Hargriv is believed to be one of the Avatars of Lord Vishnu. It is celebrated on Sawan Maas Purnima Tithi. From amongst 10 Avatars of Vishnu, Hargriv Avatar was instrumental in the development of the Vedas. Hence this Avatar is the one that enlightens our lives with knowledge. It shows one the right path in life.
Haygriv Jayanti Puja Timings
This year Hayagreeva Jayanti will be celebrated on Monday, 19 August , 2024.
- Full Moon Tithi starts – 18 August, 2024 at 27:05
- Full Moon Tithi ends – 19 August, 2024 at 23:56
What is the appearance of Hayagriva Avatar?
The description of this form of God is half a human being with the head of a horse. This combination of both depicts the creation of both man and nature and the energy that emits from this combination. Vishnu took this incarnation to protect the universe from two demons named Madhu and Kaitubh who had stolen the Vedas.
Mythological story related to Hayagriva
The source of Hayagriva’s story is present in many texts. One of these stories is also present in the Mahabharata. This story is as follows. – There was a time when the earth was submerged in water on all sides. At that time Lord Vishnu decides to create the universe. He falls asleep while creating the universe.. After some time, two demons appear from the ears of God. One named Madhu and the other is named Kaitabh. Both the demons see Brahma ji present there and steal the Vedas from Brahma ji and disappear.
The disappearance of Vedas brings an end to knowledge and pushes the entire universe into darkness. A cloak of ignorance begins to grow around. Seeing this form of the universe, Brahma ji gets worried. Vedas are the eyes of Brahma Ji. In the absence of the same, Bhramaji finds it difficult to monitor the universe.
In order to obtain the Vedas again Bhramaji calls for Lord Vishnu. As a result, Lord Vishnu awakens. He then takes the Hargriv Avatar to retrieve the Vedas from the demons. In this way, Lord Vishnu saves the Vedas.
According to another legend, Lord Vishnu’s head gets separated from his body and a horse’s head is set, hence he is called Hayagriv. The story goes like this – Shaunak Adi asks the sage Sut ji about the story of the severance of Shri Vishnu’s head. He says “O Sutji! Remove all doubt in my mind as to how the head of Shri Vishnu is separated from his body and his naming as Hayagriv. How can something so miraculous happen? Lord Vishnu who is praised by the Vedas, on whom Devas depend, who is the reason behind all the reasons. How is it possible that he too is beheaded? We need to know this and hence tell us this story in detail;”
To this Sutji replies. He says “Pay attention to what I am about to say carefully. This event was a creation of Lord Vishnu himself. Once having fought the demons for years together Lord Vishnu fell asleep. He falls asleep in Padmanasan with his head placed on a raised bow.”
At that time Indra and other Devtas start a Yagya. Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva are also invited to the Yagya. When the Devtas go to Vaikuntha to invite Lord Vishnu, they are surprised to find that Lord Vishnu is not present in Vaikuntha. The Devas then meditate to find out the location of Lord Vishnu.
Seeing Lord Vishnu sleeping in Yoganidra, the Devtas, Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva got worried. They were in a dilemma, awakening Lord Vishnu would anger him. To resolve this problem, Lord Brahma created an insect named Vamri Kit to sever the front part of the bow. As a result, the bow would rise up and it would awaken Lord Vishnu.
Brahma Ji ordered the insect to bite the bow. According to the order, Vamri cut off the part which rested on the ground. The bow rose up and there was a fierce sound.
Vishnu’s head vanished with a crown, seeing Lord Vishnu’s head – devoid body the Devtas got immensely worried. Brahma Ji ordered the Vedas to call for the Mahamaya Devi and appease her. The Vedas followed the instructions of Brahmaji.
This pleases Mahamaya Devi and she says everything happens for a reason. Lord Haris’ head was cut off because once he laughed on his beautiful wife Lakshmi’s face. This enlarged Lakshmi and she cursed Lord Vishnu. As per the curse, Lord Vishnu’s body will get beheaded. This is the reason why Lord Vishnu had to suffer.
Hayagriva Importance
There was once a famous demon by the name Hagriv. He undergoes deep penance. On doing so Mata is appeased and tells him he can ask for a boon. Hagriv asks for becoming eternal and never being killed by anyone. Mata, however, refuses to grant this boon and asks him to ask for another boon. To this Hagrive asks for another boon. As per this boon, he can only be killed by a person who has the head of a horse. Mata grants this boon.
Sut ji says “On hearing Matas words, Devtas pray Lord Vishnu’s beheaded body to be attached to a horse head so that he can kill Hagriv. Vishwakarma beheads a horse and attaches the same to Lord Vishnu’s body. Lord Vishnu then kills Hagriv”.