Search for Saraswathi

Sri Saraswathi Devi is supposed to be the power of knowledge.

Every year, on Mahanavami on Navaratri, the south Indians Celebrate it as 'Ayudha Puja'. 

The Saraswathi devi is regarded as patron diety for all arts - irrespective of any field. Be it a driver's knowledge of driving a car, a computer scientist's knowledge of computers or a cobbler's knowledge of stitching the shoes. This knowledge and tools used for implementing this knowledge came to be called 'Ayudha' or weapons in today's world.

But who is this Saraswathi Devi - what are the sources of this diety?

Lets put down what we know of Saraswathi Devi.

1) Saraswathi is the name of the river which got dried up in West India long before - This river is said to have floured with civilization in its banks.

2) The Saraswathi river is said to flow underground. It flows and merges at the top only at Allahabad Triveni sangam on Kumbha Mela for a specific time.

3) Saraswathi is the diety of all knowledge.

4) Often the diety is portrayed as a female goddess with Veena ( as string instrument ) in her hand and sitting on a white lotus flower.

5) She is said to be white in colour, wearing a white saree, with a white peacock by her side and holding a japa mala and palm leaf or note books in her hand.

6) She is often said to be enshrined in Kashmir ( Kashmira pura vaasini ) - the valley of Kashmir that's just beneath the Himalayas and the Gangetic plains.

7) All the poets of India have prayed to her for having knowledge of all shastras and becoming a genius in their fields. ( Ex. Kambar, Ottakoththar, Kalidasa, etc.,)

8) Her presence is overlapping in many Theistic & Atheistic traditions of Hinduism. For example, we see her 'Avatars' as 'Tara' and other forms in Buddhism and as Saraswathi in Jainism.

I am jotting down some of the information I got of Saraswathi during my search for who this deity is.

1) The Yoga tradition has the chakra system with 3 primary naadis - the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna. They intersect at the eyebrow point and finally at the top crown of the head. This is shown below:

2) The Yoga traditions hold that India is the Yogic form of spirit of Earth. Buddha also visualized the same in his '5 dreams' on the day of his enlightenment.

3) The rivers are like the naadis or subtle veins of Earth and for India, the primary 3 naadis of Ida Pingala and Sushmna are formed by the 3 rivers of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathi.

4) Since Sushumna is subtle and underground - so, is Saraswathi - the river flows subterranian and comes out to join only at the nodal point or chakra.

5) Interestingly, the ida and pingala are black and yellow in colour - so are the two rivers, Yamuna and Ganga. The sushumna is said to be 'pure white' - and so is Saraswathi - the pure white river. This I believe is the reason for her being projected as White - the symbol of knowledge or Sushumna.

6) There is yet another symbolism for Saraswathi - her temple as projected as being in Kashmir can again be attributed to be that she lives in the crown of the head - the place for 'concious brain'.

7) There is one last symbolism that I was amazed. The Vedas say that one who knows to play the Sama Veda in Veena correctly - masters all the Vedas and gets true knowledge of the universe. 

The Veena's strings are said to correlate to the human body's nerves system and the proper application of each of the Raagas or the various frequencies are said to produce different effects on the flow of hormones inside the body.

In Naadi Shastra - there is a direct nadi between the end of the tongue and the heart called Saraswathi Naadi.  

My belief is that the proper incantation and prayer to the deity Saraswathi opens up this Saraswathi Naadi and cleanses the heart and brings out the true potential - That could be the reason for the genius of great people discussed above.

Thanks for reading through this.

I am open to positive comments - kindly avoid negative comments.

Thanks and regards,

Concerned Indian.