Sanatana Dharma - Aka Hinduism (3rd Bin)

[Husky]

Pasting this article here because:



1. I didn't write it ("therefore it has a chance to be good").



2. it is on Hindus' mother - Sarasvati Amman - an appropriate 'subject' to contemplate, considering what time of year it is. Moreover, Ambaa can never be praised enough. (Note: I haven't read it entirely, so I don't know that I agree with everything. But it speaks well of Saraswati Amman, which can only be a good thing and which argues in its favour.)



3. it explains how Hindu classical music is deeply interwined with the Gods, inseparable from them/the Vedas. And why/how Hindus should never - but *never* - turn Hindoo classical music into "Indian" and "universal" nonsense. Because it's not.



4. it explains more about how DikShitar, the L-upasaka, did not merely know his Gods, but - being a Vedabrahmana - knew his Vedam and wrote karnatik kritis that were essentially equivalents of the Veda mantras, but in such a way that all Hindoos - even me! - can say these without worrying about not having deekSham, or being afraid of making errors etc. I.e. all Hindus can in this way easily sing equivalents of the Saamam to Amman, and even praise Amman with equivalents of the Riks, thanks to the likes of DikShitar (and the other Hindoo Karnatik composers, who were clearly experts on the Gods. E.g. Dasara PadalgaL like "Narayana Ninna").



And after all, the sarasijAsanadharmapatnI (to steal one of the terms Narasimha Bharati Swamigal's used to refer to his Saraswati Ambaa) is - like all the Hindu Ambaas and Gods - sangeetapriyaa, and is herself an embodiment of Sangeetam and of the very saptaswara-s of the Saamam and of the Hindoo instruments.



[And as Adi Shankara said in a stotram about Uma-Shyamalaa, the shivakAntA: "Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni." Maybe Shankara BP sang that bit out loud when he composed it <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> And as Mysore Vasudevacharya said about LakshmI, the viShnu-vallabhA "saptasvara vara/prada gAnanute". Or as is famously documented about Ayyappa: he is "saamaganapriya" and "keertanapriya". Etc etc.]

Sarasvati Kritis of Dikshitar

contributed by Aravind Krishna

[...]

An elementary throb occurs due to the self-will of the unmanifested absolute. It lingers as a series of vibrations creating 'nAda' resulting as the universe with names and forms. This primordial vibration 'Adya stamba' described as the very source of creation 'vAgeva vishvA bhuvanAni' forms the eternal Vedas. 'vAk' being the very element of the Vedic lore of knowledge becomes 'vagdevi' with immense compassion, to facilitate meditation on her divine form and to enable the meek to sing her glory. She blossoms from the Vedic lake as sarasvati - veda saro jAtA. She is veda mAtA, veda svarUpiNi as well as veda pratipAdyamAna brahma svarUpiNi (the source of Vedas, the Vedas themselves, as well as its subject matter 'brahman'). Needless to say of the diversified manifestations of the divine mother, sarasvati would be the closest to her absolute nature. Veda, Agama, itihAsa purAnA and other literary lore exult her with utmost veneration. She is identified as the shakti of the creator in purAnA and Agama shastra and revered as the Goddess of learning and fine arts. Vedas salute her as the supreme plane of truth; Goddess of revelation who confers the Divine Vision; Goddess of vastness; carrier of inspirations and as a mighty river nourishing life. Agamas convey yogic connections and salute her in further manifestations as nILA sarasvati or tAra. Drawing inspirations from this traditional lore, Sri Dikshitar has composed nine beautiful krithis on devi sarasvati and has offered a resplendent navaratnamaalikaa.

[...]

These nine krithis portray her beautiful form and salutes her divine glory. The navaratnamAlA echoes with Rig vedic mantras extolling her varied manifestations as sarasvati, bhArati, illa, mahi, vAk, medhA, shAradA, brAhmi and nadi-rUpA.



[...]

Dikshitar commences his first krithi saluting sarasvati as parabrahma-svarUpiNi with Rig-Vedic verses and delights that the Supreme Mother has provided eternal shelter to him.

[...]

sarasvatyA bhagavatyA sa.mrakshitoham .

chhAyAgauratarayA varayA shrI ..



'The resplendent bright boon bestowing auspicious Goddess Sarasvati has protected me'.



Dikshitar is proud to pronounce that the Supreme Goddess has provided shelter to him and hence commences with the verse 'chhAyA-gauratarayA varayA bhagavatyA shrI sarasvatyA sa.mrakshitoham'.

