Hayagreeva

Hayagreeva is the common name of Lord Vishnu, a Veda-thieving demon and a popular sweet dish. The word ‘greeva’ refers to head/neck. Shiva is known as ‘Neelagreeva’ because of the blue of the poison at his throat. Raavana was called ‘Dashagreeva’ owing to his ten-heads. ‘Hayagreeva’ means the one with the horse’s head.

There are as many stories about the first two Hayagreevas, as there are recipes of the sweet dish Hayagreeva; with some versions stating that the demon had asked for a boon that he could only be killed by someone with the same name! A fanciful account describes how Vishnu fell asleep on his bow, and when the bow was broken in order to awaken him, he lost his head (literally!) and his head was replaced by a horse’s head.

Hayagreeva, the God

Hayagreeva, an avataara of Vishnu, also called Hayavadana, is the God of knowledge, wisdom and the receiver (bhoktha) of all offerings. When Bramha offered ‘havis’ (an offering poured into sacrificial fire), a golden-hued Hayagreeva, as the personification (yagnya purusha) of the sacrifice, appeared before Bramha to accept the havis, and then imparted the knowledge of the Vedas to Bramha.

Hayagreeva is said to have the body of a man and the head of a horse. The horse, associated with swiftness, represents the speed of comprehension required to understand the Vedas.

Hayagreeva is often depicted as being seated with Lakshmi on his lap; or as a brilliant white horse standing on its hind legs, placing its forelegs on Vaadiraja Tirtha’s shoulders and partaking the offerings of Vaadiraja Tirtha, held in a plate above his head. Hayagreeva is associated with the elimination of poison (literally and figuratively) owing to the popular tale of the Lord saving Vaadiraja Tirtha by consuming the entire offering which was poisoned. An earlier incident related to protection from poison is mentioned in the story of Sripadarajaru, whose chanting of the Hayagreeva mantra saved his life when the humiliated scholars of Kashi tried to poison him.

Raghavendra Tirtha is said to have been chanting the Hayagreeva mantra when he entered his brindavana, and therefore declared that Hayagreeva bears witness* to the veracity of the prayer composed by his disciple Appanachaarya.

*Saakshi Hayasyotrahi

When two demons, Madhu and Kaitabha, two demons said to be born of Vishnu’s ear-wax* during Bramha’s night, during which time Vishnu absorbs everything within himself, came into possession of the knowledge of the Vedas, before Bramha had created the universe. Vishnu, in order to return the Vedas to their rightful owner (Bramha), waged a war against Madhu and Kaitabha. As the whole universe was submerged in the cosmic ocean, the demons requested to be killed in a place with no water, hoping to cheat death. Vishnu placed them on his thighs and pulverised them, and redeemed the Vedas.

*a symbolic indicator, probably

Hayagreeva, the Demon

The demon with the head of a horse, Hayagreeva, is said to have ‘stolen’ the Vedas from the fourheaded Bramha, when Bramha ‘yawned’* towards the end of Bramha’s day.

*again a symbolic indicator

As the world was to be submerged and destroyed, Vishnu assumed the form of a fish and sought the help of a pious king named Satyavrat (or Manu). Upon witnessing the supernatural growth of the fish, the king realised that the fish was Naarayana himself. Having gathered learned rishis, herbs, plants, animals, birds, etc., on the instructions of the Lord, Satyavrat (or Manu) was rescued by Matsya, the fish, from the cosmic deluge. The sages were imparted with divine knowledge, which came to be known as ‘Matsya Purana’. After the boat was safely anchored, Matsya went in search of Hayagreeva, the demon. Retrieving the Vedas by killing the demon, Vishnu enabled the process of cosmic creation to be carried out unhindered by Bramha.

Interestingly the first episode is believed to have occurred at the beginning of a kalpa* while the second, occurred at the end of a kalpa**.

*end of Bramha’s night

**end of Bramha’s day

Hayagreeva, the Sweet

When boiled and softened split Bengal gram is cooked with jaggery syrup and grated coconut, it becomes Hayagreeva, the naivedya of the Gods. The taste of the dish can be enhanced with the addition of a little ghee and cardamom powder, and garnish of cashews and raisins. The dish typically takes a long time to thicken and become flavourful.

It is the signature sweet dish of the Madhwa community, the reason attributed to the lore of Vaadiraja Tirtha offering it (the sweet dish) to Lord Hayagreeva.