crystal

  Lord Hayagriva(Hayavadhana, the Horse Faced God, is the lesser known avatar of Lord Vishnu. He is the ocean of knowledge, Wisdom, where Brahma & Goddess Saraswathi riside. He is the Four forms of Veda, viz. Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Vedas. He is worshipped as the God of knowledge and wisdom. He is the one who taught knowledge to Goddess Saraswati.

Haya means horse and Greeva means neck. Brilliant white in colour, with white garments and seated on a white lotus, the horse faced form of Vishnu, is the God of Vidya or knowledge, wisdom and prosperity according to scriptures. He has four hands, one in the mode of bestowing knowledge; another holds books of wisdom, and the other two hold the Conch and Discus.  

ज्ञानानन्दमयं देवं निर्मल स्फटिकाकृतिम्

आधारं सर्व विद्द्यानां हयग्रीवं उपास्महे

Jnyaana-Anandamayam Devam Nirmala Sphatikaakrtim,

Aadharam Sarva-vidyaanaam Hayagreevam-Upasmahe

he God, who is the very form of True Spiritual knowledge and True Bliss, Pure as a crystal

One, who is the Basis/Foundation of all Knowledge, I worship that Lord Hayagreeva. 

Meaning in Depth

Jnyaana-True Knowledge; Ananda– True Bliss; Mayam– Full of/ Made up of; Devam– God

One, who is made up of True Spiritual knowledge and True Bliss.

The Supreme Reality(ParaBrahmam) is referred to a true knowledge, because outside of that, evrything is an illusion, a false image, Maya. The essence of Parabrahmam is Aananda or True Bliss. Bliss as we imagine is false too, as it is only what we can feel with our limited senses. True bliss is beyond the reach of the common man. Only through seep meditation and advanced spiritual practices can one experience the nature of  Parabrahmam, True Bliss. Lord Hayagreeva, is described here as a being of true knowledge and bliss or in other words, as Brahman Himself.

Nir– Without; Mala– Dirt(Ignorance); Sphatika– Crystal; Aakrti- Form: One, whose form is without dirt and pure as a crystal.

As Lord Hayagreeva is the embodiment of True Knowledge, He does not have even a trace of dirt. Ignorance is considered the dirt that surrounds True Knowledge to make it unrecognisabe to us.

(It is because of this ignorance that we percieve ourselves as being different from others and from animals and plants and planets. We are all indeed, just different reflections of the Supreme, say the learned Saints. But we find it difficult to even understand the full implications of that sentence.)

Aadharam– Foundation/Sub-stratum; Sarva-All; Vidyaa– Knowledge: One, who is the foundation/ Origin/ Sub-stratum of all knowledge.

All creation is permeated by the Universal Consciousness. Even the formation of a spec in the universe requires the Know-how for it. Nature is ruled by laws laid down at the time of Creation. These laws allow for the formation of everything, there are no random events in Creation. These rules, this know-how, are all the basis of creation, therefore nothing is possible without this basic “knowledge”, which makes everything work. That basis, that knowledge, that foundation is Lord Hayagreeva.

Hayagreevam– O Lord Hayagreeva; Upa– Near; Aas– Sit; Upaasmahe – We sit (together) to perform the formal worship of/ to formally (and in Reverence) worship.

O, Lord Hayagriva, You who are the substratum of all knowledge, Whose nature is True Knowledge and True Bliss, Who is as pure as a crystal, We worship Thee !

Chanting the mantra:

Best time to chant this mantra is at Brahma Muhurta, Ekadasis, Navami thithis; Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Special worship is conducted on the day of the full moon in August (Śravaṇa-Paurṇamī) (his avatāra-dina) and on Mahanavami, the ninth day of the Navaratri festival.

One can chant this mantra 9, 11, 108 or 1008 times, facing east direction.

One can use clear quartz crystal Japa mala – rosary beads.

BENEFITS

One who worships Lord Hayagreeva and chants this sloka will be blessed with:

Education: Students will attain:

Concentration in studies

Fluency in language, speech, vocabulary, mastery in debates etc

Good memory power.

