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Hindu Goddess Saraswati the
Goddess of Wisdom
Saraswati
the goddess of knowledge, who is praised by the wise, who is the wife of
the creator, may she reside on the tip of my tongue.
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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.
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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, Rajistan 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.
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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.
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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 was 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 raginis.
“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.
Please click here to view all of Lotus Sculpture's Statues of Saraswati |
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 wanted to conquer the three worlds ended up going to
sleep forever.
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Please click here to view all of Lotus Sculpture's Statues of Saraswati |
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
Saraswati. “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 third eye attempting to destroy the three worlds.. Out
came a terrible fire that threatened all existence.
There
was panic everywhere. Only
Saraswati remained calm. “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’s third eye. Within the folds of her water she carried
the fire far away from the earth to the bottom of the sea where it
transformed into a fire breathing mare called 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.
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