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Puranic encyclopaedia

by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222

This page describes the Story of Hayagriva included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).

Story of Ჹⲹī

An incarnation of վṣṇ.

In Vedic literature:

—In Vedic literature incarnation as Ჹⲹī is attributed not to վṣṇ, but to ۲ñ. But the ղٳپīⲹ ṇy첹 depicts yajña as a protoform of վṣṇ. The inference that may be drawn from the above is that the root of the Ჹⲹī story detailed in Vedic and Purāṇic literature is one and the same.

About the Ჹⲹī incarnation the Pañcaviṃsabrāhmaṇa contains the following story.

Agni, Indra, and ۲ñ (վṣṇ) once began a yajña on the understanding that the havirbhāga obtained from it should be divided among all the Devas. But, in violation of the agreement, yajña left the place carrying away the whole ۲ñbhāga with him, and he drove back the Devas who followed him with the help of the bow presented to him by ٱī. Finally the Devas got the string of the bow bitten off by termites and the bow which got straightened up cut off yajña’s head. ۲ñ then apologized for his offence and then the devas got the Aśvinīdevas to fix the head of a horse to the trunk of ۲ñ. (Pañcaviṃśabrāhmaṇa 7, 5, 6; ղٳپīⲹ ṇy첹 5, 1; ղٳپīⲹ ṃh, 4-9, 1).

In Purāṇic literature.

The above story is told in Skanda Purāṇa with slight modifications as follows:�

Once and other ٱ𱹲 conducted a test as to which one amongst them was the greatest, and when it became evident tha tMahāviṣṇu was, in every respect, superior to all the others cursed that վṣṇ should lose his head. վṣṇ, who got thus bereft of his head attended a yajña conducted by the Devas with the head of a horse attached to his trunk. After the yajña was over he went to 󲹰ṇy and did tapas there and by the blessings of Ś got back his former head instead of that of the horse.

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