Hayagrīva Upanishad

Śrī Hayagrīva Upanishad

||.. हयग्रीवोपनिषत् ..||
||.. hayagrīvopaniṣat ..||

Now follows the Śrī Hayagrīva Upanishad - the Vedic text dedicated to the Avatār or Embodiment of Lord Vishnu.

Śrī Hayagriva is easily recognisable as an emanation with Horse’s head and Human’s body.

According to Vedic scriptures and Vaiṣṇava tradition Hayagriva is most often asked for knowledge, intelligence, success in studies and Vedic studies in particular. And yet, he is the full and legitimate incarnation of Lord Nārāyaṇa himself.

Invocation

auṁ bhadraṁ karṇebhiḥ śruṇuyāma devāḥ .
bhadraṁ paśyemākṣabhiryajatrāḥ .
sthirairaṅgaistuṣṭuvāɱsastanūbhiḥ .
vyaśema devahitaṁ yadāyuḥ ..
svasti na indro vṛddhaśravāḥ . svasti naḥ pūṣā viśvavedāḥ .
svasti nastārkṣyo ariṣṭanemiḥ . svasti no bṛhaspatirdadhātu ..

auṁ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ..

Om! O Devas, may we hear with our ears what is auspicious;
May we see with our eyes what is auspicious, O ye worthy of worship!
May we enjoy the term of life allotted by the Devas,
Praising them with our body and limbs steady!

May the glorious Indra bless us!
May the all-knowing Sun bless us!
May Garuda, the thunderbolt for evil, bless us!
May Brihaspati grant us well-being!

Om! Let there be Peace in me!
Let there be Peace in my environment!
Let there be Peace in the forces that act on me!

hariḥ auṁ ..

Verse 1

nārado brahmāṇam upasametyovāca adhīhi bhagavan
brahma-vidyāṁ variṣṭhāṁ yayā cirāt sarva-pāpaṁ vyapohya
brahma-vidyāṁ labdhvaiśvaryavān bhavati .

Once Nārada approached Brahma and said: O master, please teach me the best spiritual knowledge, knowledge that quickly removes all sins and brings spiritual glory and opulence.

Verse 2

brahmovāca
Hayagrīva-daivatyān mantrān yo veda sa śruti-smṛtītihāsa-purāṇāni veda .
sa sarvaiśvaryavān bhavati .

Brahma said: One who knows the mantras glorifying Lord Hayagriva already knows all the Śrutis, Smṛiti, Itihāsas, and Purāṇas. He becomes glorious with spiritual opulence.

Verse 3

ta ete mantrāḥ .
 viśvottīrṇa-svarūpāya
cin-mayānanda-rūpiṇe .
 tubhyaṁ namo hayagrīva
vidyā-rājāya vishnave
svāhā svāhā namaḥ ..

Here are these mantras: Obeisances to You, Lord Hayagriva, who are beyond the material world, and who are filled with spiritual bliss. Obeisances to Lord Vishnu, who is the monarch of all knowledge.

Verse 4

ṛg-yajuḥ-sāma-rūpāya
vedāharaṇa-karmaṇe .
praṇavodgītha-vapuṣe
mahāśva-śirase namaḥ svāhā svāhā namaḥ ..

Obeisances, obeisances to Lord Hayagriva, who has a horse's head. He is the Rig, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas, the duties of the Vedas, and the sacred syllable Om.

Verse 5

udgītha praṇavodgītha
sarva-vāg-īśvareśvara .
sarva-vedamayācintya
sarvaṁ bodhaya bodhaya svāhā svāhā namaḥ ..

O inconceivable Lord who are hymns of the Vedas, the sacred syllable Om, the master of all eloquence, and all the Vedas personified, please enlighten me. Please enlighten me. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.

Verse 6

brahmātri-ravi-savitṛ-bhārgavā ṛṣayaḥ . gāyatrī-triṣṭub-anuṣṭup chandāṁsi .
śrīmān hayagrīvaḥ paramātmā devateti . hlaum iti bījam .
so'ham iti śaktiḥ . hlūm iti kīlakam . bhoga-mokṣayor viniyogaḥ .
akārokāra-makārair aṅga-nyāsaḥ .

The sages are Brahma, Atri, Ravi, Sāvitrī, and Bhārgava.
The meters are Gāyatrī, triṣṭub, and Anuṣṭup.
The Deity is Lord Hayagrīva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The bīja is Hlaum. The śakti is So'ham. The Kīlaka is Hlūm.
The viniyoga is enjoyment and liberation.
The aṅga-Nyāsa is the letters a, u, and m.

