SARASWATI
THE HINDU GODDESS OF WISDOM
Saraswati,
goddess of knowledge and the arts embodies the wisdom of Devi. She is the
river of consciousness that enlivens creation; she is the dawn-goddess whose
rays dispel the darkness of ignorance. Without her, there is only chaos and
confusion. To realize her one must go beyond the pleasures of the senses and
rejoice in the serenity of the spirit.
Saraswati wears
neither jewels nor paints herself with bright colors. The white sari she adorns
reflects her essential purity, her rejection of all that is base and
materialistic.
She transcends
the cravings of the flesh and rejoices in the powers of the mind as the patron
of pure wisdom. She embodies all that is pure and sublime in Nature. The four
Vedas, books of universal knowledge, were her offspring. Her mount, the swan,
personifies pure knowledge and her herald, the peacock, is a symbol of the
arts. Schools and libraries are her temples; books, pens, all tools of the
artist, and musical instruments are the items used in puja to the enlightening
goddess of wisdom.
The
Birth of Saraswati
In the beginning, there was chaos. Everything existed in a formless, fluid state. "How do I
bring order to this disorder?" wondered Brahma, the creator. "With
Knowledge", said Devi.
Heralded by a
peacock, sacred books in one hand and a veena in the other dressed in white
Devi emerged from Brahma's mouth riding a swan as the goddess Saraswati.
"Knowledge
helps man find possibilities where once he saw problems." Said the
goddess. Under her tutelage, Brahma acquired the ability to sense, think,
comprehend and communicate. He began looking upon chaos with eyes of wisdom and
thus saw the beautiful potential that lay therein.
Brahma discovered
the melody of mantras in the cacophony of chaos. In his joy he named
Saraswati, Vagdevi, goddess of speech and sound.
The sound of
mantras filled the universe with vital energy or prana. Things began to take
shape and the cosmos acquired a structure: the sky dotted with stars rose to
form the heavens; the sea sank into the abyss below, the earth stood in
between.
Gods became lords
of the celestial spheres; demons ruled the nether regions, humans walked on
earth. The sun rose and set, the moon waxed and waned, the tide flowed and
ebbed. Seasons changed, seeds germinated, plants bloomed and withered, animals
migrated and reproduced as randomness gave way to the rhythm of life.
Brahma thus
became the creator of the world with Saraswati as his wisdom. Saraswati was the
first being to come into Brahma's world. Brahma began to look upon her with
eyes of desire. She turned away saying, "All I offer must be used to
elevate the spirit, not indulge the senses."
Brahma could not
control his amorous thoughts and his infatuation for the lovely goddess grew.
He continued to stare at Saraswati. He gave himself four heads facing every
direction so that he could always be able to feast his eyes on Saraswati's
beauty.
Saraswati moved
away from Brahma, first taking the form of a cow. Brahma then followed her as a
bull. Saraswati then changed into a mare; Brahma gave chase as a horse. Every
time Saraswati turned into a bird or a beast he followed her as the
corresponding male equivalent. No matter how hard Brahma tried he could not
catch Saraswati in any of her forms.
The goddess with
multiple forms came to be known as Shatarupa. She personified
material reality, alluring yet fleeting.
Saraswati
Curses Brahma
Angered by his
display of unbridled passion Saraswati cursed Brahma, "You have filled the
world with longing that is the seed of unhappiness. You have fettered the soul
in the flesh. You are not worthy of reverence. May there be hardly any temple
or festival in your name."
So it came to
pass that there are only two temples of Brahma in India; one at Pushkar,
Rajasthan and the other in Kumbhakonam, Tamil Nadu.
Undaunted by the
curse, Brahma continued to cast his lustful looks upon Saraswati. He gave
himself a fifth head to enhance his gaze.
Bhairava, Shiva,
Confronts Brahma
Brahma's action
motivated by desire confined consciousness and excited the ego. It disturbed
the serenity of the cosmos and roused Shiva, the supreme ascetic from his
meditation.