Prior to commencing the prosody, Dikshitar does a complete surrender at the lotus feet of sarasvati devi and she extends her abhaya kara to ensured shelter to her dear

devotee. The pallavi echoes the most popular of all Rig Vedic salutations,

praNo devI sarasvatI vajebhir vajinIvatI .

dhInAm avitrya avatu .. 6.61.4



'May the divine Goddess sarasvati who accepts the sacrificial offering, the meditate protector; protect us.'



The prayer 'avatu' is altered as 'samrakshatu' in the pallavi. Dikshitar having obtained the protection sought in the Mantra exclaims his state and salutes her with the same adjectives (viseShaNa) that used in the Mantra.



'varayA sarasvatyA sa.mrakshitoham' - 'I have been sheltered by the boon bestowing Goddess sarasvati'.

The same idea is conveyed in the mantra as

'dhInAm avitrya avatu'. Dikshitar reserves the other characteristic 'vajebhir vajinIvatI' for later salutations.



'chhAyA-gaura-tarayA sa.mrakshitoham' - 'I have been sheltered by the shining bright effulgent Goddess sarasvati'.



ayamu te sarasvati vasiSTho dvArAvR^itasya subhage vyAvaH .

vardha shubhre stuvate rAsi vAjAn yUyaM pAta svastibhiH sadAnaH .. 7.95.6



Dikshitar salutes sarasvati as 'gaura-chhAyA svarUpiNi' - 'white effulgent Goddess' in accordance with the word 'shubhre' in the above mantra.

Similar to the phrase 'maragta chhAye' that is used to salute mInakshi, the verse 'gaura chhAyA tarayA' is used to address sarasvati in accordance to her pure white complexion. Her brightness exceeds that of 'kunda, indu, shaN^ka, spaTika and tushhAra'. All that Dikshitar is able to witness is bright white effulgence. This base white effulgence represents Sarasvati as parabrahma svarUpiNi.



The Raga selected by Dikshitar for this salutation is 'chhAyA gauLa', which is a derivative of 'mAyA mALava gauLa'. The 'raga mudrA' is embedded beautifully in the phrase 'chhAyA-gaura-tarayA'. venkaTamahI documents chhAyAgauLa Raga lakshana as, chhAyAgauLashchasa.mpUrNa AroheganivarjitaH. niShAdagraha sa.myukta sAyaN^kAle pragIyate..



'bhagavatyA shrI sarasvatyA sa.mrakshitoham' - 'I have been sheltered by the supreme Goddess sarasvti who is an embodiment of six auspicious qualities'



Dikshitar echoes the salutation in the mantra 'subhage' as 'bhagavtI'. 'subhaga' - the auspicious one; 'bhaga shabha' comprises of six important characteristics:

aishvaryasya samagrasya viiryasya yashashshriyaH .

jnAna vairAgyayoschaiva ShaNNAM bhaga itiiraNA ..



Possession of 'aishvarya' Prosperity, 'viirya' Power, 'yashas' Fame, 'shrIH' Wealth, 'jnAna' Knowledge and 'vairAgya' an impartial outlook, makes her 'bhagavatI'. This ShaDguNa paripUraNatvam indicated by Dikshitar with the word 'bhagavatI'. 'bhagavatI' is used with the same import in the mantra as 'subhage'.

virinchi prANanAyikayA vINAvAdanotsukayA .

sarasa saN^gIta sAhitya stanadvayayA parAdvayayA ..



virinchi prANanAyikayA sa.mrakshitoham - 'I have been sheltered by the beloved of the creator'.



sahasranaama salutes devI as 'sR^ishhTikartrii brahmaruupaa', She is the power of creation. Sarasvati is saluted as Brahma Shakti or the consort of Brahma for the same reason. The Rig Vedic mantra referred here is:

pAvIravI kanyA citrAyuH sarasvatI vIrapatnI dhiyaM dhAt .

gnAbhirachidraM sharaNaM sajoSA durAdharSaM gR^iNate sharma yaMsat .. 6.49.7



'May the purifying graceful Goddess Sarasvati, the bride of prajApati favor our pious deeds and be well pleased along with other celestials and provide the devote with a flawless existence'.



Sarasvati is referred as 'vIrapatnI' in the above Mantra. AchAryas have interpreted 'vIra' as prajApati or brahmA. Dikshitar's salutation is also of a similar import, 'prANanAyikayA', she is as dear as his own breath to Brahma. She is 'veda svarUpiNi', brahma creates with the help of Vedas and Vedas are his very breath. She is ever united with the creator and the creation.



