Hayashirsha, Hayaśīrṣa: 12 definitions
Introduction:
Hayashirsha means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
The Sanskrit term Hayaśīrṣa can be transliterated into English as Hayasirsa or Hayashirsha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Hayaśīrṣa (हयशीर्ष).—An avatār of Viṣṇu, who appeared in the sacrifice of Brahmā.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa II. 7. 11.
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa)
Hayaśīrṣa (हयशीर्ष) or Hayaśīrṣasaṃhitā is the name of an ancient Pāñcarātra Saṃhitā mentioned in the Hayaśīrṣasaṃhitā: a large Pāñcarātra Āgama consisting of roughly 6500 verses dealing primarily with architecture, temple-building and consecration rituals and iconography.—The passage listing these titles concludes by saying that originally there were only these twenty-five. Later on, however, saṃhitā-works multiplied in numbers. But all of them are to be understood to be derived from the ones named above.
Hayaśīrṣa (हयशीर्ष) or Hayaśīrṣasaṃhitā is the name of a Pāñcarātra Āgama text written in roughly 6500 Sanskrit metrical divided into four sections having 144 chapters in total dealing with architecture and iconography.—The four sections of the Hayaśīrṣasaṃhitā are: Ādikāṇḍa, Saṃkarṣaṇakāṇḍa, Liṅgakāṇḍa and Saurakāṇḍa of 42, 39, 20 and 43 chapters respectively. The entire work is almost exclusively concerned with matters pertaining to construction of temples and images and to the subsequent rites of installation and sanctification. [...]
Note: Care should be taken to distinguish the Hayaśīrṣa-saṃhitā of the Pāñcarātrāgama with another Hayaśīrṣa-saṃhitā —a work of seven paricchedas and comprising 2250 granthas divided into 199 chapters on mantraśāstra (e.g., Adyar 33. A. 1 and 2), as well as the Hayagrīva-saṃhitā.
Hayaśīrṣa (हयशीर्ष) is a name of Viṣṇu mentioned in the Śāstrāvatāra portion of the 9th century Hayaśīrṣa-pañcarātra.—“[...] for what reason did the mighty Viṣṇu previously become manifest as Hayaśīra [Hayaśiras] and what was the reason that the Lord of the Gods assumed a radiant body? [...] Mighty Lord Hayaśīrṣa—who was the slayer of Madhu and Kaiṭabha—when he was in the cosmic ocean—was asked by you Bhṛgu about the Pañcarātra. [...]”.
Hayaśira [Hayaśiras], Hayaśīrṣa and Hayagrīva are all names for the same horse-headed incarnation of Viṣṇu; haya means horse and śira, śīrṣa, head and grīva, neck, respectively. Hayaśīrṣa was widely adored by the Vaiṣṇavas. The two epics (Rāmayana and Mahābhārata) as well as the Bhāgavata-purāṇa (II.7.11) mention him. Gupta thinks that his position among the Pañcarātras was not important, in so far as the Sātvata and Pauṣkara-saṃhitās describe Hayagrīva in the third category of Narayaṇa’s emanations.
The Pāñcarātra tradition intimately ties the Hayaśīrṣa incarnation of Viṣṇu, who is literally credited as the original source of the tradition, to itself.
Pancaratra (पाञ्चरात्र, pāñcarātra) represents a tradition of Hinduism where Narayana is revered and worshipped. Closeley related to Vaishnavism, the Pancaratra literature includes various Agamas and tantras incorporating many Vaishnava philosophies.
Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)
Hayaśīrṣa (हयशीर्ष) refers to:—The horse-headed incarnation of the Lord who spoke the Vedas to Śrī Brahmā. (cf. Glossary page from Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta).
Vaishnava (वैष्णव, vaiṣṇava) or vaishnavism (vaiṣṇavism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshipping Vishnu as the supreme Lord. Similar to the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions, Vaishnavism also developed as an individual movement, famous for its exposition of the dashavatara (‘ten avatars of Vishnu’).
Vastushastra (architecture)
Hayaśīrṣa (हयशीर्ष) is the name of an ancient teacher (ācārya) of Vāstuśāsta (science of architecture) according to the Agnipurāṇa.—All these great teachers cannot be said to be legendary. Some used to be propagated in ancient India. No nation can flourish without its care for its material prosperity. All this technique and training and their systematic and successful teaching and transmission were of equal importance. Most of the treatises of Vāstuśāstra carry many of these names [i.e., Hayaśīrṣa], yet a good many of them are quoted as authorities, yet still others are honoured with actual passages being quoted from their works.
Hayaśīrṣa (हयशीर्ष) is the name of a deity situated in the North on the Vimāna, as discussed in chapter 13 of the Ādikāṇḍa of the Hayaśīrṣasaṃhitā: a large Pāñcarātra Āgama consisting of roughly 6500 verses dealing primarily with architecture, temple-building and consecration rituals and iconography.—Description of the chapter [prāsādalakṣaṇa-paṭala]: [...] Then the comparative heights of various parts of the temple are discussed (25-27). This is followed by a brief discussion of where the various deities should be located on the vimāna (?)—Mahāvarāha in the East, Narasiṃha in the South, Śrīdhara in the West, Hayaśīrṣa in the North, Jamadagni in the Southeast, Rāma in the Southwest, Vāmana in the Northwest and Vāsudeva in the Northeast. [...]
