Goddess Saraswati, goddess of knowledge and the arts, embodies the wisdom of Devi

Goddess Saraswati, goddess of knowledge and the arts, embodies the wisdom of Devi. She is the river of consciousness that enlivens creation; she is the dawn-goddess whose rays dispel the darkness of ignorance. Without her there is only chaos and confusion. To realize her one must go beyond the pleasures of the senses and rejoice in the serenity of the spirit.

Maa Saraswati wears neither jewels or paints herself with bright colors. The white sari she adorns reflects her essential purity, her rejection of all that is base and materialistic.

She transcends the cravings of the flesh and rejoices in the powers of the mind as the patron of pure wisdom. She embodies all that is pure and sublime in Nature.

The four Vedas, books of universal knowledge, were her offspring. Her mount, the swan, personifies pure knowledge and her herald, the peacock, is a symbol of the arts.

Schools and libraries are her temples; books, pens, all tools of the artist and musical instruments are the items used in puja to the enlightening goddess of wisdom.

The Gandharvas were demigods who sprang from the fragrance of flowers. Once they stole the Soma plant whose inebriating and invigorating sap was much sought after by the devas. The theft of the Soma infuriated all the gods.

Maa Saraswati promised to recover the soma plant. She went to the garden of the gandharvas and with her veena created enchanting tunes: the ragas and the raginis.

"Give us this music," begged the gandharvas.

"Only if you give back the Soma plant to the devas," said the goddess.

The gandharvas returned the Soma plant and learned how to play music from Saraswati. In time they became celestial musicians whose melodies had more power to rouse the mind than any intoxicant.
The beautiful human form of Maa Saraswati comes to the fore in this Saraswati hymn:

"May Goddess Saraswati, who is fair like the jasmine-colored moon, and whose pure white garland is like frosty dew drops, who is adorned in radiant white attire, on whose beautiful arm rests the veena, and whose throne is a white lotus,who is surrounded and respected by the Gods, protect me. May you fully remove my lethargy, sluggishness, and ignorance."

In Hindu tradition, great significance is attached to offering honey to goddess, as honey is representative of perfect knowledge. Hymns dedicated to her include Saraswati Vandana Mantra.! 🕉🌺🌼🍃🕉🌸🌀🍂🌷🌺🌻🕉🌿🌼🌸🍃🕉🌻🌺🌿🌀🍃🌼🌷🕉

Jai Maa Saraswati.! 🕉🌺🌼🍃🕉🌸🌀🍂🌷🌺🌻🕉🌿🌼🌸🍃🕉🌻🌺🌿🌀🍃🌼🌷🕉