VASANTA PANCHAMI
(I-DISCOURSE BY N. R. SRINIVASAN, FEBRUARY 2012)
Most Devi festivals began as "Vratas--sacred vows and rituals undertaken by women folk for the prosperity of their household and fertility of the land. In due course, these have become community festivals and taken over by male temple priests, women being side-lined. We come across many such festivals during the year like Vasanta Panchami, Vasnta Navaratri, Gangaur, Ganga Dassera, Vata Savitri, Teej, Harlalika, Navratilova (Festival of Dolls), Sharad Poornima, Karwa Chauth, Diwali, Tulasi Vivah, Uttaana Dvadasi, Kaaradiyan Nonbu, Varalakshmi Vratam, Koodaarai Vellum, Gowri Vrata and others.
Vasanta Panchami comes on the fifth day of waxing moon in the month of Maagha (Jan-Feb). This day shows the sign of transition from winter towards spring in Northern parts of India when the cold barren earth rejuvenates herself to appear as shy nymph bedecked with yellow mustard flowers. This day is linked to Saraswati, the Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge the first manifestation of the mother-goddess celebrated in Vedas and Gayatri mantra. Just as the colors of spring get rid of the winter chill Saraswati drives away ignorance with the gift of knowledge. Dressed in yellow colors, women worship her with yellow flowers. In South India Goddess Saraswati is worshipped on the ninth day (Navami) of Festival of Dolls. On this day poet artists dedicate their creative out-pouring to the Mother Goddess.
Actually Chaitra and Vaisakah are the Hindu months that constitute Vasanta Ritu or spring season. It will be more appropriate to attribute Vasanta to the musical mode Rag Basanti which is so dear to Saraswati and she is the Goddess of music and fine arts.
In Bengal, Saraswati is regarded as the Daughter of Siva and Durga. Her sister is Goddess Lakshmi and her brothers are Kartikeya and Ganesha. For Saraswati Pooja, books are placed in front of Saraswati, along with earthen ink-pots and bamboo quills. The ink is made from un-boiled milk, water and a pinch of red colored powder (vermilion) and silver glitter called avro. The next day, before the Goddess is immersed in water, the Saraswati mantra is written on Bel leaves using the milk-ink with the help of quills. All children dip their bamboo quills into the earthen ink- pots and write Aum Sarswatyai Namah. The Goddess is then immersed and the books are put back in their places.
Sarawathi as Aurobindo saw her
The origin of Saraswati worship is in the
Vedas that has a very precise and
detailed exposition of her role and place in the spiritual universe, says
Rajarshi Nandy Saraswati. Rajarshi, a
sadhaka and adherent of the Sanatan Dharma, is a technical writer by
training, and a spiritualist by passion, currently working as a Contributing
Editor for SirfNews.com. Please go through his exposition of Saraswati as
Mahasaraswati.
As
the age of Tantra and Puranas gained prominence, the triple Vedic goddesses Ilaa, Saraswati and Mahee
became represented in the three rivers: Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, or the
three channels inside the subtle body, namely, ida, pingla and kundalini, where
Saraswati became representative of the subtler sushumna, equivalent to the
vanished river of Vedic era. Although we now associate Saraswati with learning
or education, she is certainly not the goddess of fact accumulation which
passes as knowledge these days. She is rather the inspiration of the artist and
the creator, of the architect and poet, of the scientist, of all who stand at
the forefront of the masterful application of human knowledge and
potential.
Across
India, especially in the North and Eastern India, including Nepal, Vasant
Panchami is the day when one of the cardinal goddesses of Hinduism, Devi
Saraswati, is worshipped. This falls on the 5th day on the month of Magha
during the time of the spring. Some scholars believe that the linking of
Goddess Saraswati with Vasanta Panchami comes from the later day Brahma
Vaivarta Purana, where Sri Krishna orders the worship of Devi Saraswati on this
particular panchami tithi. Artists, writers, students and just about anyone
involved in any kind of creative endeavor seek benedictions of this form of the
Divine Mother to enable them to excel in their chosen field of self-expression.
