Saraswati

principal Hindu goddess, goddess of knowledge, music and speech

Saraswati is one of the Hindu goddesses. The Vedas also mention her name. She is the goddess of speech, learning and knowledge. The legend states that she created the Sanskrit language and invented the vina, a musical instrument similar to a lute. The legend also says that she is the wife of Brahma, one of the gods of the Hindus.

Saraswati
Mother goddess; goddess of knowledge, music, arts, speech, wisdom, learning and the Saraswati River
Member of Tridevi
Saraswati by Raja Ravi Varma
Other namesSharada, Savitri, Brahmani, Bharadi, Vani, Vagdevi[1]
Devanagariसरस्वती
AffiliationDevi, River goddess, Tridevi, Gayatri
AbodeSatyaloka, Manidvipa
Mantraॐ ऐं महासरस्वत्यै नमः, om shree mahasaraswatyai namaha.
SymbolsWhite colour, lotus, Veena, Saraswati river, books[2]
MountSwan or peacock
FestivalsVasant Panchami and seventh day of Navratri
Personal information
ConsortBrahma[3][4]
SiblingsShiva
A painting of Saraswati from China. It was made in the 1400s and is painted on silk.

Birth change

Mata Saraswati was born from the Samudra Manthan that arranged between the Devatas and the Asuras. She was born from the sea and was married to Lord Brahma thereafter. In another legend, Brahma created her by his imagination. However, she turned out to be so beautiful that he could not takes his eyes off her. Since he had five heads - four in the four cardinal directions - and one on top, his head kept turning in whichever direction Saraswati went.

Saraswati is mentioned in the Vedas, the Brahmans, the Aranyaks, the Upanishads and the Mahabharat. She is dressed in white, carries a book and a lotus. Her favorite instrument is a lute and she rides a swan. Generally, an image or a statue of Saraswati shows her with four arms. Two arms hold the vina. In other arms she holds a book and a lotus flower.

References change

  1. Balf, Edward (1885). The Encyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia. p. 534 – via Google Books.
  2. "Hinduism 101 Saraswati Symbolism". Hindu American Foundation (HAF). Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  3. Dowling, Elizabeth; Scarlett, W George (2005). Encyclopedia of Religious and Spiritual Development. SAGE Publications. p. 204. ISBN 978-0761928836.
  4. Kinsley, David (1988). Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the divine feminine in the Hindu religious traditions. University of California Press. pp. 55–64. ISBN 0-520063392.

Other websites change

  Media related to Sarasvati at Wikimedia Commons