MEANING:
AdiyEn seeks refuge in Lord HayagrIvA, whose divyAthma, Suddha Satthva SvarUpam is the embodiment of pure and unalloyed dhivya Jn~Anam. As the overflowing treasure house of DayA, He has taken the sankalpam to bless the chEthanams with His rejuvenating blessings of dhivya Jn~Anam that will liberate them from the cycles of births and deaths. To fulfill His vow to liberate them from the darkness of ajn~Anam, He stands as their beacon light, their sole and final refuge to bless them with dhivya Jn~Anam. AdiyEn also desiring that divine and redeeming dhivya Jn~Anam perform prapatthi at His lotus feet.
This prapatthi slOkam can be split in the following four ways patterned after a chathur vEda vanthanam format:
Visuddha Vij~nana ghana SvarUpam Devam HayagrIvam aham prapadhyE.
Vij~nana VisRANana Bhaddha DhIksham Devam HayagrIvam aham prapadhyE.
DayAnidhim Devam HayagrIvam aham prapadhyE.
dEha BruthAm SARANYAM Devam HayagrIvam aham prapadhyE.
The refrain of “Devam HayagrIvam aham prapadhyE” is like a ChathurvEda Vandhanam to the Lord of Supreme divine Knowledge. These salutations are steeped deeply in Upanishadic teachings.
For instance, in Sri HayagrIvOpanishad, Sage NaradhA approaches his father, Brahma Devan and asks the question requesting guidance to realize divine Jn~Anam:
“Oh Bhagavan (revered One)! Oh son of BhagavAn! Please perform upadEsam for me that Brahma Vidhyai, which will quickly erases all sins, confer Brahma Jn~Anam and make adiyEn the possessor of the richest of all riches! (adhIhi Bhagavan! Brahma-VidhyAm varishtAm yayAchirAth Sarva Paapam vyapOhya, Brahma VidhyAm labdhvA, IsvaryavAn Bhavathi). Lord BrahmA, the Master of the Four VedAs and their inner meanings as taught to him by Lord HayagrIvan Himself earlier responded to his son’s request: BrahmOvAcha:
“HayagrIva DhaivathyAn manthrAn yO Veda
sa Sruthi-Smruthi -ithihAsa -PurANAni veda sa
sarvaisvaryavAn bhavathi ta yEthE manthrA:”
MEANING:
Lord BrahmA said: “Oh my Son! Those who know the Four Manthrams that have Lord HayagrIvan as Devathai, would fully comprehend the inner meanings of Sruthi, Smruthi, IthihAsams and PurANams and would become the possessor of sarva Isvaryam and these four ManthrAs have Lord HayagrIvan as their protecting Supreme Lord/Para-dEvathai”.
The Chathur-Mukha BrahmA then initiated NaradhA with the Sri HayagrIva manthrams, which have all in common the Brahma-Adhri-Soorya- BharghavA as the Rishis, Gayathrianushtup- Thrishtup as Chandas, Sri HayagrIva ParamAthmA as Devathi, llhoum as BheejAksharam, sOham as sakthi, lhUm as the keelakam, BhOga-Moksham as ViniyOgam, akAra-ukAra-makAra as kara and anga nyAsams. The blessings invoked by the double “SvAhA-SvAhA” namaskAram in the Sri HayagrIva manthrams is: “mahyam mEdhAm praj~nAm prayaccha”. MedhA and Prj~nA are two powerful words with deep Vedic connotations. Swamy Desikan asked for the blessings of “MedhA and Praj~nA” from the DayAnidhi and performed prapatthi under the sacred feet of Lord HayagrIvan at the OushadhAdri Hill of ThiruvahIndhrapuram.
After the Sri HayagrIva Manthra japam, the four Veda manthrams representing the four VedAs are to be recited as instructed by Sri HayagrIvOpanishad:
YadhvAgvadhanthyanu chEthanAni rAshtrI dEvAnAm nishasAdha mandhrA;
chathasra oorjam dudhuhE payAmsi kva svidhasyA: Paramam jagaama.
