Sarasvati
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In Hinduism, Saraswati (Sanskrit सरस्वती sarasvatī) is the goddess of learning, knowledge and the arts such as music, literature and speech. She was originally regarded as a river goddess, characterized by creative, purifying, and nourishing properties. Along with Lakshmi and Durga, Sarsvati is one of the goddesses who represent the female counterparts of the gods in the Trimurti: she is the consort of Brahma, the Hindu god of creation.
Function
The Rigvedic hymns dedicated to Saraswati mention her as a mighty river with creative, purifying, and nourishing properties. The best theory regarding the Vedic Sarasvati River states that it was formed by the present headwaters of the Yamuna River. In ancient times, after they had left the Himalayan foothills, the waters of the Yamuna turned west instead of east at Paonta Saheb. Next, the river flowed southwest across the Punjab and Haryana regions along the course of the modern Ghaggar-Hakra River in a pathway roughly parallel to the smaller Indus River to its west. The Sutlej flowed further east than it does today, and joined the Sarasvati somewhere near Bahawalpur. Eventually, the wide river emptied into the Rann of Kutch, which at the time was a more integral part of the Arabian Sea.
Along the course of the Sarasvati, the Harappan Civilization developed. The earliest known examples of writing in India have been found in the ruined cities that line the now dry riverbed of the ancient waterway. Some have postulated that the goddess Saraswati gained her role as personified communication and the giver of knowledge due to the role of the Sarasvati River in the development of written language in ancient India.
Between 2000 B.C.E. and 1700 B.C.E., seismic activity caused the waters of the river's two main sources to change course. The Sutlej moved course westward and became a tributary of the Indus River. The Yamuna moved course eastward and became a tributary of the Ganges. The tremendous loss of water which resulted from these movements caused the once mighty river to become sluggish and dry up in the Thar Desert without ever reaching the sea. Without any water for irrigation or transportation, the dense population of the river basin soon shifted east with the waters of the Yamuna to the Ganges River valley. Late Vedic texts record the river as disappearing at Vinasana (literally, "the disappearing"), and as joining both the Yamuna and Ganges as an invisible river. Some claim that the sanctity of the modern Ganges is directly related to its assumption of the holy, life-giving waters of the ancient Sarasvati.
Recently, archaeologists using satellite images have been able to trace the course of the river. A small channel of water flows near Kurukshetra. A nearby signboard denoting the former path of the once great Sarasvati River can be seen along the main highway (GT road). There is currently one river in India called Saraswati; it flows from the west end of the Aravalli Hills into the east end of the Rann of Kutch.
As a river/water goddess, Saraswati symbolizes fertility and prosperity. She is associated with purity and creativity, especially in the context of communication, such as in literary and verbal skills. In the post-Vedic age, She began to lose her status as a river goddess and became increasingly associated with literature, arts, music, etc. Her name literally means "the one who flows", which apparently was applied to thoughts, words, or the flow of a river (in Sanskrit: "dhaara-pravaah"). Saraswati is also associated with anurāga, the love for and rhythm of music which represents all emotions and feelings expressed in speech or music. It is believed that children born with that name will prove to be very lucky in their studies.
Attributes
Appearance
Goddess Saraswati is often depicted as a beautiful, yellow-skinned woman dressed in pure white often seated on a white lotus (although Her actual vahana is believed to be a swan), which symbolizes that she is founded in the experience of the Absolute Truth. Thus, she not only has the knowledge but also the experience of the Highest Reality. She is mainly associated with the color white, which signifies the purity of true knowledge. Occasionally, however, she is also associated with the colour yellow, the colour of the flowers of the mustard plant that bloom at the time of her festival in the spring. She is not adorned heavily with jewels and gold, unlike the goddess Lakshmi, but is dressed modestly—perhaps representing her preference of knowledge over worldly material things.
She is generally shown to have four arms, which represent the four aspects of human personality in learning: mind, intellect, alertness, and ego. In one hand she holds a book, which is the sacred Vedas, representing the universal, divine, eternal, and true knowledge as well as her perfection of the sciences and the scriptures. In another hand she holds a garland (mala) of white pearls, representing the power of meditation and spirituality. In another hand she holds a pot of sacred water, representing her creative and purificatory powers. Her fourth hand holds the veena, a lute-like musical instrument that represents her perfection of all arts and sciences.
A white swan(hamsa) is often located next to her feet. The sacred swan, if offered a mixture of milk and water, is said to be able to drink the milk alone. The swan thus symbolizes discrimination between the good and the bad or the eternal and the evanescent. Due to her association with the swan, Goddess Saraswati is also referred to as Hamsa-vahini, which means "she who has a swan as her vehicle". Sometimes a peacock is shown beside the goddess. This peacock represents arrogance and pride over its beauty, and by having a peacock as her mount, the Goddess teaches Hindus not to be concerned with external appearance and to be wise regarding the eternal truth. She is usually depicted near a flowing river, which may be related to her early history as a water goddess. The swan and her association with the lotus flower also point to her ancient origin.
