Kanauj.

Closer home, we can see images of Hayagriva in the Hoysala temple at Nuggahalli near Mysore. The Hayagriva which Desika so eloquently wrote about can be seen in Tiruvendipuram in Cudddalore district of Tamil Nadu. Since he is meditating, the horse God here is also called Yoga Hayagriva.

There are idols dedicated to Hayagriva in the Ranganatha Temple in Srirangam and in the Vaikunta Perumal temple in Kanchi.

By the way, the presiding diety of Parkala Matha of Mysore is Hayagriva.

In Tibet, Hayagriva was initially worshipped by horse dealers. Hayagriva came to Tibet, thanks to Atisha (980-1054), the Indian scholar from Bengal who was instrumental in spreading Buddhism in Tibet and other countries such as Sumatra.

Some other temples dedicated to Hayagrive in India are at Tank Bund Road in Gandhinagar, Bangalore: lakshmi Hayagriva Temple at Nanganallur in Chennai: Chettypunyam Hayagriva Temple in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, Hayagriva Temple, North Mada Street, Tirumala and Lakshmi Hayagriva Temple at Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

Of course, who can forget the famous Hayagriva  Madhawa  Temple in Manikuta, Hajo near Guwahati, Assam. This temple is revered by both Hindus and Buddhists.

There are temples dedicated to Hayagriva in Yadagirigutta and Mahaboob Nagar in Andhra Pradesh, Madurai in Tamil Nadu and there is one in Pondicherry.

The world's first love letter

One of the first love letters in the world is to a God in India and this letter finds mention in the Puranas. The letter is as old as the Mahabharata and this makes it more than 3500 years old.

This is why the letter must rank as one of the first love letters and this is from Rukmini to Krishna.

The letter is often described as eulogy of love and it was carried to Krishna by a Brahmin messenger of Rukmini. This messenger was Sunanda, who in his next birth, was reborn as the great Madhwa saint Vadiraja Theertha (1480-1600) of Sode.

Sunanda carried the beautiful letter all the way from Central India to Dwaraka where Krishna was residing. This letter appears in the tenth book and fifty second chapter of the Bhagavatha Purana.

The letter has an interesting background.

Bhishmaka, the King of Vidharbha in Central India, decided to get his daughter Rukmini married. Rukmini, who had only heard of Krishna, had mentally accepted Krishna as her husband. She decides to marry Krishna but her brother, Rukmi, wants her to marry Sisupala.

Both Sisupala and Rukmi hate Krishna. Unable to extricate herself  from her proposed marriage to Sisupala, Rukmini writes a letter to Krishna extolling his qualities and expressing her desire to marry him.

She then selects Sunanda, an elderly Brahmin, to deliver her message to Krishna.

Rukmini’s letter reveals her devotion and love to Krishna. When Sunanda reaches Dwaraka with the letter, he tells the doorkeeper of the palace where Krishna resides of his mission. The doorkeeper lead him to Lord Krishna, who was sitting on a throne.

When Sunanda hands over the letter to Krishna, he reads it out. He then thanks the messenger for the letter and tells him that even he wants to marry Rukmini.

When Krishna hears that Rukmini’s marriage is scheduled for the following day, he decides to leave for Vidarbha immediately and he requests the Brahamin messenger to accompany him.

Both Krishna and the Brahmin reach the town of Kundina where Rukmini is slate to get married against her will.

Krishna’s elder brother, Balarama, is alarmed when he receives the news that Krishna is accompanied only by a Brahmin. Suspecting an attack on Krishna,  he rides with hi army towards Kundina.

Meanwhile, Krishna reaches Kundina. He sends the Brahmin inside the palace of Rukmini to let her know that he had arrived and that he has an escape plan for them. When Rukmini sees the Brahmin, she asks whether or not Krishna has come.

The Brahmin tells Rukmini that Krishna has come and that he will marry her and take her away to Dwaraka.

When King Bhismaka hears that Krishna and Balarama had come, he invites them to the marriage ceremony of  Rukmini with Sishupala. He is, however, unaware that Krishna plans to kidnap Rukmini and marry her.  

Krishna carries off Rukmini to Dwaraka in a charriot, even as Balarama and his army hold off Sisupala, his friend and Emperor of Magadha, Jarasandha, Rukmi and others are hot on the heels of India’s first couple, who before their marriage, exchanged perhaps the first love letters in the world.        

