Hayagriv ne Lautaaye Ved

Har yug ke ant mein, jab brahmaand jal mein vileen ho jaata hai aur Brahma so jaate hain, pavitra Ved — wahi gyaan jis par srishti tiki hai — arakshit pade rehte hain. Aise hi ek samay, bahut pehle, do bhayankar rakshason ne apna avsar dekha. Madhu aur Kaitabh ksheer saagar par soye Vishnu ke hi karnamal se janme the, aur apaar shakti aur dhoortata ke daanav ban gaye the. Jab Brahma srishtiyon ke beech ki lambi raatri mein oongh rahe the, dono rakshas chupke se aaye aur unke paas se Ved chura le gaye. Ve brahmaandiya jal mein gehre gota lagaakar andhere atal mein granthon ko chhipa baithe, yeh sochkar hanste hue ki bina maargdarshan ke gyaan ke nayi srishti shuru hogi. Kyunki gyaan bina sansaar kya hai? Aatma bina shareer, jwaala bina deepak. Jab Brahma jaage aur Ved gaayab paaye, to unka hriday bhay se bhar gaya. Ve lok rach sakte the, lekin Vedon bina andhe hokar rachte. Unhone jal par soye Vishnu se praarthna ki, aur Vishnu turant jaage. Chori dekhkar paalankarta samajh gaye ki kya karna hai. Unhone gehre jal aur niraashaajanak khoj ke anukool roop dhara: Hayagriv, ashvamukh Prabhu. Unka shareer sahasra suryon-sa chamakta tha, ayaal agni-si dahakti thi, aur unka mahaan ashvamukh srishti mein kahin chhipe gyaan ko soongh sakta tha. Kehte hain, sabse teevra praani ashva isliye chuna gaya kyunki gyaan ka peechha teevrata se karna chahiye, isse pehle ki woh sada ke liye kho jaaye. Hayagriv brahmaandiya saagar mein kood pade. Ve prakaashheen jal mein neeche gaye, unki deepti andhkaar ko usha ki tarah cheerti hui. Unhone atal ki har khaai aur gufa khoji, jab tak ant mein ve unhe na mil gaye: Madhu aur Kaitabh, churaaye Vedon se khazaane par saanpon ki tarah lipte hue. Rakshason ne unhe aate dekha aur hansi se garje. Humse ladne ghoda aaya hai? Unhone uphaas kiya. Lekin unki hansi jald mar gayi. Hayagriv toofaan ki tarah un par toot pade. Yuddh jal mein chhid gaya, soye brahmaand ki neenv hil gayi. Madhu aur Kaitabh apni jaati ke saare krodh se lade, lekin gyaan ke swaami ke saamne unka koi avsar nahi tha. Ek-ek karke Hayagriv ne unhe maar giraaya, aur brahmaandiya jal unki haar se kaala ho gaya. Phir komalta se unhone Vedon ko utha liya. Granth unke haathon mein pakdi taaron ki roshni-se damke, har mantra aur har akshar akshat. Ve saagar se nikle aur prateeksha karte Brahma ke saamne rakh diye. Brahma ne haath jodkar, kritagyata ke aansuon ke saath unhe grahan kiya, aur srishti phir shuru ho saki — gyaan ke maargdarshan mein, jaisa hona chahiye tha. Rishi kehte hain ki Hayagriv aaj bhi samast vidya ki raksha karte hain. Vidyaarthi adhyayan se pehle unki praarthna karte hain, kyunki ve man ke andhkaar ko waise hi harte hain jaise kabhi atal ke andhkaar ko hara tha. Unki katha ek saral lekin mahaan shiksha deti hai. Senaayein seemaon ki raksha karti hain aur raja khazaanon ki, lekin kisi bhi sansaar ki sabse moolyavaan vastu gyaan hai, aur uski raksha sabse kathorta se honi chahiye. Jab chor swarn churaate hain, to haani chukaayi jaa sakti hai. Jab agyaan ya dwesh gyaan churaate hain, to poore yug bhatak sakte hain. Isiliye, jab Ved churaaye gaye, to sena nahi bheji gayi balki swayam Ishwar teevra ashva ke roop mein gaye — yeh dikhaane ke liye ki jab gyaan ko prakaash mein laana ho, to koi prayaas bada nahi aur koi gehraai gehri nahi.

Hayagriv dvaara Vedon ki punarpraapti shaastron mein gyaan ki pehli mahaan raksha-roop mein smaran ki jaati hai. Rishi sikhaate hain ki jab bhi agyaan gyaan ko nigalne ko hota hai — to Prabhu raksha ke yogya roop dharte hain. Ashvamukh rishi-roop mein ve sachchi samajh ki teevrata darshaate hain — jo andhakaar ke rakshason se tej daudti hai. Kaha jaata hai ki Ved swayam pralay-jal mein chhipe the — aur keval wahi unhe laa sakta tha jismein un jalon mein pravesh ki shakti ho. Dakshin Bharat mein Hayagriv vidya ke devta-roop mein poojit hain — aur chhaatra pareekshaaon se pehle unse praarthna karte hain — teekshna smriti aur spasht buddhi maangte jo ve dhaaran karte hain. Unki moorti — maanav shareer par ashvamukh — Vedon se alankrit — kai mandiron mein pratishthit hai. Katha vidya ke abhimaan par chetaavni bhi deti hai. Rakshas Madhu aur Kaitabh ne Ved bhakti se nahi — ahankaar se churaaye the — maankar ki bina vinamrata gyaan dhaaran kar sakte hain. Unki paraajay sikhaati hai ki abhimaan se churaaya gyaan kripa se sada punarpraapt hota hai. Rishi kehte hain — sachchi vidya vinamron ki hoti hai — kyunki keval vinamra use bina bhrasht hue grahan kar sakte hain.