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Saraswati is the Goddess of leaming,
knowledge, and wisdom. The Sanskrit word sara means "essence" and swa
means "self." Thus Saraswati means "the essence of the self." Saraswati
is represented in Hindu mythology as the divine consort of Lord Brahma,
the Creator of the universe. Since knowledge is necessary for creation,
Saraswati symbolizes the creative power of Brahma. Goddess Saraswati is
worshipped by all persons interested in knowledge, especially students,
teachers, scholars, and scientists.
In Her popular images and pictures, Goddess Saraswati is generally
depicted with four arms (some pictures may show only two arms), wearing
a white sari and seated on a white lotus. She holds a book and a rosary
in Her rear two hands, while the front two hands are engaged in the
playing of a lute (veena). Her right leg is shown slightly pushing
against Her left leg. She uses a swan as Her vehicle. There is a peacock
by Her side gazing at Her. This symbolism illustrates the following
spiritual ideas:
The lotus is a symbol of the Supreme Reality, and a white
lotus also denotes supreme knowledge. By sitting on a lotus,
Saraswati signifies that She is Herself rooted in the Supreme
Reality, and symbolizes supreme knowledge. The white color
symbolizes purity and knowledge. The white sari that the Goddess
is wearing denotes that She is the embodiment of pure knowledge.
The four amms denote Her omnipresence and omnipotence. The
two front amms indicate Her activity in the physical world and
the two back arms signify Her presence in the spiritual world.
The four hands represent the four elements of the inner
personality. The mind (manas) is represented by the front right
hand, the intellect (buddhi) by the front left hand, the
conditioned consciousness (chitta) by the rear left hand, and
the ego (ahankara) by the rear right hand.
The left side of the body symbolizes the qualities of the
heart and the right side symbolizes activities of the mind and
intellect. A book in the rear left hand signifies that knowledge
acquired must be used with love and kindness to promote
prosperity of mankind.
The rosary signifies concentration, meditation, and
contemplation, leading to samadhi, or union with God. A rosary
in the rear right hand representing ego conveys that true
knowledge acquired with love and devotion melts the ego and
results in liberation (moksha) of the seeker from the bondage to
the physical world.
The Goddess is shown playing a musical instrument that is
held in Her front hands, which denote mind and intellect. This
symbol conveys that the seeker must tune his mind and intellect
in order to live in perfect harmony with the world. Such
harmonious living enables the individual to utilize acquired
knowledge for the welfare of all mankind.
Two swans are depicted on the left side of the Goddess. A
swan is said to have a sensitive beak that enables it to
distinguish pure milk from a mixture of milk and water. A swan,
therefore, symbolizes the power of discrimination, or the
ability to discriminate between right and wrong or good and bad.
Saraswati uses the swan as Her carrier. This indicates that one
must acquire and apply knowledge with discrimination for the
good of mankind. Knowledge that is dominated by ego can destroy
the world.
A peacock is sitting next to Saraswati and is anxiously
waiting to serve as Her vehicle. A peacock depicts unpredictable
behavior as its moods can be influenced by the changes in the
weather. Saraswati is using a swan as a vehicle and not the
peacock. This signifies that one should overcome fear,
indecision, and fickleness in order to acquire true knowledge.
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