30 Jan 2020 HYN Himalayan Yoga Academy
OM! Happy Vashanta Panchami, Day of Saraswati Puja, A Goddess of Knowledge.
“AUM HREEM AIM HREEM SARASWATAI NAMAH”
Today is the day of Goddess Saraswati, a Goddess of Knowledge and Arts. Saraswati means “the essence of self”. Saraswati is the goddess of Knowledge, wisdom. Music, arts, aesthetics, shatarupa (Existence), Mother of Vedanta, and speech.
Some symbols of Goddess Saraswati
• Radiant White, Goddess mirrors the ‘True Nature or Absolute Truth”.
• Yellow dress up symbolizes the colorful season, and the white dress up for purity in knowledge.
• Vehicle (Bahana) of Saraswati is Hamsa ( Swan), which has been known as the separation of Milk and water, which means the recognition of good and evil.
• Veena, a musical instrument, represents all the forms of arts, music, dance, drawings, paintings, and other arts and crafts.
• Rosary, a string of beads or crystals symbolizes the spiritual awakening and transformation through Dhyana (Meditation) or Yoga Samdhi that tends to Supreme unseen Power, the cosmic power.
• Tamtapatra addresses the source of knowledge called Vedas and other spiritual science and philosophy that arise from the root.
• Seasonal fruits are specially offered to Guru, a source of lightness in darkness.
• Color powder and flowers are especially for offering to Deity or Gurus as worship.
• Chanting the special Mantras and Stotras are for opening the psychic centers for awakening the kundalini power, a feminine energy for spiritual growth.
Stotram (Mantra)
“Yaa Kundendu Tushaara haaradhavalaa, Yaa Shubhravastraavritaa;
Yaa Veenavara dandamanditakara, yaa shwetaa padmaasana !
Yaa brahmaachyuta shankara, prabhritibhir Devaisadaaa vanditaa;
Saa Maam Paatu saraswatee Bhagavatee Nihshesha Jaadyaapahaa !!
Mantra Meaning
Goddess Saraswati, who is fair like Jasmine and dew drops, dressed in white, holding the majestic Veena instrument in hands,s sitting on white lotus, to whom forever worshiped by Brahma (The Generator), Vishnu (The Operator) and Maheshwora ( The Destroyer) and other Gods as well. O Divine Mother, the Goddess blesses us and gives us the lightness and power from our ignorance and darkness.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
In Nepal
Shree Panchami is also known as Basanta Panchami. This festival usually falls between the last week of January and to first week of February. It is celebrated as the birthday of the Hindu Goddess Saraswoti. Goddess Saraswati is the Goddess of education, knowledge, and wisdom. This day is particularly more important to students as it is believed that worshipping Saraswati on this day will receive the blessings from her and it will increase their intelligence and horizon of wisdom. In Nepal, this day is very important for students of all levels. Normally, all the educational institute have a Saraswati-puja function on this day. All the teachers and students do the Saraswati puja in the school.
On this day, Hindu devotees visit Saraswati temples and do their prayers by writing a few words on the walls of temples with chalk. They will also worship their books, notebook and pens on this day. They will also swallow 7 rice grains after the puja without touching it to the teeth while swallowing those rice grains. It is believed that this way of prayer will make Saraswati happy. The popular temples where huge crowds gather for prayers in Kathmandu are Saraswati Temple in Swyambhunath and the Saraswati Temple in Tribhuvan University. The Saraswati Temple of Tribhuvan University is only open for Saraswati Puja day for the visitors. On another day, the temple remained closed to visitors. Nepalese parents use this day to start feeding rice to their newly born or start teaching their kids to write.
Legend about Saraswati Goddess
Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of learning and speech (Vak). She represents the union of power and intelligence from which organized creation arises. Saraswati possesses all the learnings of the Vedas, scriptures, dances, musical power, and poetry. She revealed language and writing to man. Her origin is traced to the lost Vedic river Saraswati. This is the source of her profound connection to fluidity in every aspect. She embodies wisdom, fortune, intelligence, nourishment, brilliance, contentment, splendor, and devotion.
Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom, art, and music, is the daughter of lord Shiva and Goddess Durga. It is believed that the goddess Saraswati endows human beings with the powers of speech, wisdom, and learning. She has four hands representing four aspects of human personality in learning: mind, intellect, alertness, and ego. She has sacred scriptures in one hand and a lotus – the symbol of true knowledge – in the second. With her other two hands, she plays the music of love and life on a string instrument called the Veena. She is dressed in white – the symbol of purity – and rides on a white swan – symbolizing Sattwa Guna or purity and discrimination.
Yogacharya Swami Yog Subodh – School of Wisdom – Himalayan Yoga Academy