Saraswati
is one of the earliest names of the goddess, and a redoubtable member of the
Vedic pantheon, that come to us from the time of the Rig Veda itself. The
eponymous river Saraswati (सरस्वती
नदी sárasvatī nadī) is considered a central icon
of the Vedic era, and even in the post-Vedic texts, is referred to with
tremendous reverence. We are told that the early Vedic people lived along the
banks of this river, just as most ancient civilizations flourished on the banks
of major rivers, and over time, elevated the physical river to the status of a
life-giving goddess. While this naturalistic explanation certainly has some
scriptural backing, including from the Mahabharata which mentions the drying up
of the Saraswati river, there is also another way of looking at the whole
Saraswati phenomenon.
She
is in Her true scope and manifestation, when seen in a purely Vedantic light,
nothing less than a phenomenon par excellence especially in contrast with the
frailty and ignorance of the limited human consciousness. Saraswati can mean,
“she of the stream, the flowing movement”, and is therefore, a natural name for
a river, but it also means eloquence and the power of speech, as also a
movement of inspiration. In spiritual terms any force or capacity, like speech,
is a Shakti and a manifestation of the Divine Mother.
Saraswati
is also referred to as Mahi, meaning vast or great, and found, at times,
mentioned in connection with two other names, Ila and Bharati. IlA saraswatI mahI tisro devIr mayobhuvah;
barhih sIdantvasridah --Sri Aurobindo's commentary of this verse is as
follows: “May Ila, Saraswati and Mahi, three goddesses who give birth to the
bliss, take their place on the sacrificial seat, they who stumble not,” or “who
come not to hurt” or “do no hurt.” The epithet means, I think, they in whom
there is no false movement with its evil consequences, duritam, no stumbling
into pitfalls of sin and error. The formula is expanded in Hymn 110 of the
tenth Mandala: A no yajnam bharati tuyam
etu, ilA manusvad iha cetayantI; Tisro devIr barhir edaM syonaM, sarasvatI
svapasah sadantu. “May Bharati come speeding to our sacrifice and Ila hither
awakening our consciousness (or, knowledge or perceptions) in human wise, and
Saraswati,—three goddesses sit on this blissful seat, doing well the Work.”
Thus ila and Bharati are similar powers of the Divine Mother, similar to
Saraswati yet with slight and nuanced differences. While Saraswati is the
inspiration that comes down to us from Rtam, the tremendous
Truth-consciousness, Bharati and Ila are also different forms of the same
energy.
In
a rik by Madhuchchhandas, in which Bharati is identified with Mahi, this deity,
translating literally, is “full of cows for the one who performs sacrifice.” To
a naturalistic interpreter this may seem like a straight link between an
agrarian society's high regard for bovine wealth, but by this kind of logic,
many verses of the Veda appear as meaningless ramblings of prehistoric
barbarians. That does not do justice to the belief passed down since the
ancient times that the Vedic verses were “seen” by Rishis in a state of Divine
inspiration containing lofty spiritual truths, which can be properly understood
only by tapasya and sadhana, not mere scholastic or intellectual readings.
In
one of Vamadeva's hymns in the fourth Mandala (IV.3.16) the Rishi describes
himself as one illumined expressing through his thought and speech words of
guidance, "secret words" – ninya
vahamsi --"seer-wisdoms that utter their inner meaning to the
seer" -- kavyani kavaye nivachana.
The Rishi Dirghatamas speaks of the Riks, the Mantras of the Veda, as existing
"in a supreme ether, imperishable and immutable in which all the gods are
seated", and he adds "one who knows not That what shall he do with
the Rik?" (I.164.39). It becomes clear therefore that even when the Vedic
Age was in full force, the verses of the Veda-s acted as symbols of higher
spiritual truths.
