Hayagrīva as reflected in the Harivaṃśa

The Harivaṃśa is believed to be an appendix or supplement to the Mahābhārata and quite similar in genre to the purāṇas. Several comments have been written on the close relationship between Harivaṃśa and purāṇas. In this context Rocher says that stories are retold from the Harivaṃśa in purāṇas like Viṣṇupurāṇa and Bhāgavatapurāṇa.

In the Harivaṃśa, Kṛṣṇa is the supreme lord and various episodes of his life including the great deeds he performed as an incarnation of Viṣṇu, is portrayed here. There is also reference of Hayagrīva as a demon who is similar to that of the Mahābhārata. In the Harivaṃśa Hayagrīva is listed among other demons like Vipracitti, Śibi, Ayośaṅku, Ayośiras, Aśvaśiras. The demons accompanied Bāli to fight against Viṣṇu in his Vāmana form.^[1] Interestingly Hayagrīva is listed with Aśvaśiras who appears to be a horse headed one. In other place of Harivaṃśa, Hayagrīva is mentioned as conflicting with the gods regarding the legend of Tāraka battle.^[2] Subsequently Harivaṃśa mentions Hayagrīva in the list of other demons like Maya, Tārā, Varāha, Śveta and Svaralamba gathered to help the demon

Kālanemi.^[3] In Harivaṃśa 44.67, portrays two demons, one is called Hayagrīva and the other is an incarnation of Hayagrīva called Keśi. However, these two demons were ultimately killed by Kṛṣṇa. The VP gives an older version of the story of Keśi who was not at all connected with the demon Hyagrīva.^[4] In other place of this text Hayagrīva accompanied the demons Nisunda, Pañcajana and Varadatta and other hundred sons of Bhaumāsura.^[5] In 92.8 of Harivaṃśa it is mentioned that Hayagrīva along with Nisunda and Narakāsura was killed by Kṛṣṇa. Harivaṃśa 109.40 has a list of the heroic actions of Kṛṣṇa. Here it is stated that Kṛṣṇa killed the demon Hayagrīva and his companions to do good to the gods. It is significant that early records testify that Hayagrīva was always killed by Kṛṣṇa but not by Viṣṇu. On other hand, Mahābhārata describes the horse headed god is a form of Viṣṇu, most frequently called Aśvaśiras and Hayaśiras. It appears that throughout the epic period two somewhat variant trends of horse headed form are available. The Mahābhārata refers to the divine Hayaśira, but the Harivaṃśa mentions the Hayagrīva as a demon, both being distinct manifestations of energy, one as implied as good and the other as evil.

The mythological narrative of Hayaśira Viṣṇu mentioned in the Mahābhārata provides us with the picture of Viṣṇu in cosmic form. It reminds us of the Vedic connection of the cosmic form of the sacrificial horse, and also how Viṣṇu assumed a horse-headed form in a cosmic manner. Another point to be noted in this connection is that the names of the demons, having the meaning of the forms of horse, are said to be the sons of Danu. We come to know from the Mahābhārata that Madhu and Kaiṭabha were killed for stealing of the Vedas, but it is not mentioned clearly whether the demon Hayagrīva abducted the Vedas and whether he was punished for a similar sin or any other offence. This ambiguity turns as a source of animation for the expansion of the myth of demon Hayagrīva in the later purāṇa texts.

Thus, in the central myth of Mahābhārata, the killing of Madhu and Kaiṭabha by Hayaśira Viṣṇu is linked with the element of allegory. Madhu and Kaiṭabha are the symbolic representations of the qualities, the inert tamas and passionate rajas, which are inherently opposed to the luminous pure sattva, the symbolic form of Viṣṇu. Here it is stated that the two demons were overwhelmed by the qualities of tamas and rajas, the two elements of their origin. Vedas are symbolically represented as knowledge, through which the sattva guṇa is acquired. The central myth of Hayagrīva serves the important point that lord Viṣṇu attained the form of horse headed god to recover the stolen Vedas from the demons Madhu-Kaiṭabha, and became the supreme lord of learning and wisdom.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

HariV, 31.68-70.

[2]:

ibid.,33.15.

[3]:

ibid.,37.6.

[4]:

VP, 5.15.

[5]:

HariV, 91.19.