A Vedic Parable
One of the greatest Vedic sages was Atharva, after whom the Atharva Veda, one of the four main Vedic texts, was named. In the older Rig
Veda, to which this story goes back, he was already a legendary figure. Atharva had a son named Dadhyak, who is the central figure in the sto:y that follows.
Dadhyak by his profound austerities had received the highest knowledge of immortality, called the 'knowledge of honey' (Madhu Vidya) because it carried the supreme bliss. Dadhyak gained this knowledge as a special gift from Indra, the greatest of the Vedic Gods, and like his Greek counterpart Zeus, the lord of heaven who wielded an irresistible lightning bolt against his enemies. Naturally this precious wisdom had to be protected. Indra forbade Dadhyak from teaching it, even to the other Gods. Indra placed a special curse on Dadhyak, saying that if Dadhyak tried to teach it, Indra would come and immediately cut his head off.
Of course, all the Gods wanted to learn this knowledge, which would fulfill their greatest wishes. Among these many Gods, the most curious and precocious were the Ashvins, the twin youths or horsemen, who were also the doctors or physicians of the Gods. The Ashwins already possessed all other magical powers except this special teaching, without which all their healing powers would be defective. So their desire to gain it was immense and they would use all the skill and cunning necessary to acquire it.
The Ashvins approached the sage Dadhyak and requested that he teach them this secret knowledge. Dadhyak predictably replied, "I cannot teach you or Lord Indra, before whom even you must bow, will cut my head off." The Ashvins, not being put off even by the fear of Indra replied, "That is no problem. We can receive the knowledge and you can protect your head as well. First with our magic powers we will give you the head of a horse. Then you can safely teach us through the horse's mouth. When Indra comes and cuts off your head, which has become that of a horse, we will replace it with your original human head."
And that is exactly what they did. The Ashvins, who themselves had horse's heads, gave Dadhyak the head of a horse. He taught them the secret knowledge through it. Indra then came and cut off the horse's head and the Ashvins gave Dadhyak back his original human head.
This story has many deep meanings. In terms of Vedic astrology, the horse's head became the constellation Ashvini that marks the beginning of the zodiac in the sign Aries. The horse's head is also the Sun, which is exalted in Aries, a sign that represents the head. The twin Ashvins represent both the duality behind time with its alter ations of days and nights, and the state of balance through which we can go beyond time. The horse's head is a key to the deeper meaning of Vedic astrology, the knowledge of which the Ashwins are the teachers.
Relative to Ayurveda or Vedic medicine, the horse is a symbol of Prana, the life energy that derives from the Sun and which is the source of all healing powers. The Ashwins as the great doctors of the Gods were famous for their powers of rejuvenation and were even capable of resurrecting the dead. As twins they represent the ability to balance our energies and create wholeness, and were important early teachers of Ayurveda.
Relative to the practice of Yoga, the horse's head is a symbol of the soul that sacrifices its bodily identity to unite with the higher Self. The horse's head is the soul that transcends the limitations of time and space and becomes free to travel at will through the entire universe, like the Sun, as a being of light. More specifically, the cut off head is the opened crown chakra through which the honey bliss or Soma flows. The Madhu Vidya or honey knowledge is that of the supreme Bliss of the Self. It is an important Vedantic teaching, starting with the oldest Upanishads.6 .
To discover our true nature we must first offer up our false nature, our ego and all of its attachments. To speak the higher truth we must sacrifice our personal opinions and preconceptions. To gain our head, we must first lose it. The Ashwins represent this transformation from duality to unity. The higher knowledge is paradoxical, transcending our ordinary sensory means of cognizance and connecting all forms of knowledge together in the light of consciousness.
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