“Go”, therefore, is both cow and light -
a spiritual illumination – so prized by our Rishis. Thus Bharati is the Shakti
that is filled with a greater illumination which, when invoked, shares a
portion of Her exalted status with the performer of the sacrifice. While
delving more into this we might as well recall a bit from Sri Aurobindo's own
writings, about how he came across the Vedic corpus for the 1st time. Of
course, some may or may not like his writings, regardless, it is vital that the
following passage is quoted lest some are led to ignorantly believe that the
man was commenting without sufficient Tapasya or sadhana. “My first contact with
Vedic thought came indirectly while pursuing certain lines of self-development
in the way of Indian Yoga, which, without my knowing it, were spontaneously
converging towards the ancient and now unfrequented paths followed by our
forefathers. At this time there began to arise in my mind an arrangement of
symbolic names attached to certain psychological experiences which had begun to
regularize themselves; and among them there came the figures of three female
energies, Ila, Saraswati, Sarama, representing severally three out of the four
faculties of the intuitive reason,—revelation, inspiration and intuition.”
Much
later when he was in Pondicherry and on a command from Krishna started studying
and meditating on the Rig Veda, did he recognize that the three Goddesses he
had seen earlier were Vedic deities. Coming back to Saraswati and Her sister
goddesses, we find Mahi is associated with, apart from illumination, a sense of
vastness, brihat, which contains
within Herself the Truth, Satyam.
Ila, on the other hand, means She who attains, and contains a similar
association of ideas as Rishi or Ritam.
Thus Ila is the Goddess who sees, or grants the ability of direct perception of
spiritual planes and realities. While Saraswati represents the ability to hear
the inspired word, and during normal functioning, is the goddess who provides
inspiration for creativity. In other words, when the mind becomes suppler in deeper states of meditation and
goes beyond the churning of the rationalizing machine, certain kinds of powers
of intuition manifest themselves to the sadhaka (Yogi). Of these, the access to
revelation – like a vision seen within which is true – is represented by the
goddess Ila; while Saraswati is one who brings about shruti or occult, inspired
hearing, analogous to a voice that speaks within and provides inspired inputs.
These
fine distinctions, however, came to be neglected later on as Saraswati became
associated with “learning” - a crude derivative of Her Vedic nature – while
Bharati got merged into her and Ila just vanished and a later story of another
Ila came about in relation to the life of the graha Budha!
Sri
Aurobindo writes, “Mahasaraswati is the Mother's Power of Work and her spirit
of perfection and order. The science and craft and technique of things are
Mahasaraswati's province. Always she holds in her nature and can give to those
whom she has chosen the intimate and precise knowledge, the subtlety and
patience, the accuracy of intuitive mind and conscious hand and discerning eye
of the perfect worker.” In the famous Devi Mahatyam, which comes from the
Markandeya Purana, we find MahaSaraswati as the presiding deity of the 3rd section
of the text. In Shakti sadhana there are 3 fundamental aspects: an awakening of
Shakti, a holding of Shakti, and the application of the same. Each of these is
progressively more difficult, thus while many may awaken Shakti by dint of
sadhana, only a few are then able to hold it in their mind and body, and even
lesser learn how to apply the same. And this, the third part, is where the real
guidance of Mahasaraswati becomes vital to the sadhaka.
Where
reason cannot reach even by labored meandering advances, intuition prompts us
in the right direction. Of all forms of the Divine Mother, it is Mahasaraswati
that demands of us infinite patience and a vast capacity for work. Because
intuition of creativity does not come when sitting idle, it comes unannounced,
when we are completely absorbed in our work, the deeper the engagement the
greater is the possibility of opening up the consciousness to the play of
Mahasaraswati, who nudges us slightly but persistently towards a greater and
more accurate perfection of the work.
SARASVATI VEDIC MANTRAS
Pranoe devee sarasvatee | Vaajoebhih vaajaneevatee | dheenaam avatri avatu ||Oh Sarasvati! Bless me with plenty and opulent life and be the controller of our thoughts!
Paavakaa nah sarasvatee | Vaajoebhih vaajaneevatiee yajnam vashtu dhiyaavasu ||
Sarasvati is our purifier. She is the giver of plenty and opulent life. She is the treasure of intelligence and thoughts.