GourImimAya salilAni takshathi yEkapadhi dhvipadhI saa ChathushpadhI;
akshtApadhI navapadhI BhabhushI sahasrAksharA paramE vyOman.
OhshtapidhAanA nakulI dhanthai: parivruthA pavi:,
Sarvasyai vaacha IsAnA chAru maamiha vaadhayEth ithi cha Vaagrasa:
Sa SarparIramathim vArdhamAnA Bruhan mimAya jagadhagnidhatthA;
AasUryasya dhurithA tanAna sravO dhEvEshvamrutha majuryam.
In view of brevity, the meanings of the veda manthrAs will not be covered.
Sri HayagrIvOpanishad states that the recitation of the Sri HayagrIva Manthram initiated by the AchAryan would make one a MahA purushA and Brahma Vidhyai will never leave from such UpAsakAs blessed by Sri HayagrIvan.
That was the paramAnugraham Swamy Desikan received on that blessed dawn from Lord HayagrIvan on the OushadhAdhri Hill after being initiated into the Parama Paavana Sri HayagrIva manthram by the Veda SvarUpi, Garuda BhagavAn Himself.
We will conclude this first section of the posting on the fifth slOkam of Sri HayagrIva sthOthram with Swamy Desikan’s own visualization of Lord Garudan with the Veda Bhaagams as His Limbs. The third slOkam of Sri Garuda panchAsath visualizing the Veda SvarUpam of the Lord starts with the words “nEthram GaayathramUchE” and has the following meaning:
In every limb of Garuda BhagavAn, the portions of the VedAs are seen. SthOmam, the Saama Rk (Saaman) is present as His dhivyAthma SvarUpam; the Saaman revered as Gaayathram are His eyes; the Thruvriddh Saaman serves as His head; Yajur vedams serve as His many names, the different metres (chandas) serve as His hands; the seats of rthviks known as dhishnyams are His hooves; the saaman known as VaamadEvyam becomes His body; the Bruhadh and Rathanthra Saamans become His two wings; Yaj~nAyaj~Iya Saaman becomes His puccham/ tail). VedAs themselves declare that these Veda Saamans are limbs of Lord GarudA. May that Lord free us from the bonds of our karmAs and show us the way to Moksham and free us from the afflictions of SamsAram.
In the previous posting, adiyEn referred to the power of the Sri HayagrIva manthram in the context of the SambhAshaNam (conversation) between Brahma Devan and Sage NaaradhA. AdiyEn referred to the prapatthi performed by Swamy Desikan to that “VaaghIsAkhyA Vaasudevasya murthi:”
Additional reference was made to the “chathur Veda Vandhanam” housed in the fifth slOkam:
“Visuddha Vig~yAna ghana SvarUpam
Vig~yAna visrANana Bhaddha dhIksahm
DayAnidhim dehabruthAm SaraNyam
Devam HayagrIvam-aham prapadhyE”
As referred to earlier, this prapatthi slOkam can be split in the following four ways patterned after “a chathur vEda vanthanam” format:
Visuddha Vij~ynana ghana SvarUpam Devam HayagrIvam aham prapadhyE.
Vij~nana VisRANana Bhaddha DhIksham Devam HayagrIvam aham prapadhyE.
DayAnidhim Devam HayagrIvam aham prapadhyE.
dEha BruthAm SARANYAM Devam HayagrIvam aham prapadhyE.
