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 the 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 worshipped by all persons
interested in knowledge, especially students, teachers, scholars, and
scientists.
In Her popular images and pictures, Goddess Saraswati is generally
depicted with four arms (some pictures may show only two arms), wearing
a white sari and seated on a white lotus. She holds a book and a rosary
in Her rear two hands, while the front two hands are engaged in the
playing of 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 gazing at Her. This symbolism illustrates the following
spiritual ideas:
* The lotus is a symbol of the Supreme Reality, and a white lotus also
denotes supreme knowledge. By sitting on a lotus, Saraswati signifies
that She is Herself rooted in the Supreme Reality, and symbolizes
supreme knowledge. The white color symbolizes purity and knowledge. The
white sari that the Goddess is wearing denotes that She is the
embodiment of pure knowledge.
* The four amms denote Her omnipresence and omnipotence. The two front
amms indicate Her activity in the physical world and the two back arms
signify Her 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 front
left hand, the conditioned consciousness (chitta) by the rear left hand,
and the ego (ahankara) by the rear right hand.
* The left side of the body symbolizes the qualities of the heart and
the right side symbolizes activities of the mind and intellect. A book
in the rear left hand signifies that knowledge acquired must be used
with love and kindness to promote prosperity of mankind. The rosary
signifies concentration, meditation, and contemplation, leading to
samadhi, or union with God. A rosary in the rear right hand representing
ego conveys that true knowledge acquired with love and devotion melts
the ego and results in liberation (moksha) of the seeker from the
bondage to the physical world.
* The Goddess is shown playing a musical instrument that is held in Her
front hands, which denote mind and intellect. This symbol conveys that
the seeker must tune his mind and intellect in order to live in perfect
harmony with the world. Such harmonious living enables the individual to
utilize acquired knowledge for the welfare of all mankind.
* Two swans are depicted on the left side of the Goddess. A swan is said
to have a sensitive beak that enables it to distinguish pure milk from a
mixture of milk and water. A swan, therefore, symbolizes the power of
discrimination, or the ability to discriminate between right and wrong
or good and bad. Saraswati uses the swan as Her carrier. This indicates
that one must acquire and apply knowledge with discrimination for the
good of mankind. Knowledge that is dominated by ego can destroy the
world.
* A peacock is sitting next to Saraswati and is anxiously waiting to
serve as Her vehicle. A peacock depicts unpredictable behavior as its
moods can be influenced by the changes in the weather. Saraswati is
using a swan as a vehicle and not the peacock. This signifies that one
should overcome fear, indecision, and fickleness in order to acquire
true knowledge.