Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 1
Varṣa-devatā Worship in Jambūdvīpa: Hayagrīva/Hayaśīrṣa, Nṛsiṁha, Kāmadeva (Pradyumna), Matsya, Kūrma, and Varāha
श्रीशुक उवाच तथा च भद्रश्रवा नाम धर्मसुतस्तत्कुलपतय: पुरुषा भद्राश्ववर्षे साक्षाद्भगवतो वासुदेवस्य प्रियांतनुं धर्ममयीं हयशीर्षाभिधानां परमेण समाधिना सन्निधाप्येदमभिगृणन्त उपधावन्ति ॥ १ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca tathā ca bhadraśravā nāma dharma-sutas tat-kula-patayaḥ puruṣā bhadrāśva-varṣe sākṣād bhagavato vāsudevasya priyāṁ tanuṁ dharmamayīṁ hayaśīrṣābhidhānāṁ parameṇa samādhinā sannidhāpyedam abhigṛṇanta upadhāvanti.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Bhadraśravā, the son of Dharmarāja, rules the tract of land known as Bhadrāśva-varṣa. Just as Lord Śiva worships Saṅkarṣaṇa in Ilāvṛta-varṣa, Bhadraśravā, accompanied by his intimate servants and all the residents of the land, worships the plenary expansion of Vāsudeva known as Hayaśīrṣa. Lord Hayaśīrṣa is very dear to the devotees, and He is the director of all religious principles. Fixed in the topmost trance, Bhadraśravā and his associates offer their respectful obeisances to the Lord and chant the following prayers with careful pronunciation.
FAQs
In this verse, Hayaśīrṣa is identified as a dear personal manifestation of Lord Vāsudeva, worshiped in Bhadrāśva-varṣa as a form embodying dharma.
Śukadeva describes that Bhadraśravā, a son of Dharma, along with the leaders of his dynasty, worships Lord Vāsudeva’s form Hayaśīrṣa with deep samādhi and prayers.
It highlights focused worship: steady meditation (samādhi), keeping the Lord’s form present in the mind and heart, and offering regular spoken prayers and glorification.