72 - The worship of Hayagriva

Sanatkumara said: 

1. Om namo Vişhnave Surapataye Mahābalāya Svaha (Obeisance unto Vishnu, the extremely powerful lord of Devas Svaha). This is the eighteen-syllabled mantra. 

2. Its sage is Indu (the moon), the metre is virat, the deity is Dadhivåmana,¹ Omkara is the bīja, svaha is Shakti. 

3-5. The syllables of the mantra are grouped into classes of one, two, three, five and two syllables and the nyāsas in six limbs are performed. Then, the syllables are fixed in the head, on the forehead, in the eyes, ears, lips, palate, throat, arms, on the back, in the belly, umbilicus, private parts, thighs, knees, calves and the feet. The syllables originating from the mantra are only eighteen. Thereafter, he shall meditate on the lord. 

6-8. He shall meditate on the lord who is white like the pearl, who has jewels and ornaments, who is stationed in the moon, whose face shines by means of forelocks resembling bees and who holds a jar filled with pure water and a cup filled with curd-soaked rice with his hands. He shall worship him and repeat the mantra three hundred thousand times. To the extent of one tenth of it he shall perform homa with milk-pudding and cooked rice soaked in ghee or with curd-soaked rice in accordance with injunctions. In the fancied pedestal on the top of the moon, as mentioned before, he shall worship him. 

9-11. After duly worshipping the fancied idol reciting the mula mantra he shall worship the six angas in the filaments. Vasudeva, Samkarshana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha in the petals of the quarters, Santi, Sri, Sarasvati and Rati in the corner petals and the emblem Vainateya, Kaustubha, Vanamalika, conch, discus, iron club and the bow (Sharnga) in the eight petals. 

12-15. At the lips of the petals, he shall worship Keshava etc and the guardians of the quarters thereafter. After worship ping their weapons he shall worship the eight elephants of the quarters viz Airavata, Pundarika, Vamana, Kumuda, Anjana, Puşhpadanta, Sårvabhauma and Supratīka. The female elephants, their mates, are Abhramu, Kapila, Pingala, Anupama, Tamra karni, Shubhradanti, Angana and Anjanavati. When everything is propitiated thus, the devotee shall be the perfect possessor of the Mantra. One who is desirous of prosperity and glory shall give the desired things to the repeater of the mantra. The intelligent devotee shall perform homa for a thousand times with milk-pudding and ghee. 

16-18. He shall obtain great splendour and glory, by performing homas with grains. By performing a thousand homas with the seeds taken from Shatapushpa, one dispels great fear. No hesitation, no doubt need be entertained in this respect. One gets liberated from ill fortunes by performing homa with pure curd-soaked rice. After meditating on the form of Trivikrama, he shall, with great concentration, repeat the Mantra. One who is imprisoned in a jail shall be released, thanks to the power of the mantra. 

19. One shall get the painting of the lord of Devas either on the wall or on the plank and worship it every day with great fragrant flowers. He shall attain great glory and prosperity. 

20. By performing homa with red lotuses the repeater of the mantra can make the entire universe subservient to him. He shall perform homa every day with cooked rice soaked in ghee. He shall perform twenty-eight homas every day. 

21-24. One who performs homa duly with sugar, ghee and cooked rice shall attain everlasting cooked rice. One shall perform homas with baked pies) having six tastes. He shall perform homa eight thousand times. He shall withstand ill fortune and attain great glory and prosperity. The repeater of the mantra shall perform ten thousand homas with curd-soaked rice mixed with sugar, Wherever he may reside he shall attain a mountain (huge quantity) of cooked rice there. A man shall perform a thousand billion homas staying near a bilva (tree). There is no doubt in this that he obtains great fortune there and then. If a man forms a hundred thousand homas with milk pudding, he shall become equal to the lord of speech. 

25. After repeating the mantra a hundred thousand times he shall perform Homa to the extent of one-tenth of it by the fruits of Putrajiva (Nagdie Putranjiva) into the fire kindled by the twigs of that tree. One shall attain a son, 

26-27. That yantra (amulet) is conducive to richness, the yantra which contains Tara (om) as Sadhya (the person for whose good the rite is performed) which shines with its pericarp, which consists of shining filaments of good colour with Om in the centre and has two syllables of the mantra in each of the eight petals which contains the remaining two syllables of the mantra in the last petals which is enveloped by twelve syllables (of the vowels) and all the letters of consonants externally. 

28. After meditating on red Trivikrama, the repeater of the mantra shall perform ten thousand homas with flowers red in colour. He shall be victorious everywhere. 