Choedayitree soonritaanaam | Chetantee sumateenaam | yajnam dadhe sarasvatee ||
She
bestows good speech. She brings good thoughts to mind. May she bless this sacrifice (Yajna)!
Mahoe arnah sarasvati |pra chetayati ketunaa | dhiyoe visvaa viraajati ||
May you awaken the great truth in me by helping me to visualize consciousness! May you brighten all my thoughts!
--From Rigveda Samhita, sarasvatee-sooktam
Significance of Vasant Panchami
Posted by The Editor | Feb 05, 2014 |
(Please help spread Hinduism by sharing these articles on Facebook):
Vasant Panchami is an important Indian
festival celebrated every year in the month of Magh according to the Hindu
calendar. Celebrated on the fifth day of Magh, the day falls somewhere in the
months of February or March according to the Gregorian calendar. The
significance of the day lies in the worship of Goddess Sarasvati, symbol of
wisdom and also the onset of spring season.
According
to the popular belief, the origins of this festival lie in Aryan period. Aryans
came and settled in India through Khyber Pass, crossing the Sarasvati River
among many others. Being a primitive civilization, most of their development
took place along the banks of the River Sarasvati. Thus, River Sarasvati began
to be associated with fertility and knowledge. It is then that the day began to
be celebrated.
According
to mythology, a popular associated with this day is connected with poet
Kalidasa. After he was married off to a beautiful princess through trickery, the
princess kicked him out of her bed as she learned that he was foolish.
Following this, Kalidasa went to commit suicide, upon which Sarasvati emerged
from the waters and asked him to take a dip there. After taking a dip in the
holy waters, Kalidasa became knowledgeable and began writing poetry. Thus,
Vasant Panchami is celebrated to venerate Goddess Sarasvati, the goddess of
education and learning.
In
today’s times, the festival is celebrated by farmers as the on-coming of the
spring season. The day is largely celebrated in Northern Parts of India. Here,
people offer food to the Brahmins and organize rituals in the name of Goddess
Sarasvati.
The color
yellow is the predominant color associated with the festival, the origins of
which are supposed to be the fields of mustard which can be seen in Punjab and
Haryana during this period. Kite flying is also commonly associated with this
festival. Children as well as adults fly kites on this day to celebrate freedom
and enjoyment.
Another
tradition associated with this day is that of initiating studies in the young.
Young children often begin learning on this day, which is believed to be the
reason why the school sessions start in the month of March. Sweets with a
yellow hue are also distributed on this day and people can also be seen
donating books and other literary material to the poor.
What
do people do?
Vasant
Panchami is a famous festival that marks the end of the winter season and
ushers in the springtime. Sarasvati is the Hindu goddess of the Vasant Panchami
festival. Young girls wear bright yellow dresses and participate in the
festivities. The color yellow holds a special meaning for this celebration as
it signifies the brilliance of nature and the vibrancy of life. The whole place
bursts with yellow during the festival.
People
dress in yellow and they offer yellow flowers to others and to the gods and
goddesses. They also prepare and feast on a special pastry called Kesar halva, which is made from flour,
sugar, nuts, and cardamom powder. This dish also includes saffron strands,
which gives it a vibrant yellow color and mild fragrance. During the Vasant
Panchami festival, India’s crop fields are filled with the color yellow, as the
yellow mustard flowers bloom at this time of the year. Pens, notebooks, and
pencils are placed near the goddess Devi’s feet to be blessed before they are
used by students.
Public
Life
Vasant
Panchami is a public holiday. Government offices, schools, colleges do not
operate on the day. However, at the same time, private offices are operational.
Public transport also operates throughout the day but there is heavy traffic
congestion during to processions at various places.
Background
The
celebration of the Vasant Panchami is centered on the Hindu goddess Sarasvati.
Sarasvati is the goddess of wisdom. She embodies the different facets of
learning such as the sciences, arts, crafts and skills. She is said to be calm
and collected. She is often pictured seated on a lotus or a peacock, wearing a
white dress.