Shiva opened his
eyes, sensed Saraswati's discomfort, and in a fit of rage turned into Bhairava,
lord of terror. His eyes were red, his growl menacing. He lunged towards Brahma
and with his sharp claws, wretched off Brahma's fifth head. The violence
subdued Brahma's passion. Brahma's cut head seared through Bhairava's flesh and
clung to his hand sapping him of all his strength and driving him mad. The lord
of terror ranted and raved losing control of his senses.
Saraswati,
pleased with Bhairava's timely action, rushed to his rescue. With her gentle
touch she nursed him like a child, restoring his sanity.
Brahma sobered
by his encounter with the Lord of terror sought an escape from the maze of his
own desire. Saraswati revealed to him the doctrine for his own
liberation. Brahma sought to conduct a yagna, fire sacrifice, to cleanse himself
and start anew. In order to conduct a yagna ritual the assistance of a wife is
needed. Brahma chose Saraswati to be his wife and thus they were reconciled.
Saraswati,
her Veena, and the song of the Gandharva
The Gandharvas
were demigods who sprang from the fragrance of flowers. Once they stole the
Soma plant whose inebriating and invigorating sap were much sought after by the
devas. The theft of the Soma infuriated all the gods.
Saraswati
promised to recover the soma plant. She went to the garden of the Gandharvas
and with her veena created enchanting tunes: the ragas and the ratings.
"Give us
this music," begged the Gandharvas.
"Only if you
give back the Soma plant to the devas," said the goddess.
The Gandharvas
returned the Soma plant and learned how to play music from Saraswati. In time
they became celestial musicians whose melodies had more power to rouse the mind
than any intoxicant.
Saraswati
Outwits a Demon
A demon practiced
many austerities to appease Brahma. The demon sought to conquer the three
worlds and the gods feared that he may ask a boon that would make him
invincible; the gods sought the help of the goddess Saraswati. The goddess sat
on the tongue of the demon so that when it was time to ask for a boon all he could
say was, "I would like to never stay awake."
"So be
it," said Brahma.
As a result, the
demon who wanted to conquer the three worlds ended up going to sleep forever.
Saraswati,
Lakshmi and Brahma
Brahma created
the universe with the help of Saraswati. Brahma was the guardian of the cosmos.
He too needed Saraswati's support to sustain the cosmos. Using her knowledge he
instituted and maintained dharma, sacred laws that ensure stability and growth
in society.
Brahma also
needed the help of Lakshmi, goddess of wealth, who gave him the wherewithal to
ensure cosmic order.
The question
arose: who did Brahma need more? Lakshmi or Saraswati? Wealth or knowledge? The
goddesses argued, "Knowledge does not fill an empty stomach." Said
Lakshmi. "Wealth keeps man alive but gives no meaning to life." Said
Saraswati.
"I need both
knowledge and wealth to sustain the cosmos. Without knowledge, I cannot plan.
Without wealth, I cannot implement a plan. Wealth sustains life; the arts give
value to life. Thus both Lakshmi and Saraswati are needed to live a full life.
Saraswati
Saves the World from Shiva's Third Eye and the Beast of Doom
Shiva was woken
from his meditations and looked around to discover a world on the brink of
corruption and being unsalvageable. Shiva decided it was time to wipe the slate
clean. Shiva, the destroyer, opened his world destroying the third eye attempting
to destroy the three worlds... Out came a terrible fire that threatened all
existence.
There was panic
everywhere. Saraswati calmly stated, "Do not worry. Shiva's fire burns
only that which is impure and corrupt.";
She took the form
of a river and with her pure waters picked up the dreaded fire from Shiva Badavagni -
the beast of doom.
"So long as
the world is pure and man-wise, this terrible creature will remain on the
bottom of the sea. When wisdom is abandoned and man corrupts the world, Badavagni will
emerge and destroy the universe," foretold the wise goddess.