VINAvAdanotsukayA - 'She delights playing the vINA'



The icon of Sarasvati playing vINA is a representation of the supreme absolute reveling in its unqualified non-dual state of bliss (brahmam in its svAtmAnubhavam). Dikshitar portrays Sarasvati as delightfully playing the vINA indicating that devI is in svAtmAnubhavam. lokAnubhavam comes in to play when she assumes rest of the forms, being parabrahma svarUpiNi, Sarasvati is ever in svatmAnubhavam.



devI bearing the vINA also symbolizes the path of liberation 'moxa-mArga darshanm'.



vINAvAdana tatvaGYaH shrutijAtI vishAradaH.

tALaGYashchAprayAsena mokshamArga.m niyachchhati.. (yAgGYavalkya smR^iti)



'One who is well versed in playing the vINA, adept in the nuances of sound and rhythm; attains salvation with little effort'.



The upaniShad vidhyA indicated here is nAda vidhyA or praNava vidhyA.



sarasa saN^gIta sAhitya stanadvayayA - 'melodious music and lyrics are her breasts'.



This is a beautiful poetic description; melody and prosody are compared to the breasts of Sarasvati. She showers the milk of saN^gIta and sAhitya to her beloved children.



saN^gItamapi sAhitya.m sarasvatyAstanadvayam .

yekamApAtamadhura.m anyathAlochanAmR^itam..



'Music and poetry are the two breasts of Sarasvati, music pleases the moment it is heard and poetry is delightful when analyzed upon.'



Music is 'ApAta madhura.m' and Poetry is 'chintanAmR^Ita.m'. The base for this description comes from the Rig Veda:

pIpivAMsaM sarasvata stanaM yo vishvadarshataH bhakSImahi prajAmiSam . 7.96.6

'May we recline on Mother SarasvtI's breast, that beautifully swells with streams, May we gain food and progeny.'

(pipivaMsaM sarasvtas stanaM bhakshImahi)'

Having fed upon the divine milk of Sarasvati, Dikshitar claims 'sarasa saN^gIta sAhitya stanadvayayA shrI sarasvatyA sa.mrakshitoham'. ParAdvayayA shrI sarasvatyA sa.mrakshitoham - I have been sheltered by the supreme Goddess Sarasvati.



The base characteristic of one who provides shelter is that, he should be capable of protecting the seeker. Once indra offered protection to takshaka against the sarpa-yaGYa of janamegaya. When janamegaya was informed that takshaka has not been sacrificed yet, he ordered both indra and takshaka to be pulled down to be sacrificed in the sarpa-yaGYa. Such is not the case

with the Supreme Mother. She is 'parAdvayA' - One who has none to equal. 'samaanadhika varjitaa' in sahasranAma language.

catushshaShTi kalAtmikayA samasta varNAtmikayA .

shR^itajana pAlakayA sevaka bhUpAlakayA ..



'catushshaShTi kalAtmikayA shrI sarasvatyA sa.mrakshitoham'



'The embodiment of the sixty-four fine arts, shrI sarasvatI devI has sheltered me.'



The supreme mother is saluted in sahasranama as 'catushshaShTikalAmayI'. bhAskararAya furnishes a list of these sixty-four art forms with reference to books like gadAkosham and laxmIpITikA.



aShTAdashalipibodhastallekhanashiighravAchane chitram.

bahuvidhabhAShAGYAna.m tatkavitA shR^itanigaditA dyUtam ..

vedA upavedAshchatvAraH shAstrAN^gaShaTke dve.

tantrapurANasmR^itika.m kAvyAlaN^kAra nATakAdi dve..

shAntirvashyAkarShaNavidveShochchATanamAraNAni cha ShaT.

gatijaladR^iShTyAgnayAyudhavAgretaH stambhasaptaka.m shilpam..

gajahayarathanarashixAH sAmudrikamallasUdagAruDakAH.

tattatsuShirAddhaghanendrajAlanR^ittAni gatitarasavAdaiH..

ratnaparIxA chaurya.m dhAtuparIxApyadR^ishyatvam.

itibhAskarasudhiyoktA niShkR^iShya kalAshchatuH ShaShTiH..