The refrain of “Devam HayagrIvam aham prapadhyE” is like “a ChathurvEda Vandhanam” to the Lord of Supreme divine Knowledge. These salutations are steeped deeply in Upanishadic teachings. We will study each of these four salutations now:
1. Visuddha Vij~yAna ghana SvarUpam devam HayagrIvam aham prapadhyE:
“Visuddha” means the purest of the pure; “Vij~yna Ghana SvarUpam”refers to the divine Jn~Anam filled SvarUpam of Lord HayagrIvan.There are lot of subtelities between the concepts “rUpam, SvarUpam and dhivyAthama svarUpam and their relation to Suddha Satthvam”. AdiyEn would like to share with you the input of Sri M.S.Hari regarding these concepts: “The SvarUpam is not Suddha satthvam. Latter is an achith tatthvam. Only the rUpam is Suddha satthvam. This rUpam is called dhivya rUpam. But the dhivyAthmA is SvarUpam. The SvarUpam is Samastha-chith-achith vilakshaNam. It is the sathyathvajn~ Anathva-ananthathva-aanandhathva-amalathvasvarUpa-nirUpaka-dharma-visishtadharmi”.
The choice words chosen by Swamy Desikan, “Visuddha Vij~yna-gana svarUpam” thus pays tribute to this dhivyAthma svarUpam of the Lord. “Visuddha” means completely free from any imperfection (amalathvam). “Vijy~anam”means Knowledge and in this context refers to the dhivya Jn~Anam, which has visuddhi.
That Visuddha Vijy~anam is ghanam or this dhivyAthma svarUpam of the Lord is replete or fully filled with Visuddha Vijy~nam. Swamy Desikan recognizes that the dhivyAthma svarUpam is in the form of parisuddha jn~Anam. To that dhivyAthma SvarUpi, Lord HayagrIvan, Swamy Desikan offers his prapatthi (Visuddha Vijy~ana ghana svarUpam dEvam HayagrIvam aham prapadhyE).
2. Vijy~na visrANana bhaddha dhIksham dEvam HayagrIvam aham prapadhyE:
Lord HayagrIvan has taken a vow (vratham) to bless those who perform prapatthi unto Him with this visEsha jn~Anam (Vij~yAnam). He is therefore Vijyn~Ana VisrANan. Swamy Desikan offers therefore his prapatthi to the VeLLai Parimukhan, who is a treasure house of Dayaa.
3.DayAnidhim dEvam HayagrIvam aham prapadhyE:
In the third vandhanam, Swamy singles out this unparalleled dayA svarUpam of the Lord by addressing Him as DayA nidhi. His anugraham is “KaruNAmbOdhau utthitham” (arising out of His ocean of Dayai). He is the KarunA VaruNAlayam. One can relate this unparalleled Daya having the effect of “SamsAra ThAriNI” or lifting us out of the ocean of samsAram and landing us on the other (safe) shore of SamsAram.
In the 15th slOkam of DayA sathakam, Swamy Desikan will indicate later that the GuNAs like Jn~Anam, Bhalam, Isvaryam, Veeryam, Sakthi will be nothing but dhOshams, when they are bereft of the Lord’s DayA guNam. The katAksham of that DayA Nidhi results in the chEthanan attaining Moksha siddhi without any effort (apavargam akrushttapacchyam anubhavathi). This DayA Saarvabhouman blesses even the aparAdha ChakravarthIs to have the freedom from the cycles of births and deaths through the conferral of visuddha Vijy~Anam.
4. dEhabruthAm SaraNyam dEvam HayagrIvam aham prapadhyE:
dEha BruthAm means janthus or prANikaL or sarIrins whether they have two feet or more. The root Bhru means to possess or have. dEha BhruthAm means those possessing a body (corporeal) which includes chEthanAs of every kind. The story of Gajendran as a dEha Bruth attaining mOksham through SaraNAgathi comes to mind here.
Lord HayagrIvan of “Visuddha Vijy~Ana ghana svarUpam” in His role as “vijy~Ana- VisrANanan” becomes the Sarva Loka SaraNyan or the avowed, unfailing protector for all dehabruths. Swamy Desikan offers his Prapatthi to this SaraNyan as a dEha bruth and seeks the conferral of the dhivya Jn~Anam leading to anAvrutthi (non return to the SamsAric world). Thus ends the fifth slOkam, where Swamy Desikan performs prapatthi to Lord HayagrIvan.
Source
To be continued…
