Guest guest Posted September 13, 2005 Report Share Posted September 13, 2005 Goddesses One of the most striking characteristics of the ancient and multi-faceted Hindu tradition is the importance of goddess worship. No other living religious tradition displays such an ancient, continuous, and diverse history of goddess worship. Saraswati - The Goddess of Speech Saraswati means "the essence of one's own self." Saraswati denotes that aspect of the Supreme reality which represents knowledge, learning, and wisdom. In Hindu mythology Saraswati is the divine spouse of Brahma, the god of creation. Goddess Saraswati is the embodiment of the mighty Saraswati River of the Vedas. Saraswati means "the essence of one's own self." The Sanskrit word 'sara' means essence and 'swa' means 'self'. She is the earliest goddess who is associated with a river in the Indian tradition. She is the divine spouse of Lord Brahma, the creator. Since knowledge is necessary for creation, Saraswati symbolizes the creative power of Lord Brahma. She is also praised for her ability both to cleanse and fertilize the earth, and has been equated with the goddess of learning, poetry, music, and culture. She is associated with speech- Vac: the goddess of riverlike, streaming speech. Saraswati - The goddess of learning Saraswati is typically shown seated on a lotus. Like the swan, the lotus seat of the goddess suggests her transcendence of the physical world. She floats above the muddy imperfections of the physical world, unsullied, pure, beautiful. Although rooted in the mud (like man rooted in the physical world), the lotus perfects itself in a blossom that has transcended the mud. She inspires people to live in such a way that they may transcend their physical limitations through the ongoing creation of culture. Goddess Saraswati is worshiped throughout India and on her special day in spring, Vasant Panchmi, she is worshipped by school children as the patron goddess of learning. The Benaras Hindu University was also founded on this day. Saraswati Vandana is a beautiful poem to art, culture and spirituality. It is a praise of learning and among those who approved the singing of Vande Mataram at the Nagpur Congress was Mahatma Gandhi Click to join Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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