Saraswati Day in Bali – August 1 2009
Saraswati is the Goddess of leaming, knowledge and wisdom. The Sanskrit word sara means “essence” and SWA means “self.” Thus Saraswati means “the essence of self.” Saraswati is represented in Hindu mythology as the divine consort of Lord Brahma, the Creator of the universe. Since knowledge is necessary for creation, Saraswati symbolizes the creative power of Brahma. Goddess Saraswati is worshiped by all people interested in knowledge, especially students, teachers, researchers and scientists.
In its popular images and pictures, Goddess Saraswati is usually depicted with four arms (some pictures are only two arms), wearing a white sari and seated on a white lotus. She has a book and a rosary in her rear two hands, while the front two hands are busy playing a lute (Veena). Her right leg is shown slightly pushing against her left leg. She uses a swan as her vehicle. There is a peacock by her side watching her. This symbolism indicates the following spiritual ideas:
The lotus is a symbol of the Supreme Reality, and a white lotus also represents the highest knowledge. When sitting on a lotus, Saraswati herself means that she is rooted in the Supreme Reality it symbolizes the highest knowledge. The white color symbolizes purity and knowledge. The white sari that the Goddess is said that she is the embodiment of pure knowledge.
The four arms indicate its omnipresence and omnipotence. The two front arms indicate its activities in the physical world and the two arms represents its presence in the spiritual world. The four hands represent the four elements of the inner personality. The mind (manas) is represented by the front right hand, the intellect (buddhi) by the left hand, the conditioned consciousness (chitta) by the rear left hand, and the ego (ahankara) from the rear right.
The left side of the body symbolizes the qualities of the heart and the right side symbolizes the activities of the mind and the intellect. A book in the rear left means that knowledge must be used with love and kindness to promote the prosperity of mankind.
The rosary is concentration, meditation and contemplation, leading to Samadhi or union with God. A rosary in the rear right representing ego conveys that true knowledge of love and devotion melts the ego and results in liberation (moksha) from the viewfinder of being tied to the physical world.
The Goddess is playing a musical instrument that is held in her hands, which denote mind and intellect. This symbol indicates that the viewfinder must be his spirit and intellect to live in perfect harmony with the world. Such harmonious living conditions to the individual to use the acquired knowledge for the welfare of all people.
Two swans are depicted on the left side of the Goddess. A swan is said to a sensitive beak with which they are pure milk from a mixture of milk and water. A swan thus symbolizes the power of discrimination, or the ability to distinguish between right and wrong or good and bad. Saraswati uses the swan as its carrier. This indicates that one must acquire and apply knowledge with discrimination for the welfare of mankind. Knowledge that is dominated by ego can destroy the world.
A peacock is next to Saraswati and anxiously waiting to serve as its vehicle. A peacock displays unpredictable behavior as its moods can be influenced by changes in the weather. Saraswati is using a swan as a vehicle and not the peacock. This means that we must overcome fear, indecision and volatility in order to acquire true knowledge. [baliblog]
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