The Great Manifestation of Avaloketishvara Bodhisattva - Hayagriva

Hayagriva 馬頭明王is a wrathful manifestation of Avalokiteshvara. Avalokiteshvara embodies the compassion of all the Buddhas and connects to the enlightened mindset. 

In Tibet, Hayagriva was taught especially by Buddhist teacher Atisa and appeared as a worldly dharmapala. His special ability is to cure diseases, especially skin diseases, even as serious as leprosy, which is said to be caused by nagas.

According to Tibetan Buddhism, Hayagriva is the wrathful form of Vajrasattva, who assumes the form Avalokiteśvara and turns into Hayagriva in order to defeat the powerful demon Rudra, who has submitted the gods. He is accompanied by Vajrapani, who assumes the power of Tara and then becomes the wrathful Vajravarahi. 

Hayagriva is a wrathful manifestation of Avalokiteshvara. Avalokiteshvara embodies the compassion of all the Buddhas and connects to the enlightened mind. 

In the Hayagriva manifestation, he represents the enlightened speech of all Buddhas. He is the Heruka of the Lotus (Padma) Buddha Family. 

Referred to as “Lotus-like Speech,"  he is usually depicted as red in color with a dark-green horsehead with a blazing red mane emerging from his fiery red crown. 

The fierceness of his speech is represented by the screaming or neighing horsehead. The neigh or cry of a wild horse on the Tibetan plains is known to have the loudest cry, but in this guise, it symbolizes the roar of Dharma carried by the wind. 

Hayagriva can be depicted in a number of ways, often with three heads representing the three doors of body, speech, and mind. His six arms symbolize his overcoming of the suffering of the six realms through the practice of the six perfections (paramitas, Sanskrit paramitas). 

Hayagriva can be shown with three faces: a smiling green face on the right, a white face on the left showing covetousness, and a red face in the center. Each face has three wrathful, bulging eyes, each seeing the three times of past, present, and future. 

There are two stories associated with Hayagriva. In the first, Hayagriva is the wrathful form of Vajrasattva, who first appears as Avalokiteshvara. 

He then manifests as Hayagriva in order to defeat the powerful demon Mahesvara/Rudra, who has overpowered the gods. All peaceful means to suppress Rudra had failed, and thus the skillful means of wrath was necessary to overcome the destructive ego and attachment represented by Mahesvara/Rudra. 

This story is told at length in chapters 5-8 of the Padma Thangyig Serteng, or The Golden Rosary of the Lotus-born, written down by Khandro Yeshe Tsogyel. 

Hayagriva joins forces with Vajrapani, who assumes the power of Tara and then becomes the wrathful Vajravarahi. In their previous lives, Vajrasattva was Rudra’s master, and Vajrapani was his fellow disciple, who unlike Rudra understood and respected the Buddhadharma. 

Hayagriva and Vajravarahi engage with Rudra in a series of nine dances and fierce battles. Finally, Hayagriva shrinks in size and enters Rudra through his anus. Once inside, he then grows to gigantic proportions and destroys him from the inside out. 

Defeated, Rudra pledges to become a protector of dharma. Hayagriva then wears Rudra’s demonic body as a garment.Donations for our Buddhist research and development. 

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