Excellence in technical and vocational education, learning skills, advancement in new fields and in innovation.

Spiritual knowledge: Devotees will gain:

Interest in Spiritual path.

Spiritual growth leading to Liberation.

Relief from emotional distress, stress, tensions, depression.

Story of Lord Hayagreeva – the safe-keeper of Knowledge:

Lord Hayagriva is celebrated in the Puranas for rescuing the Vedas from the demons Madhu and Kaitabha and teaching them again to Brahma. 

The Puranas say that the Asuras Madhu and Kaitabha stole the Vedas from Lord Brahma. Desolate, Lord Brahman approached Lord Vishnu for help. The Lord assumed the form of Hayagreeva to recover the Vedas from the Asuras. There is also a mention, that it was Lord Hayagreeva who composed the Vedas and gave it to Brahma, therefore this Avatara preceeds the Matsya Avatara.

Symbolically, the story represents the triumph of Pure Eternal Knowledge, guided by the hand of God, over the destructive forces of passion and darkness. It establishes that True knowledge is ever present and held by the Almighty, rescued if required from wrongful use and restored when required for the growth of good.

Being human

 

Soul journey.

 

Why and what for are we born? Our deeds in the past had driven us to take this birth. It should be taken as an opportunity to wipe out all our sins and attain moksha. The meaning of the term soul called Aatma is “to attain”, of course salvation. Both good and bad deeds are obstructing our aim of reaching the never returning and ever enjoying divine bliss in the heavenly abode. But it is vastly proclaimed in scriptures that a person should throughout his life undertake good deeds as much as he can which bring welfare to the society as a whole. How can we do then? Elders say we have to undertake the good ones not for our satisfaction or benefit, but for the sake of God saying it as “Krishnarpanam” through which the benefit accrues to God and He is pleased. When we start indulging in any misdeed, we are prompted by the God residing in the heart of every person through a kind of intuition. We have to catch that signal and become alertful. 

There are three ways of nullifying the effect of both good and bad deeds to reach the heavenly abode — Enjoying the comforts and or undergoing pains and pangs; Resorting to corrective remedial measures called prayaschitham; and absolute surrender to God.

The journey of the soul is in two ways. First is called white path or archiradhi margam — travelling twelve lokas and going beyond crossing the Viraja river and reaching Srivaikunta. The second is known as black path or dhumramargam — can travel maximum up to twelve lokas but will be destined to return back again. The first one is for those who have nullified and for others the second. No criss-crossing between the two allowed, Velukudi Sri Krishnan Swami said in a discourse.

