Slokam 1

Brahma holds the Vedas in his heart. It is said in the slokam that the vedas were stolen from Brahma’s heart when he was asleep.  The question arises as to why the vedas are held in the heart.  Why is the heart the home and not the mind.  The heart referred to in all our scriptures, including Narayaneeyam,  is probably the consciousness or the Jivatma/Paramathma.

The vedas represent the ultimate truth about the self or the atma.  Truth does not change.  Truth is also absolute.  It has no dependencies.  Truth does not depend on the conditionality of “ifs” and “buts”. The vedas,  as the representation of unconditional and eternal truth about the self, with no dependencies,  and no beginning and no end.  Such an entity of absolute truth can only be the unmanifested Paramathma, and the residence is the permanent abode of pure consciousness.

When we possess such a precious commodity,  it is bound to be stolen.  The one who steals knows the value of the article that is stolen.  However,  the stealer is not willing to work for it, or thinks that he does not have the capability/diligence/patience to acquire it.  So he decides to take it away from someone that has worked to acquire it. 

Hayagriva is the culprit mentioned in the slokam. 

Extract from Wikipedia, 

Lord Hayagriva is an avatar of Lord Vishnu.^[2] 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. Symbolically, the story represents the triumph of pure knowledge, guided by the hand of God, over the demonic forces of passion and darkness.

Origins about the worship of Hayagriva have been researched, some of the early evidences dates back to 2,000 BCE,^[3] when people worshipped the horse for its speed, strength, intelligence.^[4] Hayagriva is one of the prominent deities in Vaikhanasas, Sri Vaishnavism and Madhwa Brahmins traditions. 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 (Śravaṇa-Paurṇamī) (his avatāra-dina) and on Mahanavami, the ninth day of the Navaratri festival. He is also hailed as "Hayasirsa".^[5] Hayaśirṣa means haya=Horse, śirṣa=Head.

So an avatar of the Paramathma “steals” the vedas from Brahma.  The vedas are a body of pure knowledge.  If knowledge is to be “stolen”,  then the implication is that the seeds of corruption and confusion were planted in the mind of its possessor.  Those seeds start to sprout and cover the vedas with layers and layers of camouflage, in the form of desire,  temptation, attachment etc., to worldly objects.  These vast layers represent the ocean under which Hayagriva hides the vedas. 

Brahma acquires the knowledge of the vedas through continuous tapas. 

The Paramathma, in the form of Hayagriva, “steals” the vedas from Brahma by planting the seeds of doubt when he is sleeping.  The only time that Brahma is vulnerable is when he is not in a state of conscious tapas.  That happens only when he is sleeping,  or in a state that is not tapas. Essentially,  the state of sleep is when the mind is not under the control of consciousness.  The mind can run havoc when it is not under the control of consciousness. It gives vent to all its desires and fears.  These manifest in the form of dreams.

The representation of Hayagriva as having the body of a man and the head of a horse is probably representative of the infinite speed of thought, which is housed in the eternal stillness of consciousness.  It is representative of the galloping mind that is out of control.  The mind needs to be tamed, and surrendered,  so that pure and self luminous consciousness can emerge and self sustain.

The Hayagriva avatar of the Paramathma represents the triumph of pure knowledge,  acquired under the guidance of the Paramthma. The Paramthma’s guidance provides the reins that help hold back the horses of the mind from succumbing to the demonic forces of passion and darkness. 

So the Paramathma manifests as Hayagriva,  to steal the vedas and hide it under layers of ignorance.  The “stealing” happens with the planting of the seeds of passion and darkness in the unfettered mind that is bolting in all directions.

When the vedas are hidden under the ocean comprising of a multitude of layers of ignorance,  the Paramathma, takes the avatar of a fish to retrieve the vedas from the floor of the ocean.

The Paramthma gives us the pure knowledge of the vedas,  completely hidden under layers of ignorance,  steals it from us when we are entrapped in illusions and then recovers it and restores it to us.

The Paramathma is essentially the giver, the taker, and the restorer.  We are given the choice of acceptance or rejection or consideration of acceptance.  We have to come to the correct decision, using the experience of life as the backbone of resolve and steadiness.