Consort
Hindu goddesses are most always paired with a male consort who has comparable traits. Sarasvati's consort is Brahma, the Hindu god responsible for the creation of the universe. One legend involving Sarasvati and Brahma tells of a great fire-sacrifice (or yajna) which was about to take place on Earth with the sage Brahmarishi Bhrigu serving as the high priest. It was decided that the greatest among all gods would be made the presiding deity, and so Bhrigu set off in order to find which god was greatest among the Trinity of Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver) and Shiva (destroyer). When he came to Brahmā, the god was so immersed in the music played by Sarasvati that he could hardly hear Bhrigu's calls. The enraged Bhrigu promptly cursed Brahmā, pronouncing that no person on Earth would provide worship to him ever again. This legend is given as an explanation for the deficit in worship given to Brahma when compared to his counterparts in the Trimurti.
Origins and context in Hinduism
In the Rig-Veda (6,61,7), Saraswati is credited, in association with Indra, with killing the serpentine being Vritraasura, a demon which hoarded all of the earth's water and so represents drought, darkness, and chaos. She is often seen as equivalent to other Vedic goddesses such as Vak, Savitri, and Gayatri. Saraswati represents intelligence, consciousness, cosmic knowledge, creativity, education, enlightenment, music, the arts, and power. She is not only worshipped for secular knowledge, but for the true divine knowledge essential to achieve moksha. She is also referred to as Shonapunya, a Sanskrit word meaning ‘one purified of blood’.
In some Puranas (like Skanda Purana) she is associated with Shiva and in some Tantras with Ganesha.
According to Brahma Vaivarta Purana 2.6.13-95 Vishnu has three wives, who constantly quarrel with each other, so that eventually, he keeps only Lakshmi, giving Ganga to Shiva and Saraswati to Brahma. Saraswati Stuthi states that she is the only Goddess to be revered by all the three great gods of Hinduism, Brahmā, Vishnu, and Shiva as well as the asuras (demons), the gandharvas (the divine musicians), and the nagas (the divine serpents).
The original (spiritual) forms of devas including Saraswati are present in the spiritual world:
"In the centre [of Vaikuntha] reside the deities of fire, sun and moon, Kurma-avatara, Ananta Sesha, and Garuda, the master of the three Vedas. The Vedic hymns and all sacred mantras also stay in that holy place, which is made of all the Vedas, and which is known in the Smriti-sastra as the yoga-pitha."[1]
Rupa Gosvami elaborates: "Accompanied by Goddess Lakshmi and other associates, the catur-vyuha expansions headed by Lord Vasudeva are manifest in the eight directions, beginning with the east. In the directions beginning with the southeast, the palaces of Lakshmi, Saraswati, Rati, and Kanti respectively are situated."[2]
According toVedanta she is considered to be the feminine energy and knowledge aspect (shakti) of Brahman, as one of many aspects of Adi Shakti.
Worship
Saraswati is worshipped during Navaratri. In South India, Saraswati Puja is a very important festival. Major Saraswati Poojas of South India are at Kollur Temple (in Karnataka), Chottanikkara Temple and Panachikad Temple in Kerala. The last three days of Navaratri starting from Mahalaya Amavasya (the New Moon day) are dedicated to the goddess. On the ninth day of Navaratri (Mahanavami), books and all musical instruments are ceremoniously kept near the gods early at dawn and worshipped with special prayers. No studies or any performance of arts is carried out, as it is considered that the Goddess herself is blessing the books and the instruments. The festival is concluded on the tenth day of Navaratri (Vijaya Dashami) and the goddess is worshipped again before the books and the musical instruments are removed. It is customary to study on this day, which is called Vidyarambham (literally, Commencement of Knowledge).
During Vasant Panchami, which comes either at the end of January or the beginning of February, prayers and pujas are offered to her, especially by artists, musicians, scientists, doctors, and lawyers.
In Pushkar in Rajasthan, a temple has been constructed in her name on a mountain higher than that of Lord Brahmā.
External links
- Sarasvati Puja celebration at Siddhachalam, NJ (North America)- Sunday, May27 2007
- Basar Saraswathi temple in Andhra Pradesh
- Goddess Saraswati Mantra
- Goddess Saraswati
- Saraswati, Goddess of Learning
- Contemplation of Saraswati - The Flowing Waters of Divine Poetry
- Goddess Saraswati Prayer for Kids
- Weekly podcast on Vedic Chanting and Vedic Mythology with stories from the Puranas
- Saraswati Puja celebration at Edison, NJ (North America)
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Arya, Ravi Prakash. "New Discoveries About Vedic Sarasvati" Indian Foundation for Vedic Science, 2005. ISBN 978-8187710295
- Kinsley, David. "Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions" University of California Press, 1988. ISBN 978-0520063396
- Ludvik, Catherine. "Sarasvati - Riverine Goddess of Knowledge: From the Manuscript-carrying Vina-player to the Weapon-wielding Defender of the Dharma" Brill Academic Publishers, 2007. ISBN 9004158146
- Nagar, Shantilal. "Sarasvati: The Goddess of Learning and Wisdom" BR, 2005. ISBN 978-8176464864
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