Vastushastra (वास्तुशास्त्र, vāstuśāstra) refers to the ancient Indian science (shastra) of architecture (vastu), dealing with topics such architecture, sculpture, town-building, fort building and various other constructions. Vastu also deals with the philosophy of the architectural relation with the cosmic universe.
Shilpashastra (iconography)
Hayaśīrṣa (हयशीर्ष) is the name of a deity whose iconographic details are discussed in chapter 25 of the Ādikāṇḍa of the Hayaśīrṣasaṃhitā: a large Pāñcarātra Āgama consisting of roughly 6500 verses dealing primarily with architecture, temple-building and consecration rituals and iconography.—Description of the chapter [pratimālakṣaṇa]: This chapter deals with some rules for iconography related to miscellaneous forms: the eight-armed aspect of the Lord on His vehicle (1-3a), Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī (3b), Viśvarūpa (4-8), Jalaśāyī (9-11a), and Hariśaṅkara (11b-15). There is also a closing section on the iconography for the Lord’s horse-faced shape (Hayaśīrṣa = Hayagrīva) (16-25).
Shilpashastra (शिल्पशास्त्र, śilpaśāstra) represents the ancient Indian science (shastra) of creative arts (shilpa) such as sculpture, iconography and painting. Closely related to Vastushastra (architecture), they often share the same literature.
Mantrashastra (the science of Mantras)
Hayaśīrṣa (हयशीर्ष) or Hayaśīrṣasaṃhitā is the name of a text dealing with mantraśāstra consisting of seven paricchedas and comprising 2250 granthas divided into 199 chapters.—It is not to be confused with the similarly-named text belonging to the Pāñcarātra canon.
Mantrashastra (शिल्पशास्त्र, mantraśāstra) refers to the ancient Indian science of mantras—chants, incantations, spells, magical hymns, etc. Mantra Sastra literature includes many ancient books dealing with the methods reciting mantras, identifying and purifying its defects and the science behind uttering or chanting syllables.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Hayaśīrṣa (हयशीर्ष).—[adjective] & [masculine] = [preceding]
1) Hayaśīrṣa (हयशीर्ष):—[=haya-śīrṣa] [from haya] mfn. having a horse’s head, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa]
2) [v.s. ...] m. Viṣṇu in a [particular] form ([probably] as Haya-grīva; cf. -śiras), [ib.]
Hayaśīrṣa (हयशीर्ष):—adj. einen Pferdekopf habend, m. Viṣṇu in einer best. Manifestation [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 6, 8, 15.] śīrṣan [2, 7, 11.] Unbestimmt ob śīrṣa oder śīrṣan: vāsudevasya priyāṃ tanuṃ dharmamayīṃ śīrṣābhidhānām [5, 18, 1.] śīrṣapañcarātra [Oxforder Handschriften 87,b,36. fg. 280,a,4. 5. 292,b,37.] [Weber’s Verzeichniss No. 1403] (pañcarātriḥ).
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Shirsha, Haya.
Starts with: Hayashirshaka, Hayashirshakamudra, Hayashirshalakshana, Hayashirshaloka, Hayashirshan, Hayashirshapancaratra, Hayashirshapratima, Hayashirshapratishtha, Hayashirshasamhita.
Full-text (+262): Hayashirshasamhita, Hayashirshapancaratra, Hayashirshapratishtha, Hayashirshalakshana, Hayashirshapratima, Hayagriva, Hayashirshaloka, Caturmukha, Hayashiras, Pancaratra, Harishankara, Bhutalakshana, Nagna, Hayashira, Nastika, Madhu, Kaitabha, Prakriti, Vairaja, Gauri.
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Search found 30 books and stories containing Hayashirsha, Haya-shirsha, Haya-śīrṣa, Haya-sirsa, Hayaśīrṣa, Hayasirsa; (plurals include: Hayashirshas, shirshas, śīrṣas, sirsas, Hayaśīrṣas, Hayasirsas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Chandogya Upanishad (Madhva commentary) (by Srisa Chandra Vasu)
The Structural Temples of Gujarat (by Kantilal F. Sompura)
1. Early reference to architectural Canons < [Chapter 1 - Sources of architectural canons]
4. The Main Characteristics Of The Vertical Parts < [Chapter 4 - The component parts of the full-fledged Temple]
3. Architecture of Nagara, Dravida and Vesara < [Chapter 4 - The Architectural forms of Temples]
Studies in the Cult of Jagannatha (by K. C. Mishra)
Eulogy of Visnu by Kasyapa < [Purana, Volume 12, Part 1 (1970)]
The Cult of Jagannatha (by K. C. Mishra)
Isanasivagurudeva Paddhati (study) (by J. P. Prajith)