Knowledge and learning: Saraswati’s Boons!

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Goddess of language, culture, music, art, intellect, knowledge, Saraswati has been worshipped from ancient times for her boons. Students have been praying to her for success in exams. The calm, beautiful, kind Saraswati, all clad in white, plays the Veena, a string instrument, with two of her hands, holds the sacred scriptures in the third hand, a lotus in her fourth hand, and rides a white swan with a peacock hovering nearby. She also sits on a lotus, symbolizing knowledge. It is she who gave the empty world a life, a spirit, art and education and knowledge. More than that, she gave them the gift of speech.

A painting of Goddess Saraswati by Raja Ravi Varma at the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum, Lakshmi Vilas Palace, Vadodara, Gujarat. Public Domain.

Having been born on the fifth day of the month of Magshirsh, she is also the harbinger of new life, crops, continuity and renewal and hope. It is to respect this tremendous personality that people have been donning yellow colored clothes, cooking and eating yellow colored food, worshipping the image representing her and chanting the mantras in Sanskrit language which she created, according to ancient scriptures.

So many life-giving and life-changing, sustaining, lasting, thoughtful and meaningful gifts could only come from a goddess. Not taking the front seat, not granting thoughtless boons, she has kept in the background, remembered perhaps only once a year, but guiding the world as we know it to a more complete and fulfilling life, a life of arts and culture and knowledge. And so gently and gracefully. And single-handedly.

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Ancient Greek culture, bearing close resemblance to Indian concept of gods among human beings, features similar boons but the givers are goddesses, all, just like Saraswati. The nine Muses changed the world to a world of arts and creativity, inspired poets, artists, writers, creators and scientists. Athena brought intelligence to the world, the Muses brought knowledge. Proserpina brought renewal and promise of life. Saraswati has been doing all that on her own. All the more reason to salute her and invoke her for more gifts.

Many a writers have written poems invoking their muse and many with the writer’s block, have been helped by their Muse. As did the famous Sanskrit poet and playwright Kalidasa, of the Meghdutam and Abhignan Shakuntalam fame. It is said that Kalidasa was taunted by his witty and learned wife many times for his lack of creativity and knowledge. In despair, he went to drown himself in the river Saraswati, another form of the goddess, when he saw her emerge out of the river. She did not stop him. Instead, she told him to take a long dip into the river, the river of knowledge and learning and creativity. That dip must have lasted years before Kalidasa emerged, a changed man, a creative writer who has given the world a wealth of classic literature. It was upon reading his Abhignan Shakuntalam that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, overcome with pure joy at the beauty and creativity of the poetry, is said to have placed the book on his head and danced in joy.

Kalidasa could achieve it, He had the potential. Saraswati led Kalidasa to make an effort to educate himself and acquire knowledge and proficiency in Sanskrit language. His wife was more learned than him and her, a woman’s, contribution to presenting the world with one of the greatest writers of all times, cannot be overlooked. It took a woman to see the potential in a man, after all. And it took a woman god to shape this potential into creativity.

There have been many stories in different scriptures and later writings about Saraswati’s birth. Most of the scriptures describe her as having risen out of the cosmic ocean. Water seems to be an important part of the scriptures, with many important happenings built around it. Perhaps the writers of the scriptures and Vedas knew that life on earth began in the waters!

It is Saraswati who kindled the soul of humans, gave them words, knowledge, education, art and culture. Not just that, she appeared on the fifth day of the month of Magshirsha bringing the Spring season and fertility with her. She did and does all this even today, smiling, representing the purity of knowledge. Perhaps also bringing in her trail Immanuel Kant’s theory of aesthetics in his Critique of Judgment where he equates moral goodness with beauty.

Then what about Love on this Vasant Panchami day? Literature has it that Parvati had done a lot of penance to be close to Shiva again. But Shiva had closed his eyes in meditation and did not even look at Parvati’s various efforts to attract him. Tired, she went to Kamdev, God of Love, who knew he was going to be in trouble with Shiva for waking him and his desires. But he obliged. Shiva woke but also burned down Kamdev with his Third Eye.

Later, at the request of Kamdev’s wife Rati, Shiva brought Kamdev back to life, not in body but as a feeling, to exist in the minds of people. Once again, it was Rati, a woman, who did a penance to bring Love to life again. Rati or physical pleasure has to be overcome to feel the presence of love, the scriptures teach. The fifth day of Magshirsh or Vasant Panchami is the day when Kamdev or Love came to dwell in our minds.

May Saraswati bring clarity and knowledge on this Vasant Panchami!