The Birth of Goddess Saraswati
In the beginning, everything on this earth existed in a formless state and there was chaos everywhere. To maintain the disorder, Brahma, the creator of universe uttered ‘Devi’ from his mouth. Holding the sacred book in one hand and veena in the other, the Devi appeared from the creator’s mouth sitting on a swan as Goddess Saraswati. As she emerged, she said, ‘Knowledge helps man find possibilities where once he saw problems.’ With her instruction, Brahma gained the ability to think, sense, communicate, and comprehend. The creator, Brahma unearthed the mantras in the disrupt of chaos and in that sheer joy, he named her Saraswati. The melody of the mantras overshadowed the universe with prana. Soon, after her emergence, things began to take shape; the sun rose in the morning and sets in the evening, the moon magnified and diminished, seasons changed, tides flowed, animals reproduced, plants bloomed and gave way to the rhythm of life. Thus, Brahma is the creator of the universe and Saraswati is her wisdom.
Saraswati, Brahma’s first being into the world looked upon her with desire. Saraswati moved away from him saying, ‘All I proffer must be used to upraise the spirit and not indulge the senses.’ Unable to control his emotions, Brahma continued to stare the Goddess. He gifted himself four heads with an aim to admire Saraswati’s beauty from every direction. She tried to run away from the sights of Brahma. At first, she took the shape of a cow and Brahma became a bull. Later she turned into a mare; he followed her as a horse. Brahma chased her by turning into a male counterpart. Brahma tried with full efficiency, but failed to catch Saraswati by no means. Saraswati, with her myriad forms was named Shatarupa. She stands to epitomize material reality.
Description of Goddess Saraswati according to Image
Goddess Saraswati, dressed in pure white saree is depicted as a beautiful lady adorned with yellow skin.
- She is portrayed holding a veena in her hands and sitting on a white lotus.
- She holds a book which signifies universal knowledge as well as perfection of scriptures.
- The Lotus on which she sits portrays supreme reality.
- The white color with which the Goddess is adorned reflects purity.
- The swan represent discrimination between the eternal and the transitory, the good and the evil.
- The pearl string portrays the power of spirituality.
- Her four arms signify the four aspects of human personality; intellect, vigilance, mind, and ego.
- The peacock standing by her side suggests pride over its beauty.
The Goddess teaches mankind to become knowledgeable with regard to the eternal truth.
