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14. THE CONCEPT OF AVATARS
atita-pralayapaya utthitaya sa vedhase hatvasuram hayagrivam vedan pratyaharad dharih (Srimad Bhagavatam 8.24.57)
"At the end of the last inundation (during the reign of Svayambhuva Manu) the Supreme Personality of Godhead killed the demon Hayagriva and delivered all the Vedic literatures to Lord Brahma when he awoke from sleeping."
Hayagriva is an avatar of Vishnu. He is worshipped as the God of knowledge and wisdom, with a human body and a horse's head, brilliant white in color, with white garments and seated on a white lotus. Hayagriva is celebrated in the Puranas for rescuing the Vedas from the demons Madhu and Kaitabha and teaching them again to Brahma. Symbolically, the story of Hayagriva indicates how the Vedas were restored. In the normal situation the Hayagriva with horse head succeded in destroying the knowledge of Vedas. Evidently it could not be revived. The only way Vedas could be revived was by emulating and copying the basis of the Hyagriva knowledge itself. The old Vedic gods were thrown out and a new Vedanta God was reinstated. This idea is supported by the statement that Vishnu actually made up the Vedas as Hyagriva incarnation.
PROG
Hayagriva is a very important deity in the Vaishnava tradition. His blessings are sought when beginning study of both sacred and secular subjects. Special worship is conducted on the day of the full moon in August (Sravana-Paurnami) (his avatara-dina) and on Mahanavami, the ninth day of the Navaratri festival. He is also hailed as "Hayasirsa" (Horse-head)
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