To know the linguistics of 18 languages (1), their script (2), to be able to read fast (3), Drawing (4) Knowledge in various other languages (5) capability to write poetry in them (7) fluent oration (8) gambling (9) Mastery in, the four Vedas (9-12) upavedas (13-16) twelve shastra-s (17-28) tantra, puraaNa & smR^iti (29) kAvya, alaN^kAra & nATaka (30) shAnti, vashya AkarShaNa, vidveShaNa, uchchATana & maraNa prayoga-s (31-36), To be able to control the course of jala, dR^iShTi, agni, Ayudha, vAk and retas (37-43) sculpture (44) To instruct elephant, horse, chariot and men (45-48) sAmudrikA shAstra (49) Wrestling (50) Cooking (51)garuda prayoga (viSha prayoga) (52) To play string instruments (53) Wind instruments (54) Drums (55) Metallic instruments (like tALa) (56) indrajAla (magic) (57) Dance (58) Singing (59) rasavAda (60) ratna parIxA (gemology)(61) Robbery (62) Medicine (63) adR^ishyatvam-to be able to vanish (yogic powers) (64).



(Ooooh! "Gambling"! And "Robbery"! Thank the Gods, I made it into the list. For a minute there I was getting worried, and started to feel neglected by Ambaa.

I was joking. About the gambling.

After all, I never gamble - with my own money. <- 'Cause that would be a *stupid* thing to do.)





For a true seeker the list would barely provide a thing to entertain. The beauty is, adhyAtma vidhyA is not included in the 64. After the knowledge of which nothing is to be known, that knowledge 'adhyAtma vidhyA' stands apart from this laukIka vidhyA. ShrI bagavatpAdAcharya says; 'to obtain true knowledge one needs to know the supreme mother who is beyond the sixty four art forms'.



(Vedam etc - items 9-29 in the list - are NOT laukika vidyA. As is clear from the rest of the article.



Note: The constant transliteration of [itrans] vidyA as non-itrans "vidhyA" is owing to how numerous Hindus esp. from TN choose to translate the dentals into Roman characters. Another example: many Tamizh Hindus choose to transliterate what's "lalitA" in itrans as "lalithA".)



catuShShaShTyaa tantraiH sakalamatisaMdhaaya bhuvanaM

sthitas tattatsiddhiprasavaparatantraiH pashupatiH .

punastvannirbandhaadakhilapuruShaarthaikaghaTanaa

svatantraM te tantraM kShititalamavaatiitaradidam.h .. 31..



As the embodiment of pure knowledge, Sarasvati is 'Atma vidhyA svarUpiNI'. She is also prapancha vidhyA' and hence shines in the form of the sixty-four fine arts.



'samasta varNAtmikayA shrI sarasvatyA sa.mrakshitoham' - 'shrI sarasvatI who is of the form of all alphabets has sheltered me'.



Devi is saluted as 'varNa rUpiNI' and 'mAtukA varNa rUpiNI' in sahasranAma. 'akArAdi-xakAranta varNa' are all Sarasvati herself. Alphabets coin to form words; that are inspirable from their meaning. They constitute the entire Vedic lore. From the very alphabets that form the Vedas to the subject matter of Vedas 'brahman', is all Sarasvati herself.



'veda svarUpiNI, veda AdhAra varNa svarUpiNI, sakala veda shabdha svarUpiNI,

veda pratipAdyamAna brahma svarUpiNI'.



There is a profound mantra in Rig Veda 10.071.01 saluting Sarasvati for her compassion to reveal the Vedas:



bR^ihaspate prathamaM vAco agraM yat prairata nAmadheyandadhAnAH .

yadeSAM shreSThaM yadaripramAsItpreNA tadeSAM nihitaM guhAviH..



bR^ihaspati uttered the first speech that gave a name to objects. That non-blemish word ('tat') is the best of all words. (Sarasvati) reveals this secretly imparted through affection.



In any language the elementary components that facilitate exchange of thoughts and revelation of knowledge are alphabets. Sarasvati facilitates this communication in the form of 'vAk' that gives intellect.

shR^itajana pAlakayA sevaka bhUpAlakayA shrI sarasvatyA sa.mrakshitoham' - 'Worshipped by rulers Sri Sarasvati; who protects the devote has sheltered me.'



