Chapter 15 - The Story of Hayagrīva

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Vyāsa said:

1-2. The Devas including Brahmā were not able to see the head (of Viṣṇu). They who were endowed with knowledge began to think, ‘What shall we do?’ Then in the company of the Devas, Brahmā said to Viśvakarman:

Brahmā said:

3-5. O powerful Viśvakarman, you alone can always execute an action. Hence hasten to make the head of the Bowman compact (fit).

The divine architect was bowed to and eulogized. With great devotion he spoke to the lotus-born Brahmā: “After getting the rite of the Yajña concluded through my effort, the Devas say different things. They have deprived me of the share in the Yajña. What shall I say before you? O Lord, may I get a share in the Yajña along with the Suras?”

Brahmā said:

6-7a. O architect of gods, I shall set apart a share unto you in all the Yajñas. O mighty hero, you are honoured at the outset in the Soma sacrifice by persons well-versed in the Vedas. Hence, O celestial architect, join the head of Viṣṇu.

7b. Then Viśvakarmā said to the Devas, “Bring the head.”

8-10. Then, O excellent king, all the Devas said, “That is what we do not have.”

At midday the Sun became (steady) seated in the chariot in the firmament. His horse was seen by all the Suras. They detached the horse from the chariot. O king, they cut off the head of the horse and Viśvakarman joined it to the headless trunk of Viṣṇu. Indeed he was very clever. Looking at the lord of the chiefs of Devas, the Suras began the eulogy.

The Devas said:

11-18. Obeisance unto you, O seed of the universe. Hail to you, O lord of Kamalā (Lakṣmī). Obeisance to you, O lord of Suras. Bow to you, O lotus-eyed one.

In you abide all living beings. You alone are the refuge unto good people. You are the destroyer of all wicked ones. Obeisance unto you, O Hayagrīva.

You are Oṃkāra, Vaṣaṭkāra, Svāhā and the fourfold Svadhā. O lord of Suras, you are the primordial one. You alone are the perpetual refuge.

You are Yajña, the lord of Yajña, the performer of Yajña, the material of Yajña, the person offering the Āhutis and that which is offered as Āhuti. The offering is made for your own sake. You are the refuge and the comrade.

You are Kāla (Time or the god of Death) of terrible form. You are the Sun and the cool-rayed Moon. You are Agni and Varuṇa. You are the destroyer of Kāla.

You are the triad of Guṇas (such as Sattva) and you alone are free from attributes. You are the abode of all qualities. You are the protector of all the living beings.

You are twin-natured as male and female in human beings, animals, birds etc. You are the four species of Jīvas (such as sweat-born etc.) of the eighty-four hundred thousand types of living beings.

You are Dinānta (end of day), Pakṣānta (end of fortnight), Māsānta (end of month), the year, the Yuga period, the Kalpānta (end of Kalpa) and the great end. O Hari, you are the ultimate end too.

19. On being eulogized thus by means of hymns like these by the Devas, O king, the Lord became pleased and he said in front of all the Devas:

The Lord said:

20. Why have all the hosts of the Devas assembled on the earth? O Devas, what is the reason hereof? Are you harassed by Daityas?

The Devas said:

21-24. No fear from Daityas. We are eager to perform the rites of a Yajña. Desirous of seeing you, we looked up all the ten quarters. All of us are deluded by your Māyā. We are agitated with fear and perplexed in the mind. Your excellent form engaged in Yogic absorption was seen by us. O lord, the ant-queen was urged by us in the task of waking you up. Then an unprecedented thing happened. Your head became severed. The clever and efficient Viśvakarman got the head of the horse of the Sun fetched, O Viṣṇu, and joined the head. Hence, O lord, you are horse-necked.

Viṣṇu said:

25-26. I, the lord of Devas, the lord of the universe, have become horse-necked, O ye heaven-dwellers. I am pleased with you. I shall grant you all the desired boon. It is a form that is neither ugly nor terrible. It is served by all the Suras. I have become the grantor of boons and have been propitiated as the horse-necked one.

