ŚRĪ LAKṢMĪ HAYAGRĪVA Panchaloha Icon

Description

Shree Lakshmi Hayagriva is a form of nārāyaṇa, the ultimate, absolute & supreme brahman in vaidika hinduism. This form combines the qualities of both Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and Hayagriva, the horse-headed form of Vishnu symbolizing wisdom and knowledge. Worshipping Lakshmi Hayagriva can bestow blessings of abundance and wisdom upon devotees.

Among the numerous manifestation of the supreme parabrahman nārāyaṇa and their multifarious pastimes towards establishing dharma and subduing adharma, one significant aspect common to all the manifestation is the equal emphasis on establishment and propagation of jñāna (~ wisdom). This jñāna or ancient wisdom and its practice referred to as yoga that leads to self-realization and mokṣa form the bedrock of sanātana vaidika dharma and are encoded in the veda-s viz., ṛg, yajus, sāma, and atharva and the allied knowledge systems.

The form of śrī lakṣmī hayagrīva is the epitome of this ultimate wisdom and practice essential for the emancipation of deserving jīva-s born in various yoni-s.

At the beginning of creation, brahma who emerged from the cosmic lotus realized this jñāna and yoga through intense tapas and manifested the same in tangible form for further creation to ensue. The manifestation as veda mantra-s and the respective devata-s was essential for the subsequent stage of creation, at which time there emerged from the ears of viṣṇu, two principle asura-s madhu and kaiṭabha representing tamas and rajas respectively who enveloped the manifest vaidika jñāna adn intended to usurp brahma himself. Being invincible from anyone else owing to their origin from viṣṇu, brahma sought refuge in viṣṇu who assumed the hayagrīva form to annihilate the asura-s and return the manifest vaidika jñāna back to their pristine state. Hayagrīva, consequently expounded the same to brahma thus becoming the ultimate guru to jagadguru brahma himself.

Hayagrīva is therefore the progenitor and ādi-guru of all vaidika wisdom which then flowed down thru brahma, who taught it to sarasvatī, who in turn expounded it to śiva, śeṣa, garuḍa, sanaka etc, nārada. Śiva then propagated the same to indra and other devata-s thru pārvatī.

Śrī Lakṣmī Hayagrīva is worshiped by millions of devotees across the world for obtaining the highest adhyātmik wisdom. Devotees often recite prayers and hymns dedicated to Śrī Lakṣmī Hayagrīva to invoke his divine presence and seek his anugraha for progress in sādhanā as well as achieving greater knowledge in mundane sciences. It is also highly beneficial for students or those attempting competitive exams to regularly worship Śrī Lakṣmī Hayagrīva. Devotees can make quicker progress by seeking the guidance of a guru in order to obtain deeper experience of this transcendent form of bhagavān viṣṇu. The worship of śrī lakṣmī hayagrīva generally involves the ṣoḍaśopacāra pūjā and can be elaborated to include catuśśaṣṭyupacāra with the primary emphasis always on bhāva – intrinsic mindset – than merely on the rituals themselves. This is true for worship of all forms of nārāyaṇa where the self-realization and mokṣa are prime importance, both of which, as the vaidika śāstra-s promulgate, are impossible without the anugraha (~ blessing) of nārāyaṇa.