Hindus
believe that Sarasvati bestows the greatest wealth to humanity, the wealth of
knowledge. In the Vedas the prayer for Sarasvati depicts her as a white lady in
white dress bedecked with white flowers and white pearls, sitting on a white
lotus, which is blooming in a wide stretch of water. She holds Veena, a
string-instrument, like Sitar, for playing music. The prayer finally concludes,
“Oh Mother Sarasvati remove the darkness (ignorance) of my mind and bless me
with the eternal knowledge.”
As I gave
you the significance of symbols associated with the Goddess of wealth, Ma
Lakshmi during the Diwali celebration, I would like to acquaint you with the
important symbols associated with Ma Sarasvati on the eve of Basant Panchami.
White
dress, white flowers, white pearls, white lotus:- All these signify absolute
purity, true knowledge of the purest kind. For acquisition of supreme
knowledge, one has to perform activities founded on purity and divine wisdom.
Lotus in
water: Water here symbolizes the ocean of
life indicating that one has to attain supreme knowledge living in the world
and not running away from it. As we know lotus makes its way through water and
rises above its surface with glory. It remains in water but is not
incapacitated by it. These are two important characteristics on which knowledge
must rest.
Veena:
Veena symbolizes the music of life. The collective sound of all our thoughts
and actions in the cosmic forms operates as music in the universe.
The Book:
Ordinarily a book is a means of acquiring knowledge. But in the hand of
Sarasvati it symbolizes total knowledge. Sarasvati is the Goddess of all
knowledge-worldly as well as spiritual.
Hamsa
(Swan): At times Sarasvati is shown sitting on
a white hamsa (swan). The swan is known to have a tremendous amount of
discriminating power. It has a very sensitive beak through which it can
discriminate the right and the wrong. It can discriminate between the real and
unreal. It can separate the milk from water.
In ordinary
sense, a white swan represents purity and the capacity to discriminate between
right and wrong and the will to accept the right.
The
Peacock: The peacock represents ordinary
worldly knowledge. As most of you know peacock’s moods keep on changing. It is
overly influenced by weather conditions; sometimes dancing in ecstasy and when
in the agony of separation, weeping for long, likes most of us.
Now look
at the picture above, the peacock is placed on the right side anxiously waiting
to be used by Sarasvati as her carrier, whereas the swan is on the left side,
completely relaxed. This represents the desired balance between head and heart.
Men of knowledge must possess this quality.
In the
final analysis all the symbols associated with the image of Goddess of learning
are reminders to the seeker of worldly or spiritual knowledge that he or she
must possess the power of discrimination while maintaining purity and peace. On
Vasant Panchami people pray to Mata Sarasvati to kindle the light of true knowledge
in us and our children and eliminate the dullness of intellect.
DEVI SARASVATI PUJA
ON VASANTA PANCHMI DAY
By Dr. David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva
Shastri)
Allowing the cosmic
feminine principle to fully express itself through all forms of art, without
fear or manipulation, is the essence of true culture.
Saraswati Puja is one of the most
important annual events of India or Bharatiya culture going back centuries – a
wonderful festival of art and learning that can awaken the higher awareness and
creativity within us.
Saraswati Puja is part of India’s
traditional culture of respect for learning, nature and the whole of life. This
culture of respect is embodied in various rituals held throughout the year on
special days of the Hindu calendar.
Saraswati Puja occurs on the waxing
moon that indicates the beginning of spring as Vasant Panchami. On this day
children are traditionally initiated into the art of writing. The festival is
most common in the east of India but has counterparts throughout the country.
It is a wonderful educational celebration that brings all people into learning
with joy and delight.
Antiquity of Devi Saraswati
Devi Saraswati is one of the oldest and
most widely found deity forms in India. She is perhaps the country’s best-known
presentation of its many aspects of the Divine Feminine, which are almost
unparalleled in the rest of the world.
