The Goddess Saraswati is the totem of the Indus Valley Civilization, the Vedic birthplace of the Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism). In this article, we explore its philosophical significance.
Introduction
I wrote this on the occasion of Saraswati Puja, also known as Vasant Panchami, the fifth day in the month of Magha in the Indic lunar calendar. Vasant means spring, Panchami, the fifth day, and Puja means thanksgiving or prayer. Saraswati, which literally means “gushing water”, is the name of a now-extinct river in North India. Like Sechseläuten in Switzerland, Marzanna in Poland, or Songkran in Thailand, Vasant Panchami is a festival to mark the beginning of Spring. In this article, we will explore the unique character of this festival – it is perhaps one of the few festivals today that showcase Vedic culture and philosophy.
इ॒यं शुष्मे॑भिर्बिस॒खा इ॑वारुज॒त्सानु॑ गिरी॒णां त॑वि॒षेभि॑रू॒र्मिभि॑: । पा॒रा॒व॒त॒घ्नीमव॑से सुवृ॒क्तिभि॒: सर॑स्वती॒मा वि॑वासेम धी॒तिभि॑: ॥
इयं शुष्मेभिर्बिसखा इवारुजत्सानु गिरीणां तविषेभिरूर्मिभिः । पारावतघ्नीमवसे सुवृक्तिभिः सरस्वतीमा विवासेम धीतिभिः ॥
Sarasvatī the underminer of boundaries, erodes the mountain peaks, like the roots of the lotus dig the earth with impetuous and mighty waves, to bring us success and good health. For this, we love her, and praise her with our sacred rites
Riveda 6.61.2
प्र क्षोद॑सा॒ धाय॑सा सस्र ए॒षा सर॑स्वती ध॒रुण॒माय॑सी॒ पूः । प्र॒बाब॑धाना र॒थ्ये॑व याति॒ विश्वा॑ अ॒पो म॑हि॒ना सिन्धु॑र॒न्याः ॥
प्र क्षोदसा धायसा सस्र एषा सरस्वती धरुणमायसी पूः । प्रबाबधाना रथ्येव याति विश्वा अपो महिना सिन्धुरन्याः ॥
This Sarasvatī, firm as a city made of metal, flows rapidly with all her life-giving water, sweeping away in its might all other waters as a charioteer (clears the road).
Rigveda 7.95.1
Among adherents of Sanatana (Vedic) Dharma, Jains, and some Buddhists, the puja (ritual worship) of Goddess Saraswati continues to be part of the festivities. Drikpanchang.com provides an excellent summary of the specifics of one version of the ritual, including a description of the various offerings (flowers, water, and incense) and the accompanying Sanskrit mantras. These rituals are bearers of tradition and they help us form a cultural memory. In this respect, they are important. However, it is equally true that rituals cannot replace the underlying meaning of a tradition. Today, some of us have forgotten the true significance of Saraswati. Let us take a trip back in history to understand this.
The present inhabitants of Bharatvarsha are the proud descendants of a great civilization on the banks of the river Saraswati and along its tributaries. The river was at its peak more than ten millennia ago, eight millennia before Plato’s Republic (one millennium = 1000 years). More extensive than the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers today, the voluptuous Saraswati flowed down from the great melting glaciers of the Himalayas, through today’s Indian states Punjab and Rajasthan. Great cities like Harappa, Rakhigarhi, and Mohenjodaro were part of the ecosystem created by this river. When spring arrived, the melting glaciers gushed into the river bed, accompanied by flower blossoms and new life in the river delta. Due to climate change at the end of the last ice age, the Saraswati eventually started dwindling under the Rann of Kutch and eventually disappeared around 5,000 years ago.
The symbolism of Saraswati
The legacy of Saraswati remains with us. To this day, we benefit from the most magnificent literary and philosophical works known to mankind, created in its protection – the Vedās, their better half – the Upanishads, and their most distinguished children – the Ramayana of Valmiki, the Mahabharata of Vyas, and the Shrimad Bhagwad Gita. These works, particularly the oldest of them, the Rigveda, mention the Saraswati in gratitude and reverence and describe its route, tributaries, and biosphere, matching current scientific estimates based on archeological, geological, and paleontological evidence (Tripathy; Chatterjee)
Why is Saraswati depicted as a woman? The feminine mother, the womb, was associated with the creation of life by Vedic philosophers. Water is essential to creating life and personified Saraswati is the symbolic mother of Vedic civilization and life itself. Saraswati is also known as Maha-Māyā (the most excellent Māyā). To understand Saraswati, we must understand Māyā, a foundational concept in Vedic philosophy. Māyā is the projection of ultimate reality (brahman) onto our perceived reality. It is like a user interface that helps us navigate nature (Prakriti). Māyā of the Universe is like the VR headset in the metaverse. Māyā drives all-natural phenomena through the physical law of Carma – cause/effect or action/reaction. Thus, the life-giving river Saraswati symbolizes nature and the causal phenomena that sustain life.