Vyāsa said:

27-28. When the Sattra (sacrifice) was concluded, the intelligent Brahmā became pleased in his mind. He assigned their due shares to the Vamrīs as well as to Viśvakarman. At the end of the Yajña he (Brahmā) bowed down to the most excellent Sura and went to heaven. Know this to be the reason why Hari became horse-neckeḍ.

Yudhiṣṭhira said:

29-30. Viṣṇu in reality covered the entire earth in one step. At the root of everyone of his hairs there are thousands of Brahmāṇḍas (Cosmic Eggs). O lustrous one, they are seen existing separately. The Vedas do not comprehend the region beyond him. How then did his head got chopped?

Vyāsa said:

31-33. O most excellent one among the sons of Pāṇḍu, listen to the auspicious story in the Purāṇas. None among mobile and immobile beings comprehends the conduct of the Lord.

Once the Devas including Vāsava (Indra) went to the Assembly of Brahmā. The worlds such as the earth etc., mobile and immobile beings, divine and Brāhmaṇa-Sages, all went (to heaven) to bow down to Pitāmaha (Brahmā). Viṣṇu also came there in the Assembly, as he was invited for the purpose of discussion.

34-36. Brahmā in his excessive arrogance spoke these words: “O ye gods! Who is the real (and great) cause out of the three viz. Brahmā, īśa and Viṣṇu? Devas should speak the truth.” On hearing that question Devas became surprised. Then they said, “We do not know.” Then the spouse of Brahmā spoke to Viṣṇu, the lord of Devas, “Tell me who is the greatest among the three Lords.”

Viṣṇu said:

37-41a. All the three worlds are deluded by the force of Viṣṇu’s Māyā.

Then Brahmā said: “O lord, you do not know this. No one is deluded by the force of your Māyā. The lord of the universe, the protector of the universe cannot be arrogant or violent. All of them are enveloped by Viṣṇu’s Māyā. They do not know that you are the seniormost of them.”

Then Brahmā became furious. With throbbing lips he said angrily: “O Viṣṇu, listen to my words. May that head whereby these words were uttered fall down suddenly in a short while.”

41b-45. Then there was a great hue and cry. The most excellent Devas with Indra and the Sages leading them made Brahmā apologize in front of Viṣṇu.

On hearing it, Viṣṇu said, “It will take place. It is certainly the truth.”

Thereafter, the highly refulgent Viṣṇu, the lord of Suras, created a Tīrtha (holy spot) and performed a penance in Dharmāraṇya. On seeing himself horse-faced, O blessed one, Janārdana performed penance along with Brahmā. O descendant of Bharata, such a penance cannot be performed by anyone. He was pleased with himself by means of his own soul.

Brahmā too, endowed with the power of penance, continued it for three hundred years. He was deluded by Viṣṇu’s Māyā and he continued to remain in a standing posture in front of Viṣṇu.

46-48. The lord of Devas, the lord of the universe spoke in favour of Yajñas: “O Brahmā, you are set free now (You have attained salvation). My Māyā too is not very unbearable.”

Then Brahmā who acquired the boon and Janārdana who was delighted in his mind, spoke these sweet words for the good of everyone:

“Here was a great holy shrine, sacred and destructive of sins. Let this be the common shrine of Vidhi (Brahmā) and Viṣṇu undoubtedly.”

49. This is the greatness of the holy spot. The horse-faced Hari became auspicious-faced with his previous face.

50-52. O king, then Kṛṣṇa (Viṣṇu) became one endowed with the beauty of ten million Kandarpas (Lord of Love). Brahmā too, after performing the penance for three hundred divine years, was united with Sāvitrī. He reached the spot where Viṣṇu’s Māyā did not harass him.

The fifth head evolved by Māyā, that of a tiger, was created in Dharmāraṇya. God Hara cut it off formerly. Viṣṇu vanished after granting the boon to him.

53-57. Brahmā installed the holy shrine of the Three-eyed Lord there. O suppressor of enemies, it is called by the name Mukteśa. It is the holy place of redemption.

That excellent one among Suras went back to his own abode served by the Suras. Those who are in the Preta stage after death are propitiated by water-libations and go to heaven.

