Matsya Avatara and Hayagriva, the demon

 

Dawn of the worlds

At the end of the previous day (kalpa), when Brahma felt sleepy and wished to rest, the universe underwent a partial destruction. At that moment, with Brahma tired and unable to provide protection, the Vedic knowledge emanated from his mouths and the demon Hayagriva appropriated it, holding it for the whole night.

 

Notes:

• Not to be confused with the namesake Vishnu Avatara.

• The night of Brahma lasts 4,320,000 years.

 

 

Avatara Matsya retrieves the Vedas

When the architect of the universe was about to awaken, in what was later called Varaha-kalpa (or Svetavaraha-kalpa), Lord Vishnu took the form of a Fish, Matsya and, moving in the terrible waters of devastation (pralaya), recovered the Vedas and killed the demon who had assumed the features of a horse (Hayagriva). 

The kalpa we are going to talk about is exactly what we are living in. Srila Prabhupada says it is also sometimes called Padma-kalpa.

 

The Puranas tell us of different divine incarnations, one of which is called Hayagriva. One of these appeared during the Caksusa Manvantara to kill the demon of the same name (son of Danu) who could only be killed by those who, like him, had the head of a horse (Ramayana, Aranyakanda, 14). 

The dating of the Manvantara of Caksusa is deduced from the name of Danu who, as we shall see, will be one of the progenitors of his time. 

Another famous appearance of Hayagriva was that involving Yajna, who by mistake beheaded Vishnu and paid his offense by suffering the head of a horse 

(Taittiriya Aranyaka 5.1 and others). 

This episode concerning Yajna most likely occurred during the Svayambhuva Manvantara, Yajna being the Manvantara-Avatara of the period.

 

More

Thus the Lord Hari, always transcendental to the dimension of dualities, restored wisdom to the world, entrusting it to the first of the Gurus (Brahma) when he was awakened from lethargy. Brahma himself would then have passed it down to the present day through his offspring.

Matsyavatara (the Avatara who had assumed the form of a Fish) would reappear at the sunset of the Manvantara of Caksusa (the sixth), to save the Vedas personified from another flood and to impart to the sages, including King Satyavrata , the same transcendental knowledge. 

Come Varaha, Matsya si incarna per due volte nello stesso giorno di Brahma.

King Satyavrata would be reborn as Sraddhadeva, the Manu Vaivasvata, under whose reign we are still living today. Satyavrata is also the author of the fanous song “Dasavatara”.

 

Hayagriva

He was and Asura, the son of Kasyapa Prajapati by his wife Danu. 

(Valmiki Ramayana, Aranyakanda, Canto 14).

 

As a child the Asura began tapas on the banks of river Sarasvati, and after a thousand years Devi appeared and asked him to choose any boon he wanted, and he wanted to become invincible by Devas and Asuras, and also deathless. When Devi told him that such a boon was out of question, he wanted the boon that he (Hayagriva) should not be killed by anyone but by a Hayagriva (one with the horse’s neck). Devi granted him the boon.

 

Hayagriva, who became haughty and overconfident on receiving such a boon, went about the three worlds troubling good people, and at last he clashed with the Devas. As he could be killed only by one with the head of a horse the combined attack of Mahavisnu and the Devas did not succeed in defeating him and Mahavisnu decided to rest for some time to recoup himself from weariness. During his rest his head was hit by the end of his own bow and the head was severed from the trunk. 

Mahavisnu replaced the head thus lost with that of a horse and killed Hayagriva in fight.