Friday 12th February 2016 is Saraswati Puja.
This is a popular festival in the eastern part of India , more so among students who worship Saraswati, the Goddess of Education and Knowledge.
This falls on the fifth day after the new moon, in the Bengali month of Magha, on the day of Vasant Panchami hailing the coming of spring.
The color of this festival. Most people will be wearing yellow clothes, going to schools and colleges where the worship would be happening.
When Eastern India is celebrating Durga Puja, in Kerala and some places of Tamil Nadu,
As per the legends and mythology, according to Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Krishna talks about worshipping Saraswati. Krishna says Magha Shukla Panchami is an auspicious day for performing the worship for gaining knowledge. Humans are told perform this worship.
As per the Purana, Saraswati is to be invoked in a book or the pot or kalash. Ganesha, Surya, Agni, Vishnu, Shiva and Parvati are to be worshiped before worshiping Saraswati. A mix of butter, curd, milk, white sesame, sugarcane juice, jaggery, white rice and ghee is offered to the Goddess.
The deity is worshipped with white flowers, white sandal wood paste, white clothes, and white decorations. This should be then followed by Dhyana (Meditation), Kavacha, Mula Mantra and regular puja. The Dhyana would describe the Deity as having Shukla Varna (white complexion) of great beauty and smile, well dressed with white robes, with one hand carrying a Book, both the hands a Veena, adorned with jewelry and white flower garlands, with Brahma-Vishnu and Shiva nearby and surrounded by Gods and Rishis bowing down before the Goddess.
The sage Yagnavalkaya is supposed to have worshipped the Goddess and by doing so, he had regained his knowledge of the Vedas, which he had lost as he had displeased his Guru.
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A popular mantra that I remember reciting while worshiping the Goddess is below :
Om Saraswati Mahabhagey, Vidye Kamala Lochaney |
Viswarupey Vishalakshmi, Vidyam Dehi Namohastutey ||
O Devi Saraswati, the most Auspicious Goddess of Knowledge with Lotus-like Eyes,
An Embodiment of Knowledge with Large Eyes, Kindly Bless me with Knowledge. I Salute you.
Jaya Jaya Devi, Charachara Sharey, Kuchayuga Shobhita, Mukta Haarey |
Vina Ranjita, Pustaka Hastey, Bhagavati Bharati Devi Namohastutey ||
"May Goddess Saraswati,
who is fair like the jasmine-colored moon,
and whose pure white garland is like frosty dew drops;
who is adorned in radiant white attire,
on whose beautiful arm rests the veena,
and whose throne is a white lotus;
who is surrounded and respected by the Gods, protect me.
May you fully remove my lethargy, sluggishness, and ignorance."
Goddess Saraswati rides on a white Swan. The swan is known for its peculiar characteristic of being capable of separating water from milk, indicating that we should possess discrimination in separating the bad from the good. The seat being a lotus or peacock implies that the teacher is well-established in the subjective experience of truth. When sitting on a peacock she reminds us that wisdom suppresses ego.
Saraswati literally means 'the flowing one'. In the Rigveda it is said she represents a river and the deity presiding over it. In the later mythology, Saraswati was identified with Vach or Speech. The `flowing one' in allegorical sense may mean speech also; perfect speech which denotes intelligence. On this Vasant Panchami day, Brahma is said to have created Saraswati and infused speech into her and bestowed the Vina in her hands. She was thus named as 'VeenaVandini (Veena player) and 'VaniDayyani' (giver of speech).