'bhUpAla sevitA' is not a common salutation for Sarasvati devi. As Dikshitar's salutation is Rig Veda based, the supportive mantra is in Mandala 07.95.02.



ekAcetat sarasvatI nadInAM shuciryatI giribhya AsamudrAt .

rAyashcetantI bhuvanasya bhUrerghR^itaM payo duduhe nAhuSAya .. 7.95.2



'Pure in her course from mountains to the ocean, alone of streams Sarasvati hath listened. Thinking of wealth and the great world of creatures, she poured milk and butter for nahusha.'



shAyanAchArya refers a Puranic story in the context of this mantra. King nahusha bhUpAla wanted to perform a sacrifice for thousands of years; He prayed to Veda mAtA sarasvatI to provide him with all necessary facilities. She flowed down as a river and blessed him with lots of butter, water, milk and other riches in surplus throughout his sacrifice. Consequently Dikshitar salutes her as 'sevaka bhUpAlakayA'



Goddess sarasvatI blesses devotes with compassion and hence saluted as 'shR^itajana pAlakayA'. There is a beautiful mantra in Rig Veda Mandala 10.17.07, that hails sarasvatI repeatedly and salutes her for her boon bestowing nature.



sarasvatIM devayanto havante sarasvatImadhvare tAyamAne

sarasvatIM sukR^ito ahvayanta sarasvatI dAshuSe vAryaM dAt 10.17.7



'The devout invoke Sarasvati; they worship Sarasvati in the sacrifice. The pious invoke Sarasvati aforetime. May Sarasvati bestow blessing upon the donor of the oblation.'



The line 'sarasvatI dAshuSe vAryaM dAt' is reformatted in the krithi as 'shR^itajana pAlakayA'.

shruti pratipAditayA shubhra vastrAvR^itayA.

natendrAdyakhila devatayA nandaguruguha susevitayA ..



‘shruti pratipAditayA shrI sarasvatyA sa.mraxitoham’ – Exalted by shruti (Vedas) the supreme Goddess saravatI has sheltered me.



ambitame nadItame devitame sarasvati .

aprashastA iva smasi prashastimamba nas kR^idhi ..



sarasvatI ! The best Mother, best of Rivers, best of Goddesses, We are, as it were of no repute, Mother; grant us distinction.



O! sarasvatI, you are the supreme goddess (devi tame), the personification of absolute, You are the supreme mother (ambitame) of this universe. O! Supreme mother shArade; there is none other than you to nourish thy child (nadItame). Hail to thee! Hail to thee! Hail to thee!



Isn’t there little room for laukIka or even vaidIka vak to attempt for a panegyric when the supreme veda vak that is beyond human perception has exalted her glory with superlatives and begs for discrimination at her lotus feet.



‘shubhra vastrAvR^itayA shrI sarasvatyA sa.mraxitoham’ – Decorated with white attire sarasvatI devi has sheltered me.



sarasvatI herself is of effulgent white complexion. She is also decorated with milk white silk attire. When the Supreme mother is in other manifestations she is decorated in contrast garments. When she is of a golden yellow complexion she wears coral red garments. When she is emerald green she wears sparkling yellow. But when she is sarasvatI as pure as spaTika she is decorated with garments of similar white effulgence.



‘nata indrAdi akhila devatayA, shrI sarasvatyA sa.mraxitoham’ – shrI sarasvatI who is saluted by Indra and all other devas has sheltered me.



As the saying goes ‘yathA raja tathA prajA’, when Indra; the king of all celestials surrenders at the lotus feet of the Supreme mother its natural for other devas to follow.



AhaM sarasvatIvatorindrAgnyoravo vR^iNe .

yAbhyAM gAyatraM R^ichyate .. 8.46.10



‘I solicit the protection of Indra and Agni, associated with sarasvatI to whom this gAyatrI hymn is addressed.’



Rig Veda pleads for protection to Indra, Agni and other deva-s for the qualification that they are all devoted to sarasvatI.



‘nandaguruguha susevitayA shrI sarasvatyA sa.mraxitoham’ – Well served by the delightful guruguha, shrI sarasvatI has protected me.



When the unrivaled goddess has sheltered by removing the principal fear of samsAra, Its needless to say the devote is delighted. He at times merges in to the ocean of bliss and experiences the oneness of the supreme self, at times gains duality and delights in serving her with all devotion.



Notes:

Anand Hudli: The R^ig Veda has several very sublime sUktas dedicated to sarasvatI. Some of the commonly employed ones are 6.61 (maNDala 6 sUkta 61, this is the one which has the famous mantra praNo devI sarasvatI), 7.95, 7.96, 1.3.10-12 (maNDala 1 sUkta 3 R^iks 10-12), 2.41.16-18, 5.43.11, 6.49.7, 10.17.7-9, and 2.32.4-8. The rAtrIsUkta celebrates the devI as "bahvR^ichapriyA", one who loves the R^ig Veda. That is why even during chaNDI homa done by yajur vedic priests, they recite the rAtrI sUkta and the devI sUkta of the R^ig Veda.



ratiramA girijArchitayA ratnAbharaNAlaN^kR^itayA .

mati majjihvAgra sthitayA maN^gaLapradayA sadayayA..



