Saraswati Shloka, by Sashidharan Komandur
सरस्वति नमस्थुभ्यम् वरदे कामरुपिणि
sarasvati namasthubhyam varade kāmarupiṇi
विद्यारम्भम् करिष्यामि सिद्धिर्भवतु मे सदा
vidyārambham kariṣyāmi siddhirbhavatu me sadā
Meaning: Oh Bhagawati Saraswati, I bow to you, the fulfiller of my wishes. I begin my studies seeking your blessings so that I shall always be successful.
Significance: As per Hindu belief in the post-vedic period, Goddess Saraswati, also the consort of Brahma, is the Goddess of knowledge, learning and arts. The word takes its birth from the root ” Sr” , (gathou) meaning to move or to flow. When the particle mathup is added, we get the word “Saraswati” . Saras also means knowledge of transcendental kind and the One in whom such knowledge is sustained is Saraswati. The Rg Veda identifies the word “Saraswati” as divine speech, thus Saraswati is also the Goddess of speech. Thus also the name Vaak-Devi ( Vaak : speech). In the vedas Saraswati is a part of a triad, the other two being Bharati and Ida. The three names Ida (praiseworthy speech), Saraswati (a speech full of divine Knowledge) and Bharati (a speech replete with Vedic Lore) are three aspects of divine speech. Atharva Veda also recognizes Saraswati as the manifold streams of knowledge and blessings of this and the other world.
Image Significance:
Saraswati is also known as Veena-pani (bearer of the veena) signifying she is the goddess of art. She has the Vedas in one of her hands, signifying she is the goddess of knowledge. The japa-mala in her hand (possibly) signifies she is invoked by those who seek transcendental knowledge, through dhyana.
Reference: http://www.ibiblio.org/
Sashidharan Komandur is a PhD student at the Industrial Engineering Department at University of Washington. You can reach him at sash.kom@gmail.com
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