Saraswati puja and V(B)asant Panchami

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Putija

@PutijaChalhov

Stunner

+ 9

Posted: 14 years ago

😃HAPPY (B)VASANT PANCHAMI TO ALL CBIANS AND IF MEMBERS

THE FESTIVAL OF SPRING AND LEARNING

Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and arts, represents the free flow of wisdom and consciousness. She is the mother of the Vedas, and chants to her, called the 'Saraswati Vandana' often begin and end Vedic lessons.

Saraswati is the daughter of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga. It is believed that 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. Saraswati is also a prominent figure in Buddhist iconography - the consort of Manjushri.

The learned and the erudite attach greater importance to the worship of goddess Saraswati. As a practice, only educated people worship her for knowledge and wisdom. They believe that only Saraswati can grant them 'moksha' - the final liberation of the soul.

Saraswati's birthday - Vasant Panchami - is a Hindu festival celebrated every year on the 5th day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Magha. Hindus celebrate this festival with great fervor in temples, homes and educational institutes alike.

The following popular 'pranam mantra' or Sanskrit prayer, Saraswati devotees utter with utmost devotion eulogizes the goddess of knowledge and arts:

Om Saraswati Mahabhagey, Vidye Kamala Lochaney |
Viswarupey Vishalakshmi, Vidyam Dehi Namohastutey ||
Jaya Jaya Devi, Charachara Sharey, Kuchayuga Shobhita, Mukta Haarey |
Vina Ranjita, Pustaka Hastey, Bhagavati Bharati Devi Namohastutey ||

The beautiful human form of Saraswati comes to the fore in this English translation of the 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."

Vasant Panchami is a festival that worships Goddess Saraswati as well as it signifies the beginning of Vasant Ritu (spring season).

Magh Sud 5 (5th day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Magh ? falls usually in the month of January or February) is the day of Vasant Panchami and is also celebrated as Shree Panchami or Saraswati Puja in West Bengal and few other parts of Orissa.

On this day Goddess Saraswati is worshipped in various names and fames - the Goddess of Learning, the deity of Gayatri, the fountain of fine arts and science, and the symbol of supreme vedantic knowledge.

The image of Goddess Saraswati depicts her sitting on a vehicle that symbolizes her supreme power. The white swan of Saraswati symbolizes Satwa Guna (purity and discrimination), the lotus of Lakshmi the Rajas Guna and the tiger of Durga the Tamas Guna. Saraswati is shown possessing four hands and plays "Veena", an Indian string musical instrument.

Vasant Panchami or Saraswati Puja is celebrated with great enthusiasm and Hindu temples and households are full of activity on this day. This is also a special day for school children as they observe it with great reverence.

Basant Panchami has a specific meaning, Basant means Spring, whereas Panchami means the fifth day of the spring. It falls on Panchami - on the Waxing Moon. The festival lies in the month of January-February.
The young girls dressed in the diverse shades of yellow magnify the splendor of nature. Kite flying, a popular sport in India, is associated with the Basant Panchami day. It is a day for young crowd - no routine work, no studies, only merry making.

IN MATHURA THEY START CELEBRATING HOLI FROM VASANT PANCHAMI. SO DEV RADHIKA HAVE ALREADY STARTED CELEBRATING HOLI😃

Edited by chalhov - 14 years ago

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viprakshi

@viprakshi

Inactive

Posted: 14 years ago

thanks fr telling about vasant panchami.

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suwin

@suwin

Inactive

Posted: 14 years ago

Same to you Chalhov and thanks for the details.

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anusha34

@anusha34

Voyager

Posted: 14 years ago

thanks chalhov 4 us telling about vasant panchami. wish you the same.

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vineetha anil

@vinianil

Navigator

Posted: 14 years ago

Thanks Chalhov for the description of Vasant Panchami its very useful and wish u all the same...

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heena

@Smiley-786

Dazzler

+ 4

Posted: 14 years ago

Thanks yaar for the description wih you the same and to all CBians

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Tazzi

@Tazzi

Voyager

+ 2

Posted: 14 years ago

Thank you Chalhov.........

Happy Saraswati to all:)

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Just Shanta

@JustShanta

Voyager

Posted: 14 years ago

Hindus the world over will celebrate Saraswati Jayanti or Basant Panchami. This is a day dedicated by ancient Hindus for prayer, worship and reverence to the Goddess of Knowledge and wisdom in the Hindu pantheon of gods, known as Mataa Saraswati or Great Mother of Wisdom. Astrologically, the day marks the fifth lunar day in the bright half of the Hindu month of Maarg.

The main theological philosophy underlining the worship of Goddess Saraswati is the symbolism that recognises man's potential to ascend the pinnacle of excellence in all aspects of human development. She represents the goal of all noble aspirations and the achievement of the highest accomplishment.

According to the Devi Bhagwat Puraan or Sacred Scriptures, there are many fundamental necessities for success and perfection in life. These include amongst others discipline, dedication, discrimination and devotion. These attributes are very reflective in the depiction of the physical form of the Goddess Saraswati. Her seat on the Swan signifies our intellectual discriminative power to know right from wrong and our power of choice in many of life's situations. She is seen playing the Veena or musical instrument which relates to our ability to create harmony and pure divine vibrations in all aspects of human endeavuors. The scriptures clutched in her arms is a stark impression of the value Education plays in the holistic development of man. She revolves the Mala or symbol of spiritual discipline in her hand, a medium of focus of the mind and invocation of self discipline and constraints.

This is the anniversary of the appearance of Maataa Saraswati. Many people refer to it as the birthday of Maataa Saraswati, but there is no birth or death for the Devi. One who is born must die so, how can Maataa Saraswati be born? This is the day when Bhagwaan took a form to assist us in education. On this day Maataa Saraswati is worshipped by all students. It is a very auspicious day to start education as well.

Basant Panchmi or Saraswati Jayanti is celebrated throughout Trinidad and Tobago.in temples, homes and Hindu schools

Saraswati Puja is done, and then musical instruments, books and writing instruments are blessed. Sometimes a musical concert is organized in the night

Saraswati Jayanti greetings to all

yaa kundendu tushhaar haara dhavalaa yaa shubhravastraavR^itaa .
yaa viiNaavarada.nDa ma.nDitakaraa yaa shvetapadmaasanaa .
yaa brahmaachyutasha.nkaraprabhrutibhirdevai sadaa va.nditaa .
saa maaM paatu sarasvatii bhagavatii niHsheshha jaaDyaa pahaa ..

Fair as a jasmine flower, the moon or a flake of snow,
Dressed in white, her hands adorned by the graceful veena staff,
Adorned by Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and the other deities,
Protect me, Oh Goddess Saraswati, remover of ignorance inert.

Edited by JustShanta - 14 years ago

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Devika.

@Devika.

Dazzler

+ 2

Posted: 14 years ago

thanks Chalhov, and auntie Shanta for sharing it with full details.

We just celebrated this festivel in last saturday at Temple, with my daughter got a chance to perform on basanth nrithy, in front of Goddess Saraswathi mandir. A blessed occation arrranged by her dance teacher who is from Bengal. as a south Indian i don't remember celebrating this festivel, but now living outside India giving me oppertunity to learn the rich culture of my motherland. Proud. to be an Indian

thanks

devika

Edited by Devika. - 14 years ago