Saraswati is also worshipped along with other major goddesses in the pan-Indian celebration of Navaratri.Īs the patron of music, she is frequently prayed to by musicians before concerts and, as a goddess of intellectual pursuits, by students before examinations. Statues of the goddess are also draped in yellow silk, and believers pray for blessings on their pens, books, and musical instruments.Ĭhildren are taught to write for the first time during the festival, Brahmin priests are given fine food, and ancestors are venerated. The goddess has her own festivals, notably the Saraswati Puja, held on the first day of spring.ĭuring the festival, worshippers wear yellow, which is associated with wisdom and prosperity. The sacred river, again like the Ganges, then developed into a personified deity. The Saraswati River, just like the Ganges River, flows from the Himalaya and is considered a sacred source of purification, fertility, and good fortune for those who bathe in her waters. Saraswati's name means 'elegant', 'flowing', and 'watery' and this is indicative of her status as one of the early Aryan boundary rivers. Goddess Maa Saraswati WORSHIP & RITUALS : In the directions beginning with the southeast, the palaces of Lakshmi, Saraswati, Rati, and Kanti respectively are situated. (Padma Purana Uttara-khanda).Īccompanied by Goddess Lakshmi and other associates, the chatur-vyuha (Four Expansions) headed by Lord Vasudeva are manifest in the eight directions, beginning with the east. The Vedic hymns and all sacred mantras also stay in that holy place, which is made of all the Vedas,Īnd which is known in the Smriti-sastra as the yoga-pitha. In some Puranas (like Skanda Purana) she is sister of Shiva (Shivaanujaa) and in some Tantras with Ganesha. Hindus worship her not only for “secular knowledge”, but for “divine knowledge” essential to achieve moksha. In Hinduism, Saraswati represents intelligence, consciousness, cosmic knowledge, creativity, education, enlightenment, music, the arts, and power. In the post-Vedic age, she began to lose her status as a river goddess and became increasingly associated with literature, arts, music, etc. In the Rigveda, Saraswati is a river as well as its personification as a goddess. Saraswati is also worshiped outside of South Asia, in regions such as Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Myanmar.
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