The twenty eight Veda Vyasas

Veda Vyasa is one of the holiest figures in India. He is the man who divided the Vedas into four and taught four of his principal disciples one each.

He taught Paila the Rig Veda: Vaishampayana the Yajur Veda, Jaimini the Sama Veda and Sumantu the Atharva Veda. He then taught the Puranas to Lomaharshana.

Veda Vyasa is also credited with having written the Mahabharata. He is also the narrator of the world’s greatest epic and also a figure in it.

He is also called Krishna Dvaipayana-the word Dvaipayana refers to his complexion and also the place of his birth- and is a scribe of both the Vedas and the Puranas.

Vyasa is also considered to be the kala-avatara or part-incarnation of Vishnu himself. Madhwacharya equated him with Badarayana, the compiler of the Vedanta Sutras. He is also considered to be one of the seven Chiranjivis (long lived or immortals), who are still in existence. Shaivites consider him to be the fourth rishi of the Adwaitha Parampare of which Shankara is the chief proponent. He is one of the few to have a festival after him. It is called Guru Poornima or Vyasa Poornima. This is the day on which Vyasa was born and also the day on which he divided the Vedas.

Vyasa was grandfather to the both the Pandavas and th Kauravas. Both Pandu, father of the Pandavas, and Dhritarashtra, father of Kauravas, were his sons as was Vidura.

Madhwacharya went to Badari twice and met Veda Vyasa and Narayana too. It was Veda Vyasa who taught him the holy scriptures which later came down to us in the form of   Dwaitha philosophy.

The Srimadhwavijaya by Narayana Panditacharya has given us perhaps the most evocative and comprehensive description of Vyasa and Hari himself as seen by Madhwa. Several chapters in the work are devoted to the description of Vyasa.  

Veda Vyasa is born every Dwapara Yuga to divide the Vedas and disseminate their knowledge. In the present era, there have been twenty-eight dwapara yugas and, therefore, there are twenty-eight individuals who have held the title of Veda Vyasa.

The Kurma Purana gives the names of these 28 as:

(1) Svayambhuva Manu.

(2) Prajapati.

(3) Ushana.

(4) Brihaspati.

(5) Savita.

(6) Mrityu.

(7) Indra.

(8) Vashishtha.

(9) Sarasvata.

(10) Tridhama.

(11) Rishabha.

(12) Suteja.

(13) Dharma.

(14) Sachakshu.

(15) Trayaruni.

(16) Dhananjaya.

(17) Kritanjaya.

(18) Ritanjaya.

(19) Bharadvaja.

(20) Goutama.

(21) Vachashrava.

(22) Narayana.

(23) Trinavindu.

(24) Valmiki.

(25) Shaktri.

(26) Parashara.

(27) Jatukarna.

(28) Krishna Dvaipayana.

The place where lakhs were cremated

The Kurukshetra war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas is supposed to have been one of the most destructive events ever fought on Earth.

The war arose from a dynastic struggle for succession between two groups of cousins of an Indo-Aryan kingdom called Kuru for the throne of  Hastinapur.

Several kingdoms of the then ancient Indian sub continent took sides in the battle and there is historical mention of even the Pandyas, Cheras and Cholas from south India joining the event.

he Pandyas were fierce warriors who joined the Pandavas. A Pandya king, Sarangadhwaja, is mentioned in the epic. His capital was Madurai and Bheeshma rated him as a great Ratha (a grade for chariot-warriors - 5,172). He led an elephant force in the war.

Apart from the Pandyas, the Cholas and Cheras also joined the war. The Chera king, Udiyanjeral, sumptuously fed the armies on both sides during the war at Kurukshetra. The Cholas reportedly also ran the kitchens for the vast Pandava Army.

Though the actual battle was fought over the vast plains near Tanesar in today’s Haryana state, there are hundreds of places in the state associated with the war, the camps of both the armies and incidents relating to pre and post war happening.     

One such location is Astipura.

This is a small village west to Tanesar. It is to the south of Aujas Ghat and it is at this very place that the bodies of  lakhs of people slain in the Kurukshtra war was cremated.

Historian Alexander Cunnigham has excavated a huge mound in the area, measuring 700 feet by 50 feet (213 metres by 152 metres). He found an extensive platform of unbaked bricks 364 feet or 111 metres in length besides fragments of terracotta sculptures.

