Goddess Sarasvahti In our SampradhAyam : part 1

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

In response to Sri Mani Varadarajan's question

on the legitimacy of Sarasvathi PoojA , I will

assemble a few facts from IthihAsa , PuRaNAs ,

Tantra Sasthram , AchArya SthOthrams and

Sthala purAnams . Sarasvathi has a central place in

all of these source granthams and Sarasvathi PujA is

an important one in many families .There are many layers

of meaning for Sarasvathi beyond the conception and

celebration of Her as the Goddess of Knowledge .

The Vedic Symbolism of Her is ancient and She is

one of the three types of speeches there .Sarasvathi

manthram is one of the Pancha PraNavams ( AIM pronounced

as AYM ) . Saarsavatha PrayOgam is eloquent speech blessed

by Sarasvathi Devi .Sarasvathi also means flowing

water ( Knowledge) .The DhAthu "Rayi" forming the word

Sarasvathi means , "Water" or "Wealth" .

 

1. Sarasvathi Devi is the consort of BrahmA

at the post-vEdic , PurANic level . The Lord of Creation

and son of PadmanAbhA is wedded to Knowledge

(Sarasvathi ) .Many of the stories referred to

in BrahmaNAs and PurANAs regarding the creation

and the origin of mankind center around the figure

of Chathurmukhan , the HiraNya Garbham ( the golden

embryo ) Brahmaa and His consort (Sarasvathi) ,

their progeney PrajApathis , Maanasa puthrAs

like NaaradhA , Sanath KumArA et al , SvAayambhuva

Manu ( one of the great law givers) , MatsyAvathAram ,

et al .If BrahmA is the source of Knowledge (VedAs)

as a result of Sri HayagrIva BhagavAn's blessings

and initiation , then Sarasvahti is considered

as manifestation of that Knowledge itself .She

represents the union of power and intelligence

from which organized creation arises .

 

2. She is worshipped as BrahmaNi in SandhYavandhanam .

She is involed here as SandhyAdhi Devathai .

In each of the SandhyAs , Sarasvathi is invoked

at different directions to receive our salutations:

 

Morning: Sarasvathyai Nama: ( North )

Noon : Sarsavathyai nama: ( West )

Evening : Sarasvathyai Nama: ( South )

The prefix of PraNavam goes before the vandhanams.

 

3. Sarasvathi is revered as Vaak in Rg Vedam

and its AraNyakam ( AitrEya AraNyakam ):

Hence Vaak (Divine Speech)is everything ( A.A :3.1.6)

In Atharva Vedam , she appears as KamadhEnu

because of Her role in giving divine speech ,

" the Triple Hymn "( Gayathri ), the Vedic

meter of 24 syllables that houses the most

sacred Gayathri Manthram , which we are reciting

today 1008 times .This hymn to sandhyAs and Adityan

is called Gayathri at dawn , Savithri at midday

and Sarasvathi at Sunset .

 

4. Vardha Tantram (574) explains the significance of Her

manthram : Aimm( Iymm ) .This bhIjAksharam "AI"

represents Sarasvathi . The nasalization (imm) means

the removing of pain from avidhyA . The purpose of

doing the Japam of this Pancha PraNavam is for

the acquiring of knowledge and wisdom , mastery

over words and the power of speech .

 

5.There will be no RaamAyaNam without Sarasvathi .

BrahmA says in Baala KhAndham to Sage VaalmIki :

 

slOka yEvAsthvayam baddhO naathra kaarya vichAraNA

macchandhAdhEva tE Brahman PRAVRUTTHEYAM SARASVATHI

( Srimadh RaamAyaNam : Bala KhANDam-canto2 .31)

 

(Meaning) : Let the metrical commposition be conducive

to your glory alone.You need not brood over this

anymore. Through My will alone , has this speech

( sarasvathi) flowed from your lips .

 

Here the reference is to the SlOkam , Maa nishAdha--",

which spontaneously flowed from Sage Valmiki's lips,

when he saw the painful death of one of the Krouncha

Pakshi dampathis by a unfeeling hunter near his tapOvanam .

 

7. There will be no YathOkthakAri PerumAL ,

VeghA Sethu SthOthram or Kanchi VaradarAjan

incarnating as the palan of BrahMA's Yajnam

withourt Sarasvathi .

 

She is the personification of the Vegavathi river ,

who flowed in fury over Her husband's insult and

the Lord incarnated as the Sethu ( aNai or Dam ) to stop

His daughter intent on destroying the Yajnam

at Hasthigiri done by His son .First came

ThiruvehhA EmperumAn ( YathOkthakaari) and

next came Kaanchi VaradarAjan . Swami Sri Desikan

salutes this Lord in VegA sethu sthuthi :

 

yEkam Vegavathi madhyE Hasthi sailE cha dhrusyathE

upAya pala bhAvEna svayam vyakatham param na: ( Slokam 1)

 

Next Swami says , here stopped the flow of Sarasvathi:

 

" yathra Saarasvatham srOthO visrAmayathi visrungalam ".

 

That is why at this divya desam , Sarasvathi stands

with anjali at the foot of the reclining Lord offering

Kaimkaryam to Her father in law to overcome the apachAram .

 

Without additional quotations from the sources ,

let me say that Sarasvathi Pooja is an important

tradition . Lord HayagrIvan's small portion of sakthi

( sakthi lEsam ) provides the power for Vaak dEvi ,

DakshiNA mUrthy and Sage VyAsA :

 

---dEvI SarojAsana dharmapathnI

---spuranthi sarvE tava sakthi lEsai:

.......Sri HayagrIva SthOthram : SlOkam 7

 

It is in this context, we have to understand

Sri Anand's remarks .That will reconcile

Swami Ranga PriyAs' observation about the sacredness

and the importance of Sarasvathi in our Vaidhika

SampradhAyam .

 

8. The Vedic Connotations of Sarasvathi are

profound . AdiyEn will cover it in the next posting

to be completed after a business trip tomorrow for

two or three days .

 

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan

Bhaudhanya Samvathsaram , Kataka Maasam , Gayathri Japam day .