Saraswati is the great mother of the
ancient Vedas, Veda Mata, and their personification, guiding the Rishis of old.
Yet she was not just a goddess, Saraswati was also the primary river of
habitation for Vedic and ancient Indian civilisation. The Saraswati River
flowed east of the Indus from the Himalayas to the sea, through such famous
regions as Kurukshetra, as the Geological Survey of India has recently
uncovered.
Saraswati represents the feminine
principle of art and music as the muse, performer and dancer.
Devi Saraswati, above all, represents
the feminine principle of creation, as the consort of Lord Brahma as the
creator. In Vedantic thought, the entire universe arises from Ananda, a flow of
love, beauty and bliss from a higher Being and Consciousness. Saraswati
represents this expression of Ananda as the rasa or essence behind the magicand
mystery of life.
Saraswati, speech and artistic
expression
Saraswati as a deity of speech represents
the profound Sanskrit language, regarded by many as the most scientific
language in the world. Sanskrit is the source of the many mantras used by the
dharmic traditions that arose from India, abounding with powerful rhythms and
chants.
Honoring Saraswati at a personal level
requires honoring speech – speaking with beauty, clarity and truth, aligning
our personal speech with the Divine Speech. Her seed mantra AIM awakens the
creative expression of the Divine Word within us.
Saraswati represents the feminine
principle of art and music as the muse, performer and dancer. Allowing the
cosmic feminine principle to fully express itself through all forms of art,
without fear or manipulation, is the essence of true culture.
Saraswati in her symbolism is related
to the moon, the poetic face of the Goddess. She carries the Vina indicating
not just music but the cosmic vibratory forces that reverberate behind time and
space. She is invoked to remove ignorance and inertia from our minds and
hearts.
Why should we honour
Saraswati today
Honoring Saraswati today requires that
we respect and promote learning, not merely to pass tests in school or to
memorise information, but to allow our lives to mirror an enduring creative
inspiration.
In our current mass media era, we
forget the wellsprings of creative intelligence inside ourselves. Instead we
get caught in disturbed reactions to events in the external world of Maya with
its inherent duality and conflict. Going back to our inner vision can enable us
to deal with outer challenges with wisdom, adaptability and light.
Remembering Saraswati can help us renew
our minds and hearts for a deeper connection to the cosmic reality, of which
our human world, with its transient gains and losses, is but a shadow.
Saraswati rides her swan, a symbol of
beauty, on the peaceful mountain lake of the mind, bestowing the cooling peace
of silent meditation. We should honour that receptive essence of consciousness
in whatever way stimulates us to transform our lives.That is to truly worship
Devi Saraswati.
Vasant Panchami is an important Indian festival celebrated every year in the month of Magh according to the Hindu calendar. Celebrated on the fifth day of Magh, the day falls somewhere in the months of February or March according to the Gregorian calendar. The significance of the day lies in the worship of Goddess Sarasvati, symbol of wisdom and also the onset of spring season.
According to the popular belief, the origins of this festival lie in Aryan period. Aryans came and settled in India through Khyber Pass, crossing the Sarasvati River among many others. Being a primitive civilization, most of their development took place along the banks of the River Sarasvati. Thus, River Sarasvati began to be associated with fertility and knowledge. It is then that the day began to be celebrated.
According to mythology, a popular associated with this day is connected with poet Kalidasa. After he was married off to a beautiful princess through trickery, the princess kicked him out of her bed as she learned that he was foolish. Following this, Kalidasa went to commit suicide, upon which Sarasvati emerged from the waters and asked him to take a dip there. After taking a dip in the holy waters, Kalidasa became knowledgeable and began writing poetry. Thus, Vasant Panchami is celebrated to venerate Goddess Sarasvati, the goddess of education and learning.
In today’s times, the festival is celebrated by farmers as the on-coming of the spring season. The day is largely celebrated in Northern Parts of India. Here, people offer food to the Brahmins and organize rituals in the name of Goddess Sarasvati.