The mound lies near Aujas Ghat and south of Dhirpur.

Excavations at Asthipura has unearthed cremated bones of people thought to be killed and later buried here.

In his extensive notes on Astipura Cunningham writes that

The place of bones also had a baniayan tree nearby which was a place f pilgrimage. This tree is said to have stood on the spot where the bodies of all the slain in the 18 days of battle was collected and burned.

“Bones of large size were still to be seen here in the time of Hwen Thsang. Unfortunately, whatever existed on this site was long ago swept away by the Muhammadans, who built a Madrasa or college on the ruins, which has also disappeared, but the mound is still known by the name of Madrasa Tila.

I made several excavations in this mound, which brought to light an extensive platform of unbaked bricks still 364 feet in length, besides many remains of walls and fragments of terra-cotta sculptures. The mound is 700 feet long by 500 feet broad. The unbaked bricks were 14 ¾ by 8 by 4 ½ inches. I found only one carved brick, but there were numerous fragments of stone, several carved, all of which looked as if they had been fractured by fire. The bricks were of several sizes, from 13 to 15 inches in length, by 9 and 10 inches in breadth, and from 2 to 3 ½ inches in thickness. Amongst the stone fragments there was a half life-size head of Siva as Trilochana, and a larger head and body of a female crouching. The terra-cottas also were broken, but I obtained one with two figures wrestling of which only the lower portion is missing. The figures are distinguished by long hair and curly hair, and the expression of pain on the curly-haired wrestler is well marked, although much exaggerated”, says Cunnigham.

He says there is a smaller mound to the north east called Dhira This is 150 feet in diameter at base, and 80 feet at top with a height of eight feet.

Now the question is how many died in the war. The Mahabharata itself provides the answer. It says on the eighteenth day when the battle ended, only twelve warriors survived-the five Pandavas, Krishna, Satyaki, Ashwatthama, Krpiacharya, Yuyutsu, Vrishakethu and Kritvarma.

The entire Kaurava Army comprising of eleven Akshauhinis or divisions and the seven Akshauhinis of the Pandavas are wiped out.

Each division includes 21,870 chariots and chariot-riders, 21,870 elephants and elephant riders, 65,610 horses and their riders and 109,350 foot-soldiers (in a ratio of 1:1:3:5). The combined number of warriors and soldiers in both armies was approximately 3.94 million.

Each Akshauhini was under a commander or a general, apart from the Commander in chief  who was the head of the entire army.

Mahabharata states that the war lasted only eighteen days during which vast armies from all over the Indian Subcontinent fought alongside the two rivals.

The war is variously dated from 6000 BCE to 500 BCE, based on the astronomical and literary information from the epic. The history of the war is also traced to the Battle of the Ten Kings which is mentioned in the Rig Veda.

Well, coming back to the number of  dead, Yudhistera himself provide the answer. After the war, a grief stricken Dhritarashtra asks the eldest Pandava how many were killed in the battle.

In the Mahabharata, Book 11 (Stri Parva), Chapter 26, Verses 9 and 10: 9,

a shocked and disturbed Yudhistera answers.

“dasayutanam ayutam sahasrani ca vimsatih
koṭyah ṣastis ca ṣat caiva ye smin rajamrdhe hataḥ
10 alakṣyanam tu viranam sahasrani caturdasa
dasa canyani rajendra satam ṣastis ca panca ca”.

When roughly translated, the Sanskrit verse means,

“One billion 660 million and 20,000 men have fallen in this battle. Of the heroes that have escaped, the number is 240,165”.

The place where Mahabharata was written

This is the very place where one of the greatest epics of the world came to be written. It is also the place where there is a famous temple dedicated to Saraswathi, the Goddess of Learning and Music.

Locals say this is also the place where the Ramayana came to be written. They quote cantos from the Brahmanda Purana to buttress their point that Valmiki lived here and wrote his Ramayana.

The Mahabharata came to be dictated to Lord Ganesha by Veda Vyasa. The entire dictation took place in a cave and that structure still exists today.

The cave and the Gyana Saraswathi Temple are situated in Basara or Basar which is a small town near Nizamabad in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh. Basar is 201 kms from Hyderabad and it is well connected by both rail and road. The holy river of  Godavari flows near the town.