nk

Teenage Yogi - Neelkanth Varni In the early years of His life, Ghanshyam constantly performed actions displaying His divine attributes and His desire to spread knowledge. After Dharmadev and Bhaktimata passed away, Ghanshyam left home at the age of 11 to travel the length and breadth of India. His 7 year journey focused on reestablishing the ideals of Hindu Sanatan Dharma. During these years, He was known by the name of Neelkanth Varni. Neelkanth left home with only a few possessions: a loin cloth, a small scripture, a murti, and a begging bowl. He traveled with only what was necessary, renounced His family and other worldly possessions, and continued His lifelong journey of bringing people closer to God. Neelkanth’s travels spanned over 12,000 kilometers of the diverse terrain of India: the frost covered peaks of the Himalayas, the jungles of Assam, and the beaches of the south. The young yogi’s austerity and courage mystified and impressed the countless, fortunate people with whom He came into contact. In the village of Shripur, Neelkanth was warned of a lion that had been terrorizing the villagers. The mahant of the local mandir urged Neelkanth to spend the night inside the mandir walls to avoid being harmed. Neelkanth turned down the invitation and retired for the night under a tree outside the village walls. Fearful for the young boy, the mahant peered out of his window. He was shocked to see the lion calmly bowing at Neelkanth’s feet. Neelkanth’s fearless personality breathed courage into the lives of millions of aspirants on the path to attaining God. While traveling through the Himalayas, Neelkanth endured the severe climate of the coldest months of the year, a time when even the residents of the Himalayas migrate to warmer temperatures. Despite the physical challenges, Neelkanth climbed a height of 12,500 feet to arrive at the revered mandir dedicated to Vishnu, Muktinath. Here, He spent four months engaged in penance despite harsh temperatures, freezing rainfall, and piercing winds. Neelkanth drew the attention of people in every village through which He passed. In one such village, a Brahmin named Pibek grew jealous of the attention Neelkanth received. He resolved to force Neelkanth to leave the village. Pibek confronted Neelkanth when He was delivering a discourse to a group of sadhus and threatened His life. Pibek’s anger only grew when his threats were met with a serene smile on Neelkanth face. The curses Pibek tried to place on Neelkanth did not work, further angering him. Pibek called upon Batuk Bhairav, his diety of choice, for help in defeating Neelkanth. However, Batuk Bhairav warned Pibek that his black magic was no match for Neelkanth’s powers and that he should repent for his mistakes. Finally realizing Neelkanth’s divine ability, Pibek asked for His forgiveness. In response, Neelkanth requested that Pibek give up practicing black magic, read scriptures daily, and worship Vishnu daily. Neelkanth traveled through a period in India plagued by people who discouraged faith in God and mislead others into believing in superstitions and black magic. Through His treks, Neelkanth revived the Hindu concepts of faith, bhakti, and niyam. These instances are examples of the reformations inspired from Neelkanth’s travels. During His journey, He also sought guidance from a true guru who could answer His questions regarding the nature of the five eternal entities: jiva, ishwar, maya, Brahma and Parabrahma . Prior to Neelkanth’s arrival in Loj, a village in western Gujarat, He had been unable to find someone who could adequately respond to these questions. In Loj, He was introduced to Muktanand Swami, a disciple of Ramanand Swami, who, like all those who had previously met Neelkanth, was greatly impressed by Neelkanth’s story. Neelkanth was intrigued by Ramanand Swami’s sampraday and asked to meet him. He was then informed that although Ramanand Swami was away, He was welcome to stay at the ashram until he returned. Despite having turned down similar offers at many of the ashrams He had encountered throughout His travels, Neelkanth wanted to meet Ramanand Swami. He stayed at the ashram and while waiting for the return of Ramanand Swami, performed seva alongside other sadhus at the ashram. In the meantime, His desire to meet Ramanand Swami grew. After nine months, Neelkanth met Ramanand Swami in Piplana, a neighboring village of Loj. Upon meeting Him, Ramanand Swami compared himself to a drum beater who had gathered a crowd for the true performer, like the prologue to the main act. Ramanand Swami told his disciples that Neelkanth was God in human form and was the path to liberation. Ramanand Swami gave Neelkanth diksha and renamed Him Narayan Muni and Sahajanand Swami.

svasti

 

A poet should set forth the aim of his work right at the beginning. He must also pay his salutations to God, and indicate the benefits of reciting his work. Kooratazhvan’s Varadaraja Stava, in praise of Lord Varadaraja of Kanchi, has all these elements, said Kazhiyur B. Devarajan. In the first sloka, the first word is “ svasti.” This is Kooratazhvan’s salutation to Lord Varadaraja, whose Consort is Perundevi. He addresses Lord Varadaraja as “ hastigiri masta sekhara.” Hastigiri is the hill on which Lord Varadaraja stands. Masta means the top of the hill. Sekhara means ornament. Lord Varadaraja is the ornament which adorns the top of Hastigiri. Through the words “ nissama abhyadhika“, Kooratazhvan emphasises that the Lord is unequalled and unsurpassed. The Supremacy of Lord Narayana is averred by the Upanishads and the Divya Prabandham. Who but Lord Narayana is called Devadirajan, another name by which Lord Varadaraja is known? Devadirajan indicates that Varadaraja is the king of all, including the devas.