The color yellow is the predominant color associated with the festival, the origins of which are supposed to be the fields of mustard which can be seen in Punjab and Haryana during this period. Kite flying is also commonly associated with this festival. Children as well as adults fly kites on this day to celebrate freedom and enjoyment.
Another tradition associated with this day is that of initiating studies in the young. Young children often begin learning on this day, which is believed to be the reason why the school sessions start in the month of March. Sweets with a yellow hue are also distributed on this day and people can also be seen donating books and other literary material to the poor.
Vasant Panchami is a famous festival that marks the end of the winter season and ushers in the springtime. Sarasvati is the Hindu goddess of the Vasant Panchami festival. Young girls wear bright yellow dresses and participate in the festivities. The color yellow holds a special meaning for this celebration as it signifies the brilliance of nature and the vibrancy of life. The whole place bursts with yellow during the festival.
People dress in yellow and they offer yellow flowers to others and to the gods and goddesses. They also prepare and feast on a special pastry called Kesar halva, which is made from flour, sugar, nuts, and cardamom powder. This dish also includes saffron strands, which gives it a vibrant yellow color and mild fragrance. During the Vasant Panchami festival, India’s crop fields are filled with the color yellow, as the yellow mustard flowers bloom at this time of the year. Pens, notebooks, and pencils are placed near the goddess Devi’s feet to be blessed before they are used by students.
Public Life
Vasant Panchami is a public holiday. Government offices, schools, colleges do not operate on the day. However, at the same time, private offices are operational. Public transport also operates throughout the day but there is heavy traffic congestion during to processions at various places.
Background
The celebration of the Vasant Panchami is centered on the Hindu goddess Sarasvati. Sarasvati is the goddess of wisdom. She embodies the different facets of learning such as the sciences, arts, crafts and skills. She is said to be calm and collected. She is often pictured seated on a lotus or a peacock, wearing a white dress.
Hindus believe that Sarasvati bestows the greatest wealth to humanity, the wealth of knowledge. In the Vedas the prayer for Sarasvati depicts her as a white lady in white dress bedecked with white flowers and white pearls, sitting on a white lotus, which is blooming in a wide stretch of water. She holds Veena, a string-instrument, like Sitar, for playing music. The prayer finally concludes, “Oh Mother Sarasvati remove the darkness (ignorance) of my mind and bless me with the eternal knowledge.”
As I gave you the significance of symbols associated with the Goddess of wealth, Ma Lakshmi during the Diwali celebration, I would like to acquaint you with the important symbols associated with Ma Sarasvati on the eve of Basant Panchami.
White dress, white flowers, white pearls, white lotus:- All these signify absolute purity, true knowledge of the purest kind. For acquisition of supreme knowledge, one has to perform activities founded on purity and divine wisdom.
Lotus in water: Water here symbolizes the ocean of life indicating that one has to attain supreme knowledge living in the world and not running away from it. As we know lotus makes its way through water and rises above its surface with glory. It remains in water but is not incapacitated by it. These are two important characteristics on which knowledge must rest.
The Book: Ordinarily a book is a means of acquiring knowledge. But in the hand of Sarasvati it symbolizes total knowledge. Sarasvati is the Goddess of all knowledge-worldly as well as spiritual.
Hamsa (Swan): At times Sarasvati is shown sitting on a white hamsa (swan). The swan is known to have a tremendous amount of discriminating power. It has a very sensitive beak through which it can discriminate the right and the wrong. It can discriminate between the real and unreal. It can separate the milk from water.
In ordinary sense, a white swan represents purity and the capacity to discriminate between right and wrong and the will to accept the right.
The Peacock: The peacock represents ordinary worldly knowledge. As most of you know peacock’s moods keep on changing. It is overly influenced by weather conditions; sometimes dancing in ecstasy and when in the agony of separation, weeping for long, likes most of us.
Now look at the picture above, the peacock is placed on the right side anxiously waiting to be used by Sarasvati as her carrier, whereas the swan is on the left side, completely relaxed. This represents the desired balance between head and heart. Men of knowledge must possess this quality.
