Page 42 - FEB 2022

SARASWATI PUJA AND MAHA SHIVRATRI
FESTIVALS THAT BRING LOVE, PEACE, EDUCATION, AND HARMONY IN OUR LIVES
By Parul Bhatia (Dancer, Actress, Filmmaker, Director)
Some Hindus believe all creatures were born
from the union of Brahma and Sarasvati starting
with Manu, the first man. Maa (Mother) Saraswati
is a Hindu goddess who represents education,
creativity, and music. The name Saraswati stems
from the Sanskrit root “saras,” which means
“that which is fluid.” Maa Saraswati is known to
bring order out of chaos and has a calming and
centering personality.
Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of learning,
wisdom, music, and aesthetics. She is also known
as Bharati (eloquence), Shatarupa (existence),
Vedamata (mother of the Vedas), Brahmi, Sarada,
Vagisvari, and Putkari. As Vac, she is the goddess
of speech. Saraswati first appears in the Rigveda
and, in later religious texts, she is identified as
the inventor of Sanskrit and, appropriately, gives
DesiPages
Ganesha the gifts of pen and inks. She is also a
patron of the arts and
sciences, and the wife of Brahma, even if the
Bengal Vaisnavas considered her first the wife
of Vishnu. Sarasvati is also worshipped as the
goddess of learning in Jainism and by some
Buddhist sects.
Saraswati’s name means ‘elegant’, ‘flowing’,
and ‘watery’ and this is indicative of her status
as one of the early Aryan boundary rivers. The
Saraswati River (modern name: Sarsuti), 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. The sacred river, again like the
Ganges, then developed into a personified deity.
The goddess has her own festivals, notably the
Saraswati Puja, held on the first day of spring.
During the festival, worshippers wear yellow,
which is associated with wisdom and prosperity.
Statues of the goddess are also draped in yellow
silk, and believers pray for blessings on their
pens, books, and musical instruments. Children
are taught to write for the first time during the
festival, Brahmin priests are given fine food,
and ancestors are venerated. Saraswati is also
worshipped along with other major goddesses
in the pan-Indian celebration of Navaratri. As
the patron of music, she is frequently prayed to
by musicians before concerts and, as a goddess
of intellectual pursuits, by students before
examinations.
In Hindu mythology, Saraswati is the wife of the
great god Brahma. However, according to some
traditions, she was first the wife of Vishnu. The
latter, though, already had his hands full with two
other wives and so he gave Saraswati to Brahma.
Although one of the most important Hindu
gods, Brahma is rarely actively worshipped. In
mythology, this is explained as a result of a curse
from Saraswati. The curse was actually brought
about through a misunderstanding. One day,
DFW | February 2022 VOL 36 | 42