The benefit of a holy dip therein is that of a horse sacrifice; that of sipping the sacred water is on a par with the gift of a cow. The holy places like Puṣkara etc., the rivers including Gaṅgā, the deities and the Manes come here for the purpose of bathing.

He who worships Mukteśa, he who takes bath in the beautiful lake called Devasaras and bows down to Janārdana, he who does anything with devotion, shall become rid of all sins.

58-59. After enjoying all pleasures, he goes to the region of Viṣṇu. If a woman is without a son, or has only one child, or if her child or any other dear one is dead, she and her husband shall duly take the holy dip with a single cloth on. This holy rite shall certainly destroy every defect hindering progeny.

60-63. With the grace of Mokṣeśvara, their sons, grandsons etc. shall flourish. A woman devotee should be truthful and with single-minded attention place fruits in a bamboo vessel and gift it away. She shall be free from all defects. O king, even the Devas shall acquire the benefit of an Agniṣṭoma. Brahmā, Hari and Śiva perform great penance in Dharmāraṇya three times a day after taking their bath in Devasaras.

Then Śaṃbhu, Mokṣeśvara (‘Lord of redemption’), was installed by the Devas there. One who performs Japa with all ancillaries, shall never again become one that sucks the breast (i.e. becomes liberated).

64-65. O great king, this holy shrine is thus famous in all the three worlds. He who faithfully performs the rite of Śrāddha to the ancestors shall uplift hundred and one members of his family and those of seven Gotras.

The Devasaras lake is exquisitely beautiful with different kinds of flowers. It appears dark with all types of blue lotuses and different kinds of aquatic beings.

66. It is resorted to by men and Devas like Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśa and others. It is served by Siddhas, Yakṣas and Sages and is auspicious in every respect.

Yudhiṣṭhira said:

67. O excellent Brāhmaṇa, like what is that lake famous in that holy spot? Kindly narrate its form, features etc. correctly.

Vyāsa said:

68-69. O excellent king, O Dharmaputra, O Yudhiṣṭhira of great intellect, you have done well (in asking about it). The lake is holy and its description enables one to get rid of all sins. Its water is very clear and cool. It is as lustrous (sanctifying) as the waters of Gaṅgā. It is holy, tasty and sweet.

70. The lake is dug by Devas. It is large and deep. It is splendid with mighty waves. It is full of foams and whirlpools.

71. It is full of fishes, frogs, tortoises and crocodiles. It abounds in conch-shells, oysters etc. It is beautified by royal swans.

72. It abounds in many trees such as banyan, Plakṣa, Aśvattha and mangoes. Ruddy geese, cranes, Sārasa and Ṭiṭṭibha birds move about therein.

73. It is rendered beautiful with umbrella-like leaves full of brightness and fragrance. It is resorted to by all types of birds, Sārasas etc. and it appears splendid.

74. O lord of the earth, it is resorted to by sages and Devas, Brāhmaṇas and other men. It is destructive of misery and all types of sins.

75. O excellent king, the history of that lake has neither beginning nor end; that lake is always resorted to by groups of Siddhas for the purposes of bath etc.

76. If a devotee performs the rite of giving away a dark-coloured cow duly on its banks, no ghost hovers about in his family as long as fourteen Indras rule.

77. Those who perform the rite of Kanyādāna, (‘giving virgins in marriage’) there duly, O great king, reside in Brahmaloka up to the dissolution of all elements.

78-79. He who gifts a buffalo, a maid servant, a cow with a calf, gold, learning, plots of land, chariots, elephants and garments with faith, enjoys never-ending heavenly bliss.

He who reads the greatness of Devakhāta (‘dug by the Devas’) lake in the vicinity of Śiva, shall undoubtedly enjoy longevity and happiness.

80-81. If a man or a woman listens with devotion to this wonderful story, O Yudhiṣṭhira, there shall be prosperity in his/her family even to the end of the Kalpa.

Thus everything connected with Hayagrīva has been narrated by me. Even the manifestation of that holy spot is for the destruction of all sins.