In the final analysis all the symbols associated with the image of Goddess of learning are reminders to the seeker of worldly or spiritual knowledge that he or she must possess the power of discrimination while maintaining purity and peace. On Vasant Panchami people pray to Mata Sarasvati to kindle the light of true knowledge in us and our children and eliminate the dullness of intellect.
DEVI SARASVATI PUJA
ON VASANTA PANCHMI DAY
By Dr. David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva
Shastri)
Allowing the cosmic
feminine principle to fully express itself through all forms of art, without
fear or manipulation, is the essence of true culture.
Saraswati Puja is one of the most
important annual events of India or Bharatiya culture going back centuries – a
wonderful festival of art and learning that can awaken the higher awareness and
creativity within us.
Saraswati Puja is part of India’s
traditional culture of respect for learning, nature and the whole of life. This
culture of respect is embodied in various rituals held throughout the year on
special days of the Hindu calendar.
Saraswati Puja occurs on the waxing
moon that indicates the beginning of spring as Vasant Panchami. On this day
children are traditionally initiated into the art of writing. The festival is
most common in the east of India but has counterparts throughout the country.
It is a wonderful educational celebration that brings all people into learning
with joy and delight.
Antiquity of Devi Saraswati
Devi Saraswati is one of the oldest and
most widely found deity forms in India. She is perhaps the country’s best-known
presentation of its many aspects of the Divine Feminine, which are almost
unparalleled in the rest of the world.
Saraswati is the great mother of the ancient Vedas, Veda Mata, and their personification, guiding the Rishis of old. Yet she was not just a goddess, Saraswati was also the primary river of habitation for Vedic and ancient Indian civilisation. The Saraswati River flowed east of the Indus from the Himalayas to the sea, through such famous regions as Kurukshetra, as the Geological Survey of India has recently uncovered.
Saraswati represents the feminine principle of art and music as the muse, performer and dancer.
Devi Saraswati, above all, represents the feminine principle of creation, as the consort of Lord Brahma as the creator. In Vedantic thought, the entire universe arises from Ananda, a flow of love, beauty and bliss from a higher Being and Consciousness. Saraswati represents this expression of Ananda as the rasa or essence behind the magicand mystery of life.
Saraswati, speech and artistic
expression
Saraswati as a deity of speech represents the profound Sanskrit language, regarded by many as the most scientific language in the world. Sanskrit is the source of the many mantras used by the dharmic traditions that arose from India, abounding with powerful rhythms and chants.
Honoring Saraswati at a personal level
requires honoring speech – speaking with beauty, clarity and truth, aligning
our personal speech with the Divine Speech. Her seed mantra AIM awakens the
creative expression of the Divine Word within us.
Saraswati represents the feminine principle of art and music as the muse, performer and dancer. Allowing the cosmic feminine principle to fully express itself through all forms of art, without fear or manipulation, is the essence of true culture.
Saraswati in her symbolism is related to the moon, the poetic face of the Goddess. She carries the Vina indicating not just music but the cosmic vibratory forces that reverberate behind time and space. She is invoked to remove ignorance and inertia from our minds and hearts.
Why should we honour Saraswati today
Honoring Saraswati today requires that we respect and promote learning, not merely to pass tests in school or to memorise information, but to allow our lives to mirror an enduring creative inspiration.
In our current mass media era, we forget the wellsprings of creative intelligence inside ourselves. Instead we get caught in disturbed reactions to events in the external world of Maya with its inherent duality and conflict. Going back to our inner vision can enable us to deal with outer challenges with wisdom, adaptability and light.
Remembering Saraswati can help us renew our minds and hearts for a deeper connection to the cosmic reality, of which our human world, with its transient gains and losses, is but a shadow.
Saraswati rides her swan, a symbol of beauty, on the peaceful mountain lake of the mind, bestowing the cooling peace of silent meditation. We should honour that receptive essence of consciousness in whatever way stimulates us to transform our lives.That is to truly worship Devi Saraswati.
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