‘rati ramA girijArchitayA, shrI sarasvatyA sa.mraxitoham’



ShrI sarasvati devi, worshipped by rati, ramaa and girijaa has sheltered me.



manmatha who kindles passion (prabodhyate supta ivaadya manmathaH) is assisted by other indriya and mana abhimaani devat-s in his effort.

Accompanying manmatha, vasanta R^itu provides the conducive environment when chandara acting as his shade makes the mind lose its discrimination. indriyas are controlled by rati devi who evokes passion and the mind acts in accordance. Hence rati symbolizes ichha shakti or the desiring power of the cupid.



Though reclining on a coiled serpent, shrIman nArAyaNa is tirelessly engaged in the act of preserving the universe. When he is inseparably perceived as both the materialistic and the intelligent cause of the universe, his consort ‘ramaa’ pervades the universe as the very nature (prakR^iti) that serves as the rational for its functionality. Hence ramaa or mahaalaxmi symbolizes the power of action or ‘kriya shakti’ of viShNu.



Seated under the shade of a green banyan tree, parameshvara is seen with his index curved towards his thumb symbolizing jIveshvaraikyam or the supreme state of eternal non-duality. His silence preaches the supreme wisdom that negates all dualities and bestows the ability to abide in one’s own self. girijA or the daughter of the mountains symbolizes this knowledge or GYAna of parameshvara. She is reverently referred as umA or praNavasvarUpiNi adjoined by haimavati in the famous kenopaniShad. Dikshitar prefers to refer GYAna shakti as girijA in conjunction with the Upanishad address haimavati.



rati, rama and girijA represent ichhA, kriyA and GYAna shakti-s. Dikshitar salutes Sarasvati as parabrahma svarUpiNi being worshipped by ichhA, kriyA and GYAna shakti-s. She is the turIya shakti who shines as para-advayaa or parabrahma-mahiShI as well manifests as rati, ramaa and girijA, enveloping the respective guNa for functioning the universe. In this context Rig Veda mandala 2.41.17 celebrates her as the very rationale for the functionality of the universe.



tve vishvA sarasvati shritAyUMSi devyAm .

shunahotreSu matsva prajAM devi didiDDhi naH .. 2.41.17



In you the divine sarasvatI all creations abide. Rejoice and grant us

progeny among the shunahotra-s.



Viewed from another perspective this salutation has an interesting import. sarasvatI having rati under her command provides manonirodhana.m that results in yoga (yogaashchitavrittinirodhaH). As ramaa, she blesses the devotee with the strength that is needed for saadhanaa. When saadanaa fructifies, she dawns as girijA or GYAna that removes the bondage of samsaara by the destruction of avidhyA. Having surrendered to the supreme goddess who could bless the devotee with the strength that is needed in all the three stages towards realization, Dikshitar claims that he is totally free of fear under her sheltering grace.



‘ratnAbharaNa alaN^kR^itayA shrI sarasvatyA sa.mraxitoham’



ShrI sarasvatI decked with gem-studded ornaments has sheltered me.



Glittering ornaments made of nine celestial gems ‘nava-ratna’ worn by sarasvatI on her white garments radiate her effulgent complexion.



Pearl, ruby, topaz, diamond, emerald, lapis lazuli, coral, sapphire and gomedaka constitute nava-ratna. These ratnAbharaNa add luster to Sarasvati’s

self-radiance. Rig-Veda celebrates this radiance in a beautiful mantra.



sarasvatImin mahayAsuvR^iktibhiH stomairvasiSTha rodasI .

ubhe yat te mahinA shubhre andhasI adhikSiyanti pUravaH ..



With your greatness O! Radiant sarasvatI, friend of maruts, mighty men

obtain the nourishment for both mundane and celestial existence from you.



sarasvatI being sUrya maNaDala antargatA (one who resides in the sUrya maNDala) lights the whole universe with her effulgence. The following

Rig-Veda mantra gives a pictures description.



aSTauvy akhyat kakubhaH pR^ithivyAs trI dhanva yojanA sapta sindhUn .

hiraNyAkSaH savitA deva AgAd dadhad ratnA dAshuSe vAryANi ..



savitA has lighted up the eight points of the horizon, the three regions of living beings, the seven rivers. May the golden-eyed savitA come hither and

bestowing upon the devotee the riches sought in the oblation!