Verse 6 (a)

dhyānam

śaṅkha-cakra-mahā-mudrā-pustakāḍhyaṁ catur-bhujam .
saṁpūrṇa-candra-saṁkāśaṁ hayagrīvam upāsmahe ..

Meditation

We worship Lord Hayagriva, who is splendid like the moon, and who holds a conchshell, disc, mahā-mudra, and book in His four arms.

Verse 7

oṁ śrīm iti dve akṣare . hlaum ity ekākṣaram .
oṁ namo bhagavata iti saptākṣarāṇi .
hayagrīvāyeti pañcākṣarāṇi .
viṣṇava iti tryakṣarāṇi .
mahyaṁ medhāṁ prajñām iti ṣaḍakṣarāṇi ,
prayaccha svāheti pañcākṣarāṇi .
hayagrīvasya turīyo bhavati ..

The 29 lettered Hayagrīva mantra is:

Om Śrīm hlaum om namo bhagavate hayagrīvāya
vishnave mahyam medham prajñam prayaccha svaha

// Obeisances to Lord Hayagriva, who is Vishnu. O Lord Hayagriva, please give me intelligence and wisdom.//

Om and Śrīm are two syllables.
Hlaum is one syllable.
Om namo bhagavate is seven syllables.
Hayagrīvāya is five syllables.
Vishnave is three syllables.
Mahyam medham prajñam is six syllables.
Prayaccha svaha is five syllables.

- This is the transcendental mantra of Lord Hayagriva.

Verse 8

auṁ śrīm iti dve akṣare . hlaum ity ekākṣaram .
aimaimaimiti trīṇyakṣarāṇi . klīṁ klīm iti dve akṣare .
sauḥ saur iti dve akṣare . hrīm ity ekākṣaram .
oṁ namo bhagavata iti saptākṣarāṇi .
hayagrīvāyeti pañcākṣarāṇi .
mahyaṁ medhāṁ prajñām iti ṣaḍakṣarāṇi .
prayaccha svāheti pañcākṣarāṇi . pañcamo manur bhavati ..

The 28 lettered Hayagrīva mantra is:

Om śrīm hlaum aim aim aim klīm klīm sauh sauh hrīm om namo bhagavate mahyam medham prajñam prayaccha svāhā

// Obeisances to Lord Hayagrīva. O Lord Hayagrīva, please give me intelligence and wisdom.//

Om and Śrīm are two syllables.
Hlaum is one syllables.
Aim Aim Aim are three syllables.
Klīm klim is two syllables.
Sauh sauh is two syllables.
Hrīm is one syllable.
Om namo bhagavate is seven syllables.  
Mahyam medham prajnam is six syllables.
Prayaccha svaha is five syllables.

This is the fifth mantra of Lord Hayagriva.

Verse 9

hayagrīvaikākṣareṇa brahma-vidyāṁ pravakṣyāmi . brahmā
maheśvarāya maheśvaraḥ saṁkarṣaṇāya saṁkarṣaṇo nāradāya
nārado vyāsāya vyāso lokebhyaḥ prāyacchad iti
hakāroṁ sakārom akāroṁ trayam eka-svarūpaṁ bhavati .

hlau bījākṣaraṁ bhavati . bījākṣareṇa hlauṁ rūpeṇa taj-jāpakānāṁ
saṁpat-sārasvatau bhavataḥ . tat-svarūpa-jñānāṁ vaidehī
muktiś ca bhavati . dik-pālānāṁ rājñāṁ nāgānāṁ
kinnarāṇām adhipatir bhavati . hayagrīvaikākṣara-japa-śīlājñayā
sūryādayaḥ svataḥ sva-sva-karmaṇi pravartante . sarveṣāṁ
bījānāṁ hayagrīvaikākṣara-bījam anuttamaṁ mantra-rājātmakaṁ bhavati .

hlauṁ hayagrīva-svarūpo bhavati .

Now I will explain the single-syllable Hayagrīva mantra. Brahma taught this mantra to Śiva. Śiva taught it to Sankarṣaṇa, Sankarṣaṇa taught it to Nārada. Nārada taught it to Vyāsa, and Vyāsa taught it to the people.

