Benzaiten: The Japanese Saraswati

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Benzaiten: The Japanese Saraswati

By Achyut Railkar

The Organizer,

December 9, 2007

 

In 1832, there were 131 shrines dedicated to the Goddess Saraswati

and 100 to Lord Ganesha in Tokyo itself. A 12th century temple of

Ganesha in Asa Kusa suburb of Tokyo has been declared a national

treasure of Japan. [....] Hindu deities reached Japan through the

Mantrayana sect of Buddhism, which emphasises mantras and rituals.

Indian Saraswati reached Japan in 538 AD.

 

The Japanese Cultural Counsellor Shigeyuki Shimamuri desires to

encourage the study of Hindu deities Saraswati, Laxmi, Brahma and

Ganesha, under other names, which are among the many Indian deities

revered in Japan. [....]

 

Japan has three very famous temples of Benzaiten [saraswati] -

Chikubushima at Shinga, Itsukushima at Hiroshima and Enoshima at

Kanagava-and all are in the vicinity of water bodies. Chikubushima

temple is situated in the central location of Bivako Lake. It has

entry through the lake with rectangular-shaped Tori gate little

similar to the gates of 'Sanchi Stoop' of India. The sacred Tori gate

with pillars and beams erected in the crystal-clear lake water has

religious and mythological importance.

 

The power and virtues of Benzaiten, an inspirer of knowledge and

arts, are similar to that of Saraswati as found in Puranas. Saraswati

carries veena while Benzaiten has stringed musical instrument biba.

She is known in Japan by various descriptive names like that in

Sanskrit literature: Myoownten means goddess of sweet voice;

Daibenzaiten means goddess of talent; another form found in Japan is

the deity holding weapons in her eight arms like Saraswati as

Vritra-Hantri or slayer of demons in the Rig Veda. Many Japanese

generals prayed with chant " May Goddess protect us in the field of

war " . Sa-raswati is the goddess of the kitchen, since raswati is

related to rasoi in Hindi. Sketches of Saraswati, or Benzaiten in

Japanese, sanctify many kitchens in rural areas. [....] The Goddess's

favorite lakes abundant in lotus flowers are preserved everywhere.

Indian Saraswati sits on a peacock or a white goose but Benzaiten

sits on a snake. [....]

 

Benzaiten is one of the seven lucky deities (Shichi-fuku-jin) and

blesses every home. Couples desiring beautiful daughters pray to her.

She is also known as the patroness of writers, composers, musicians

and painters. [....]

 

http://www.organiser.org/

 

 

Benzaiten (Wikipedia)

 

Benzaiten is the Japanese name of the goddess Saraswati; there is a

mighty river in ancient India of this name. Worship of Benzaiten

arrived in Japan during the 6th through 8th centuries, mainly via the

Chinese translations of the Sutra of Golden Light, which has a

section devoted to her. She is also mentioned in the Lotus Sutra.

 

Her Sanskrit name is " Sarasvatî Devî " , which means " flowing water " ,

and so Benzaiten is the goddess of everything that flows: water,

words (and knowledge, by extension), speech, eloquence, and music.

The characters used initially to write her name, read " Biancaitian "

in Chinese and " Bensaiten " in Japanese, reflected her role as the

goddess of eloquence. Because the Sutra of Golden Light promised

protection of the state, in Japan she became a protector-deity, at

first of the state and then of people. Lastly, she became one of the

Seven Gods of Fortune, and the Sino-Japanese characters used to write

her name changed to (Benzaiten), which reflects her role in bestowing

monetary fortune. Sometimes she is called Benten, although this name

refers to the goddess Lakshmi.

 

In the Rig-Veda (6.61.7) Sarasvati is credited with killing the three-

headed Vritra, also known as Ahi ( " snake " ). This is probably one of

the sources of Sarasvati/Benzaiten's close association with snakes

and dragons in Japan. She is enshrined on the Island of Enoshima in

Sagami Bay, about 50 kilometers south of Tokyo, and numerous other

locations throughout Japan; and she and a five-headed dragon are the

central figures of the Enoshima Engi, a history of the shrines on

Enoshima written by the Japanese Buddhist monk Kokei in AD 1047.

According to Kokei, Benzaiten is the third daughter of the dragon-

king of Munetsuchi (literally " lake without heat " ), known in Sanskrit

as Anavatapta, the lake lying at the center of the world according to

an ancient Buddhist cosmological view.

 

Benzaiten has been syncretized with some Shinto goddesses.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzaiten