SARASWATI

Saraswati is the first river who was granted status as a Vedic Goddess. And in the transition from river to Goddess, we can trace the journey of the Aryans.

Originally, from Central Asia, the Aryans were fire worshippers. Their tribes flooded into India around 1,500 BC and they settled along the banks of the Saraswati.

The Saraswati, flowed from the Himalayas and into the Indian Ocean. and she weaned the Aryans from their nomadic living to farming. Her fertile presence conferred them with rich harvests and prosperity.

Their sages and poets meditated along the banks of the Saraswati, and their muse became a goddess.

The first river Goddess implied the permanence of the Aryan presence in India. The Aryans believed she sanctified the land. (Later like the Saraswati, the Goddesses Parvati and Lakshmi would also appear as the rivers Ganga and Yamuna.)

Slowly, her significance as a river goddess faded, (she had inspired Vedic hymns) and she became associated with poetry and music of the sages. The mother of all Vedic knowledge, she is also known as Vach, the Goddess of speech and learning.

Saraswati’s milky white appearance, reveals her sattvic (pure)nature. She is the wife of Brahma but their union is symbolic, she is the mother of artistic creation.

Saraswati is seen in places of learning, where the thirst for knowledge overrides other desires. In early summer, books, pens and gurus are worshipped during Saraswati Pooja.

Her white sari implies a pristine pursuit of learning. She has four arms, and she carries a lute (Veena), prayer beads, a palm leaf scroll and a lotus which collectively symbolise wisdom. She rides a swan, showing that she has overcome pride and passion and aspires to reach beyond the natural world.

From a pure physical presence, as a river, Saraswati reinvented herself with each evolution in Hinduism. While the river may have disappeared Saraswati continues as a Goddess who inspires and kindles the sparks of wisdom.