Why Horses are Sacred in Sanatan Hindu Dharma

It is said that horses are the oldest domesticated animals in the world connected with humans. Who has always served humans in some form or the other? If you consider Puranas or the texts, the first mention of the connection of the horses with humans comes in Rigveda.

In Rigveda, there is a description of a divine horse called Dadhrika who is considered to be the father of all horses. This horse has been compared to the rising sun. The Rigvedic Aryans used to worship Dadhrika Ashwa along with Surya and Agni every morning.

Apart from this, another thing that is mentioned in Sanatan Dharma is, apart from cows, horses are the only animals, and killing is considered a great sin.

Surya Dev is fascinated by a Mare

Another story by Rigveda explains the importance of horses. According to this legend, once Surya Dev’s wife Sandhya, fearing the glory of her husband, created her counterpart, Chhaya. Sandhya left Chhaya in Suryalok and came to earth in the form of a mare. When Suryadev came to know about this secret, he came to the earth. Suryadev saw a very beautiful mare walking in a field and he realized that it was his wife Sandhya. Then Suryadev and Sandhya met, and two sons were born of them. Due to being born of a mare, Surya Dev named them Ashwini Kumar. They became the physicians of the gods.

The same story has been told in the Puranas with a slight difference. In it, when Sandhya could not tolerate the brightness and heat of her husband, Surya, she created a replica of herself and named her Chhaya. She sent Chhaya to Suryadev. For many years, Surya Dev did not realize that this woman was not Sandhya but Chhaya. A son was born to Surya from Chhaya, who was called Shani Bhagwan.

Uchhaishrava emerged from Samudra Manthan

It is mentioned in the Vishnu Puran that one of the 14 gems that came out during the Samudra Manthan was the Uchchaishrava horse. Uchchaishrava means long ears and loud neighing. This 7 headed white horse was the flying horse. Uchchaishrava is also considered to be the vehicle of Indra. This is the same Uchchaishrava whose tail was a cause of a bet between Kadru, the mother of snakes, and Vinata, the mother of Garuda. Uchchaishrava is said to be the most prominent horse in Hindu Sanatan Dharm.

Shri Vishnu took the Hayagriva avatar

According to the Puranas, when a demon named Hayagriva had stolen the Vedas, Bhagwan Vishnu incarnated as Hayagriva, slayed him and returned the Vedas to Brahma Ji. In this form, Bhagwan’s neck and face were that of a horse, whereas the body was of a human. In the state of Tamil Nadu, there are temples of Bhagwan Hayagriva.

The Horse’s Connection to the Kalki Avatar

There are many stories about the Kalki avatar of Bhagwan Vishnu. It is said that at the end of Kali Yuga, Kalki Avatar will take the universe to the next Satya Yuga while riding on a winged horse named Devadatta.

Horse, the vehicle of the Surya Dev

In the Puranas, Surya Dev is described as sitting on a special one-wheeled chariot. Its charioteer is said to be Garuda’s elder brother Arun. While the names of the 7 horses pulling it are, Gayatri, Vruhati, Ushnik, Jagati, Trishtup, Anushtup, and Pankti. These seven horses can carry the sun anywhere at a very fast speed. These seven are considered to be the symbol of the seven colors hidden in the sunlight.

Mahabharata’s relation with horses

According to Mahabharat, 4 horses were harnessed to Sri Krishna’s chariot. The names of these horses are told as Balahak, Shaivya, Sugriv, and Meghpushp. The colors of these four horses were different. There used to be 4 horses in the chariot of Yudhishthira, the eldest son of Pandu. Their color was white, their tail was black and their speed was like that of the wind. It is said that as Yudhishthir spoke nothing but the truth, his horse did not run on the ground; but in the air, slightly above the ground. While Arjun had 4 white colored horses in his chariot. That is why Arjun is also called Shvetavaahana. The specialty of Arjun’s horses was that they used to resurrect again after death.

Horses colored like bears were harnessed to the chariot of Bhimsen. The horses of Nakul’s chariot were green. These horses were gifted to Nakul by Arjun. These horses were gifted by Indra to Arjun when he went to heaven to learn weaponry. In fact, the horses of Indra’s chariot are also green. Sahdev’s chariot had brindle-colored horses like pheasants. These horses were as fast as the wind. Apart from Shri Krishna and Maharaj Shalya, Nakul has been described as the greatest connoisseur of equestrianism. The name of Ashwatthama, the son of Guru Dronacharya was inspired by horses as well. In fact, Ashwatthama was neighing like a horse when he was born. Hence, Dronacharya named him Ashwatthama. It is very important to note one thing here in Puranas and texts the horse has been described as avadhya. This means killing a horse incurs the sin of Brahmacharya.

Importance of a Horse in Ashwamedh Yajna

In mythological times, kings and emperors used horses to perform Ashwamedh Yajna to prove their superiority. In this, after the Yajna was complete, a decorated horse was released. Whichever kingdom this horse passed through, was considered the property of the king performing Ashwamedh Yajna. Anyone stopping this horse had to fight the king performing the Yajna. According to Valmiki Ramayan, Shri Ram had performed many Ashwamedh Yajnas. It is mentioned in the Padmapuran that when Shri Ram released his horse after performing Ashwamedh Yajna, his sons, Luv and Kush, stopped it. and both the brothers fought with the army of Shri Ram. Dharmaraj Yudhishthir also performed Ashwamedh Yajna.

By the way, in the Brihadaranyak Upanishad, the sacrificial horse has been compared to Brahm. Not only the kings, but the common soldiers also used to ride horses. Even today, there are horse riders in Indian regiments.

An example of the speed and loyalty of the horses is the most famous horse in history, Chetak. who sacrificed his life for his king, Maharana Pratap. Horses have also been used for trade and commerce. In the Hindu religion, the groom is taken to the house of the bride riding on a horse. It would not be wrong to say that the importance of a horse is extremely high in Hindu Mythology. If you like this video, please press ‘like’ and share it. and please don’t forget to subscribe to The Karma. Namaskar!