It is famous for being home to one of the six major shrines of Saraswathi in India.

The construction of the temple is ascribed to the sixth century by a King from Karnataka, Bijjala who had Nanded as his capital. Bijjala is supposed to have ruled over Nandagiri area.

The temple was subsequently repaired and renovated by the Rashtrakutas and the Chalukyas.

The temple is located in the Kumarachala hill ranges and the main deity is Saraswathi. There are deities to Lakshmi and Kali and Pathaleshwar and Papahareshwar.

The temple is unique in the sense that it does not have nay carvings. There is an interesting story behind the origin of the three idols of Saraswathi, Lakshmi and Kali. Veda Vyasa used to take bath at the Godavari nearby and meditate. After his bath, he used to take a fistful of sand from the river bed and place them at three places. With his mantra shakti, the three sand heaps transformed into the Goddesses of Saraswathi, Lakshmi and Kali.    

Behind the temple there is a hillock with few steps, which leads to a hill with several pillars. This structure almost resembles a cave which was believed to be the place where Veda Vyasa meditated.

According to legends, Veda Vyasa came here after the end of the Kurukshetra war with his disciples, including Shuka.

He meditated at the cave and sought the blessings of Saraswathi. Hence, the name Kumarachala. It is at this very place he sat down with Ganesha as his scribe and dictated the Mahabharata without a break.

There is an idol of Valmiki near the cave This, the locals say, is the pot where he wrote Ramayana. There is also a Samadhi believed to be that of Valmiki.

Children are brought here before they go to school for the Akshara Abhyasa. Thousands of devotees  descend on the town here during  Maha Shivaratri, Dassera  and Vasantha Panchami . Dvottes eat the turmeric paste which is applied to the deity of Saraswathi in the belief that it would enhance their mental prowess and give them more knowledge and wisdom.

The Vedavathi Sila, the Ashta Theertha are other places of interest nearby.

Accommodation is available at the temple itself. Pooja to Saraswathi commences at 4 a,m.

The name Basara is a corrupted form of the original word Vasara. The name Vasara originated from Vyasa.  Over the years,Vasara became Basara

What happened to Ashwathamma

                                 What happened to Ashwattama

 Ashwathamma is the son of the redoubtable Dronacharya, the archery Guru of both the Pandavas and Kauravas.

Drona loved his son so much that when Yudhistera deliberately says during the course of the Kurukshetra war that Ashwathamma was dead, Drona lays down his arms and dies.

Ashwathamma swears revenge and murders Dhristadyumna after the war comes to en end. He also kills the children of the Pandavas (borne from Draupadi) with help from Kritavarma and Kripacharya.

The Pandavas peruse Ashwathamma to avenge the death of their sons. When Arjuna and Ashwathamma meet, both fire the Breahmaastra, the most lethal of all weapons.

Both arte then advised to recall the astra as it has the capacity to destroy the entire world. While Arjuan does so, Ashwathamma deliberately redirects the weapon towards the womb of Uttara, the daughter-in-law of Arjuna and the wife of Abhimanyu.

Uttara was pregnant and she was due to deliver Parikshat.

The astra almost burns the foetus, but Krishna manages to put back life into it. Angered over the unfair manner in which Ashwathamma had directed the weapon against an unborn child and a defenseless woman, Krishna decided to curse him.

Since Ashwathamma is a chiranjeevi (one who cannot die), Krishna cannot curse him to death. He, however, curses Ashwathamma to remain in the mortal world and roam in it alone for 6,000 years or till the end of Kali Yuga.

According to Puranic texts, Ashwathamma leaves the Kurukshetra battlefield and goes towards the Arabian peninsula. Another story is that a highly disturbed Ashwathamma is still alive in the form of hurricanes,  cyclones and typhoons.

The fort of Asirgarh in Burnahapur in Madhya Pradesh has an old temple of Shiva. This is the idol to which Ashwathamma is believed to offera red rose every morning. Locals of Junagadh say Ashwathamma still roams about in and around Gir.

Asirgarh fort is almost in ruins. Nepanagar, which has a big newsprint factory, is near Asirgarh.

Sirgarh was the home to Farooqui Adil Shahis (Do not confuse them with the Adil Shahis of Bijapur).  Mughal emperor conquered Asirgarh and stayed back for some time.