There was a devotee called Nampaaduvaan, who used to sing the praises of Lord Narayana. He was once stopped by a Brahmarakshas, which wanted to consume him. He told the Brahmarakshas that he would return after his worship. Nampaaduvaan said that if he did not keep his promise, then the sin of equating Lord Narayana with other devas would accrue to him. This story is worth recalling when one pays tribute to Lord Devadirajan of Kanchi. The mention of the Upanishads in the first sloka of Varadaraja Stava shows that the whole work is going to be an explanation of Upanishadic concepts. Kooratazhvan prays that Lord Varadaraja must confer auspiciousness on him always. Anyone who recites Varadaraja Stava will also be blessed with auspiciousness

ezhundha

 

No other month has a full bouquet of events — spiritual and cultural — as the Tamil month of Margazhi. Although weddings and housewarming ceremonies are traditionally not conducted, Margazhi is in fact the queen among the months. It is the month in which bhakti resonates in the air, with devotees coming out on to the streets, singing bhajans, homemakers welcoming ascetics, and devotion snowballs among the ordinary people.

Margazhi, also known as dhanur, in view of the fact that Sun moves into dhanur rasi, is the month that is dear to Lord Krishna Himself. “I am Margazhi among months,” he says and all those who think of Him and pray to Him, will be assured of Krishna’s grace, said Dhamal Ramakrishnan in a discourse. The Bhagavatam says the highest duty of a man consists in doing that which generates devotion to the Supreme Being, devotion which fills the heart of man with peace. One may wonder at the need to wake up early in the morning, when it is still cold and set forth singing bhajans or songs. There is a reason for this.

The Tamil months from Thai to Aani are termed Uttarayana and the months from Aadi to Margazhi as Dakshinayana. From Aadi to Margazhi, the devas are said to be in slumber (a calendar year for us is just one day for devas) and come awake from the first of Margazhi. The early morning hour of 3 a.m. is Brahma Muhurtam, the auspicious hour when devas open their eyes and bless the devotees. This is the reason why students are entreated to study early in the morning. “ Kalai ezhundha vudan padippu” says poet Subramania Bharati. If one meditates on Krishna and prays to Him, even sins will not come near such a devotee.

Arjuna

The name 'Arjuna' for the tree occurs in the Rig Veda and Atharva Veda and means “white” or “bright”, probably denoting its creamy-white flowers or the shining quality of its bark.

When lost in the forest they ask you to look for these trees. They are big and tall trees.

Terminalia arjuna

Plant Profile

Therapeutic uses

Morphological characteristics

Floral characteristics

Distribution

Climate and soil

Planting material

Agro-technique

Planting in the field

Harvest management

Plant Profile

Family Combretaceae

Ayurvedic name Arjuna

Unani name Arjun

Hindi name Arjun

Trade name Arjun chhal

Parts used Stem-barkta 1

Terminalia arjuna

Therapeutic uses

The bark of Arjun is astringent, sweet, acrid, cooling, aphrodisiac, urinary astringent, and expectorant, but, chiefly used as cardio tonic as it improves blood supply to heart.

It is also useful in ulcer treatment, fractures, cirrhosis of liver, ischaemic heart disease, and hypertension.

Morphological characteristics

Arjuna is a large deciduous tree with spreading crown and drooping branches.

It attains a height of up to 35 m.

Its bark is thick, grey to pinkish green, smooth, thin, coming off in irregular sheets.

Leaves are usually sub-opposite, 10–15 cm long, and 4–7 cm broad; base is rounded or heart shaped, often unequal sided; veins are reticulate.

Floral characteristics

Flowers are sessile and occur in simple or panicled spikes.

Calyx is glabrous and has five short triangular lobes.

Fruit is a fibrous-woody drupe, about 2.5–5 cm in size.

It is dark brown when mature and has five hard, projecting, veined wings.

Flowering occurs from May to June, while fruits mature from January to March.

Distribution

The species is common in mixed dry deciduous tropical forests throughout the greater part of India.

It is often found along the water courses, cultivated elsewhere as avenue tree.

It is a common avenue tree in many cities, such as Delhi.