This single-syllable bīja-mantra is the word Hlaum, which consists of the three letters h, l, and oṁ.

They who chant this Hlaum bīja-mantra attain both wealth and learning. They attain knowledge of the transcendental form of Lord Hayagriva and they also attain liberation, becoming free from the entanglement of residing in a material body.

They become the rulers of the Dikpālas, kings, and nagas. Sūrya and others diligently chant this single-syllable Hayagriva mantra.

Of all bīja-mantras, the single-syllable Hayagriva bīja-mantra is the best. It is the king of mantras. The syllable Hlaum is the transcendental form of Lord Hayagriva Himself.

Verse 10

amṛtaṁ kurukuru svāhā .
taj-jāpakānāṁ vāk-siddhiḥ śrī-siddhir aṣṭāṅga-yoga-siddhiś ca bhavati .

Another mantra is:

Hlaum Amṛitaṁ Kurukuru Svāhā (Please make me immortal).

They who chant this mantra attain eloquence, wealth, and the results of aṣṭāṅga-yoga.

Verse 11

hlaum sakala-samrajyena siddhim kuru kuru svaha.

Another mantra is:

Hlaum sakala-samrajyena siddhim kuru kuru svaha

(Please make me king of all lands).

Verse 12

tan etan mantran yo veda apavitrah pavitro bhavati. abrahmacari su-brahmacari bhavati.

agamyāgamanāt pūto bhavati . patita-saṁbhāṣaṇāt pūto
bhavati . brahma-hatyādi-pātakair mukto bhavati . gṛihaṁ gṛiha-patir iva
dehī dehānte paramātmānaṁ praviśati .

If he knows these mantras an impure person becomes pure, and a debauchee becomes a pure-hearted celibate. He is excused from his crimes. He is excused from killing a brāhmaṇa and committing a host of other sins.

While he lives in this world he controls his body as the master of a house controls his house. At the time of death, when he leaves this body, he attains the company of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Verse 13

prajñānam brahma. ahaṁ brahmāsmī
tat tvam asi. ayam ātmā brahmeti mahā-vākyaiḥ
pratipāditam arthaṁ ta ete mantrāḥ pratipādayanti .

These mantras glorifying Lord Hayagriva teach the true meaning of the Vedic statements "prajñānam brahma", "aham brahmāsmī", "tat tvam asi", and "ayam ātmā brahma" (Brahman is the realized happiness; You are it; My soul is Brahma and I am Brahman, respectively.)

Verse 14

svara-vyañjana-bhedena dvidhā ete .

This mantra is manifested in two ways: as vowels and constants.

At the conclusion of Hayagrīva Upanishad,
it is a tradition to chant the following four Vedic mantras:

Verse 15

athānumantrāñ japati .

One may also chant the following supplementary mantras:

yad vāg vadanty avicetanāni rāṣṭrī devānāṁ niṣasāda mandrā .
catasra ūrjaṁ duduhe payāṁsi kvasvid asyāḥ paramaṁ jagāma ..

Verse 16

gaurīr mimāya salilāni takṣaty eka-padī dvi-padī sā catuṣ-padī .
aṣṭāpadī nava-padī babhūvuṣī sahasrākṣarā parame vyoman ..

Verse 17

oṣṭhāpidhānā nakulī dantaiḥ parivṛtā paviḥ .
sarvasyai vāca īśānā cāru mām iha vādayeti ca vāgrasaḥ ..

Verse 18

sa sarparīr amatiṁ bādhamāna bṛhan mimāya jamadagni-datta .
āsūryasya duritā tanāna śravo deveṣv amṛtam ajuryam ..

Verse 19

ya imāṁ brahma-vidyām ekādaśyāṁ paṭhed dhayagrīva-prabhāvena
mahā-puruṣo bhavati . sa jīvan-mukto bhavati .

A person who on Ekādaśī recites these spiritual mantras becomes, by Lord Hayagrīva’s mercy, an exalted person. He becomes liberated even while living in this world.

Verse 20

auṁ namo brahmaṇe
dhāraṇaṁ me astv anirākaraṇaṁ dhārayitā bhūyāsaṁ karṇayoḥ
śrutaṁ mācyoḍhvaṁ mamāmuṣya om ity upaniṣat ..

Om.

I offer my respectful obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
May I always remember Him. May nothing stop me from remembering Him.
May I never forget what my ears have heard about Him.

Om. Thus the Upanishad.