The legacy of Saraswati remains with us. To this day, we benefit from the most magnificent literary and philosophical works known to mankind, created in its protection – the Vedās, their better half – the Upanishads, and their most distinguished children – the Ramayana of Valmiki, the Mahabharata of Vyas, and the Shrimad Bhagwad Gita. These works, particularly the oldest of them, the Rigveda, mention the Saraswati in gratitude and reverence and describe its route, tributaries, and biosphere, matching current scientific estimates based on archeological, geological, and paleontological evidence (Tripathy; Chatterjee)
Why does Saraswati hold a Pustaka (book), an mālā (rosary), and a vīnā (musical instrument) in her hands? This has great symbolic significance too.
The Pustaka represents Vedic literature – covering philosophy and lower knowledge of matter and energy. Protected by this river, the sages invented the zero, the decimal system, a system of weights and measures, planned cities, and advanced agriculture.
Saraswati’s vīnā represents melody and play, music, and rhythmic oral transmission of Vedic knowledge.
And finally, Saraswati’s rosary represents the importance of Yoga and meditation.
Saraswati symbolizes the dance between science/technology and the higher knowledge of consciousness, which is captured in my favorite verse of the Isha Upanishad (इश उपनिषद), verse 11
विद्यां चाविद्यां च यस्तद्वेदोभयं सह ।
अविद्यया मृत्युं तीर्त्वा विद्ययामृतमश्नुते।।
He who knows both knowledge and action (māyā),
With action, cheats death,
And with knowledge, reaches immortality.
So influential was this culture, this symbolism, this technology, and this literature, that the deification of Saraswati spread far and wide in ancient times – as Benzaiten in Japan, Thurathadi (or Thayéthadi) in Myanmar, Watugunung in Indonesia, in China as Biàncáitiān (辯才天), meaning “Eloquent Devī,” as well as Miàoyīntiān (妙音天), meaning “Devī of Wonderful Sounds,” and in Thailand, as สุรัสวดี or Suratsawadi. Benzaiten personifies wisdom and is often depicted holding a traditional Japanese lute called biwa. In China, Biàncáitiān is sometimes portrayed as sitting down and playing a pipa, a Chinese lute-like instrument. In Buddhist Myanmar, students pray for her blessings before their exams, and she is believed to be the protector of Buddhist scriptures.
After realizing the true nature of this festival, I now continue the tradition with a more refined appreciation!
Citations
Chatterjee, A., Ray, J.S., Shukla, A.D. et al. On the existence of a perennial river in the Harappan heartland. Sci Rep 9, 17221 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-53489-4
Tripathi, Jayant K., et al. “Is River Ghaggar, Saraswati? Geochemical Constraints.” Current Science, vol. 87, no. 8, 2004, pp. 1141–45. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24108988. Accessed 30 May 2022.
Sarton, George. “A Hindu Decimal Ruler of the Third Millennium.” Isis, vol. 25, no. 2, 1936, pp. 323–26. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/225371. Accessed 30 May 2022.
Danino, M. “The Riddle of the Sarasvati River.” IIT Gandhinagar, 29 May 2012, https://asc.iitgn.ac.in/assets/publications/research_papers/The_Riddle_of_the_Sarasvati_River_M_Danino_2015-16.pdf. Accessed 30 May 2022.
“Mahabharata, Āraṇyaka-parva, Ch: 83.” Wisdom Library, 17 September 2021, https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/mahabharata-sanskrit.
Valmiki. “Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, Chapter 71.” https://www.valmikiramayan.net/.
Wilson, HH. “Rig Veda.” 2021, https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/rig-veda-english-translation.
Sankaran, A. V. “Saraswati – The ancient river lost in the desert.” Journal of Indian Water Works Association, vol. 32, 2000.
© 2022, Chinmay Nagarkar, All Rights Reserved