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Terminalia arjuna - flowers and seeds

Climate and soil

The plant naturally occurs in sub- tropical and tropical moist regions of the country.

The tree prefers alluvial loamy or black cotton soils, which are loose, moist, fertile, and have good drainage and water holding capacity.

River bank soils, streams, and ravines are its natural habitat.

The plant also survives in open sunny and low rainfall areas.

Planting material

Propagation gives best result when seeds are used. The seeds can be collected in early summer from trees that are more than six-year-old.

Ripe fruits are collected in March either by lopping the branches or from the ground previously swept clean.

The seeds are viable for at least one year when stored in sealed tins.

Agro-technique

Nursery technique

Raising propagules

Seeds are sown in nursery beds in early summer, usually just after collection.

Germination commences in 8–12 days, and is completed in seven to eight weeks. Germinated seeds may be transplanted in polybags with clay, manure, and sand in equal ratio.

Alternatively, the pretreated fruits are directly put in polythene bags in April, with half of the fruit above the soil.

Pre-germinated seeds are preferred to save time and ensure uniform germination.

The seedlings are sensitive to drought during the germination stage as well as during the growth stage.

Propagule rate and pretreatment

The number of fruits per kg varies from about 200 to 1200, depending on the size of the fruits.

Hence, about 4–10 kg of seeds may be required for raising 1 hectare of plantation at a spacing of 6 m × 6 m.

The seeds should be pretreated by soaking them in cool water for 48 hours.

Alternatively, the seeds may be soaked in boiling water and allowed to cool.

The seeds should remain soaked for 24 hours.

The germination rate of pretreated seeds is up to 90%, while that of untreated seeds is 50%–60%.

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Terminalia arjuna - infestation by insect

Planting in the field

Land preparation and fertilizer application

Preparatory tillage is done in the field, which should be levelled, and pits of size 45 cm × 45 cm × 45 cm are dug at a spacing of 6 m × 6 m.

About 10 kg FYM (farmyard manure) and NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) @ 75:50:30 g are added per pit and thoroughly mixed with soil as basal dose.

Transplanting and optimum spacing

About 10-month-old saplings are transplanted in the field in pits in July–August at a spacing of 6 m × 6 m.

In all, about 280–300 saplings are required per hectare.

Intercropping system

The crop can be grown as a sole plantation in early growth stage or as a border of other crops.

Climbers like Tinospora cordifolia (Giloy), Marsdenia tenacissima (Moorva), Operculina turpethum (Trivrit), Opercullina petaloidea (Nishoth), and Celastrus paniculata (Malkangni) may be planted beneath the fully grown tree that serves as host for these climbers.

Interculture and maintenance practices

About 10 kg FYM + 75:50:30 g NPK per plant are applied as a basal dose at the time of transplanting.

Further top dressing is given with 50 g nitrogen per tree after three months.

Field should be kept weed-free.

Irrigation practices

Irrigation is recommended at 15-day intervals in the summer season for young plantations.

Irrigation is generally not done during the winter season in the peninsular region.

Disease and pest control

Aphids (Aphis sp.) attack tender leaves and form galls on it.

Spraying of biopesticides like Azadirachtin controls this pest.

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Terminalia arjuna - bark removal

Harvest management

Crop maturity and harvesting

The Arjun tree starts flowering from sixth year onwards.

Lifespan of the tree is 50 years and above.

Bark is repeatedly scrapped in winter season.

The bark is removed from well- grown trees, preferably 10th year onwards, in spiral or vertical strips of not more than 5 cm width and 25 cm length.

Post-harvest management

The collected bark is dried in well-ventilated shade and stored in boxes or polybags in dry and airy locations.

Chemical constituents

The tannin cardiac glycoside is reported from bark as well as fruit.

The usual range is 20%–24% in stem bark and 7%–20% in fruit.

Yield

About 500 kg dried bark can be obtained from 1 hectare of plantation every year from the 10th year.

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Last Modified 13 December 2022. © 2022 C-DAC. All rights reserved.