29. If one meditates on the deity as occupying the seat on the moon and performs ten thousand homas with lotuses, one shall attain a kingdom endowed with all characteristics and free from thorn. 

30. By performing ten thousand homas with cloves soaked in honey or with the petals of apămärga flowers along with the repetitions of the name of the sadhya (i.e., the person to be brought under control), he shall certainly become controlled. 

31. By performing hundred and eight homas with the auspicious petals of apămärga flowers or by performing so many japas for seven days he shall be relieved from great ailments. 

32-33. He shall repeat the following mystic words,1 "udgirat Om udgitha Sarvavägiśhvara", then he shall repeat sarvavedamaya (O deity identical with all the Vedas) achintya (the inconceivable) sarvam bodhaya, bodhaya (enlighten, enlighten everything). The mantra begins with tåra (OM).

1.    The mantra of Hayagriva is given in Sharada Tilaka in the following verse:

udgirat padamåbhåşhya pranavodgithaśhabdataḥ |

Sarvavägishvaretyante pravadetishvaretyatha ||

Sarvavedamayachintyapadánte sárvamuccharet |

Bodhaya dvitayảntoyam mantrastárådiriritah ||

The mantra of Hayagriva then comes to this:

"Om udgirat om sarvavägišhvareshvara sarvavedamayachintya sarvam bodbaya bodhaya”. 

34. Its sage is Brahma, the metre is anushtup and the deity is Hayagriva, the lord who bestows speech and prosperity. 

35-37. He shall conceive the five angas by uttering Om and the (four) quarters of the mantra. He shall then meditate on the deity-"I salute the Horse-faced lord whose lustre is equal to that of the snow-capped mountain, who is bedecked in garlands of tulasi leaves and whose high region is that of speech. After meditating thus, he shall repeat the Mantra ten thousand times. To the extent of one tenth of it he shall perforin homa with milk-puddings soaked in honey. After conceiving the idol by the mula mantra he shall worship it in the pedestal belonging to Vişņu, accompanied by Vimala etc. 

38-40. In the four quarters inside the pericarp beginning with the east he shall worship Sanandana, Sanaka, Shri and Pruthivi (Earth). In its exterior he shall worship the four Vedas. In the six corners he shall worship these six Vedangas namely Nirukta (Etymology), Jyotisha (Astronomy), Vyakarana (Grammar), Kalpa (rituals), Shiksha (Science of Euphony and proper pronunciation) and Chandas (Prosody). Then he shall worship the eight mothers at the eight petals. 

41-42. The sadhaka (aspirant) shall worship Vakratunda and others, eight in all, in the middle of the petals. Afterwards he shall worship the eight Bhairavas in the tips of the petals. Asitänga, Ruru, Bhishana, Raktanetraka, Batuka, Kaladamana, Dantura and Vikata. 

43. Exterior to it in the sixteen petals he shall worship the ten incarnations of Hari as well as the six weapons viz., the Conch, discus, iron club, lotus, sword Nandaka and the bow Sharnga. 

44-47. Exterior to it in the outermost quarters he shall worship the ten guardians of the quarters beginning with Indra. After worshipping the thunderbolt etc. exterior to it he shall in due order worship at the entrances, Mahaganapati, Durga, Kșhetreśha and Batuka. The entire group of the Yoginis beginning with Prakața shall be in the outside. Still exterior to it are the seven rivers and exterior to it, the nine planets. After worshipping the Horse-faced deity thus for fifteen times he shall become equal to the lord of speech in fluency of speech and the lord of wealth by means of his riches. 

48-49. When the mantra has been achieved thus the repeater of the mantra can apply it to practical purpose. He shall charge pure water with the mantra one thousand and eight times and for a month with the mula mantra. He who conquers his sense organs and drinks this water becomes very intelligent. Even a born dumb man certainly attains the achievement of fluency of speech, 

50-51. The bija is said to be Viyat (ha) Bhrugu (sa) and arghisha (u) stationed with the firmament indu) (TM). At the time of the lunar or solar eclipse he shall pour milk into a gold vessel and put vata (arris root) into it. The repeater of the mantra shall stand in water upto the neck and reverentially perform Japa of the mantra throughout the duration of eclipse. 

52-54. He shall then drink the entire milk immediately. He shall have good fluency of speech. He shall take the seed of the jyotişhmati creeper and inspire it with the mantra. He shall then eat it. The number of seeds must be increased by one everyday till it comes to one hundred and eight. It is true that man will be an incarnation of Sarasvati on the earth. O leading brahmins, of what use is much talk? By the grace of this mantra, he shall become an interpreter of the Vedas, Agamas etc and possess knowledge. In combination it is Hsaum.