VASANT PANCHAMI & SARASVATI-DEVI PUJAA DAY
Devo & Devio
Posted by Champaklal Dajibhai Mistry. Last updated on February 16, 2002.

The peoples of bhaarat (India) were experiencing the sharad rutu (winter season) after diwaali celebrations....today on the sud pancham of mahaa or maagh maas (4th lunar month) of savant 2058, bhaarati-jano will be welcoming the start of vasant rutu (spring season). This day in Julian Calendar, which is the most accepted world calendar, is February 17, 2002. This day's celebration is called VASANT PANCHAMI.

This day is alos exclusively reserved for performing pujaa to SARASVATI-DEVI, who is the presiding devi (deity) over gnan (knowledge). 

The backgrounder on vasant panchami and 

BACKGROUNDER ON VASANT PANCHAMI

vasant panchami is celebrated as per the local and regional customs and traditions of all states and districts in bhaarat. The only federal essence is that every body is welcoming the vasant rutu and also performing pujaa to sarasvati-devi for her blessings of knowledge. Also the colour yellow is prominent on this day federally. The clothes worn, flowers used and even the special food preparation has yellow as the prominent colour or tinge in it.

The celebration has no fixed time during the day as this day is a working day. The celebration takes place as per the convenience of the families and communities. Some of prominent activities during the day are as follows:

a)    Performing prayers at home and also at a temple for a good spring season benefiting the family and the community. prasaad offered and received from the prayer sessions is special with ber (fruit from ber tree), sanagari (beans that bear the seed of mooli (white radish) added to the normal prasaad thaali of yellow barfi or laddu made of besan or nukthi, paan, naaliyer (coconut), water, aipun, roli, rice, yellow flowers especially galgotaa or marigold and red kum-kum powder.    

b)    Receiving blessing from elders similar to the blessing received at diwaali.

c)    Preparing and enjoying with the family and friends the special foods for this festivity as is the local traditions and customs. The food is tinged with yellow which is regarded as auspicious colour in vedik lifestyle. Food specialties may include sweet rice with almonds, kismis, and kaaju (cashew nuts),  barfi or laddu, khir with sfran (saffron).  

c)    Flying patang (kites) and having patang cutting competitions.

d)    Educational institutions from schools to universities celebrate by offering prayers and honouring sarasvati-devi for her blessing of gnan (knowledge). gnan as vedik people know is brhmah. aatmaa is also gnan. Everything in this creation called as universe is made from and with gnan. The current evolutionary period on this planet earth is tending towards gnan as the basis of all activities from commerce to industry to health to education to recreation to an ever growing list.....

 

BACKGROUNDER ON SARASVATI-DEVI

sarasvati-devi is the daughter of brahmaa-dev who is the grandfather of all creations. The primary trinity of brahmaa-dev, vishnu-dev and shiv-dev. brahmaa-dev creates the universe, vishnu-dev sustains it and shiv-dev with multiple functions ultimately dissolves the universe back into brahmaa-dev after a pralay of 4.32 billion years or into brhmah after a maha-pralay of 311 plus trillion years. brahmaa-dev was in his samaadhi mode to create when satva-gun began to predominate in his mind and a girl was born from that satvik mind. brahmaa-dev asked her who she was and she replied: "I am born from you. You determine for me a seat and duties". brahmaa-dev told her as a ordination and a blessing: "Your name is sarasvati and you shall stay on tip of everybody's tongue. You dance specially on the tongue of learned people. You shall also exist on the earth in the form of a river. And assuming a third form you shall live in me too." That is why sarasvati-devi is always shown with brahmaa-dev

As per brahmaa-dev's ordination, sarasvati-devi is the base and supporting shakti (empowering force or power) of human faculties, talents and learning and communication capabilities such as shabda (word), language, buddhi (intelligence), gnan (knowledge) including logic and understanding faculties, fine arts and music. In vedik terms it means without propitiation and blessing of sarasvati-devi the above noted human faculties can be absent or lacking in human beings.  

sarasvati-devi is the one of the five primary shaktio (powers) of brhmah in the form of devi in the vedik creation, sustenance and dissolution concept. The other four devio are durgaa-devi, lakshmi-devi, savior-devi and raadhaa-devi.  There are may other secondary manifestations of brhmah's shaktio manifested in the form of devio born out of these five primary devio: gangaa-devi, tulasi-devi, manasaa-devi, devasenaa-devi, mangal-chandikaa-devi, bhumi-devi. There is another class of devio called ansh-kalaa-devi, some of which are: svaahaa-devi, dakshinaa-devi, diksha-devi.......When one understands the meaning of the names of these devio, they relate to various individual forces of nature which make all of and all creation tick in current understanding of creation through sciences....... 

In vedik temples, sarasvati-devi is portrayed as a female clad in white clothes and sitting on a white lotus. In her hands is a book, vinnaa and maalaa and the fourth hand shown as blessing. She is portrayed in sitting, standing or dancing postures. 

sarasvati-devi  is also a shakti of vishnu-dev and shiv-dev. She incarnates into many a forms of knowledge and as sevak of brahmaa-dev, vishnu-dev and shiv-dev. She also incarnates into many forms of devi to fight and destroy asuraa (evil powers and creations) in this universe.       

 There are numerous references to sarasvati-devi in rig-ved and in puraano and itihaas including ramaayan and mahaa-bhaarat.  

(The above knowledge data-base was complied by shree champaklaal daajibhaai mistry of Edmonton, Canada from various sources of vedik knowledge preserved for all humanity through shruti and smruti. shruti and smruti of creation, its genesis, history, current status and future to come has been transmitted to all generations of humans in this creation cylce of 4.3 billion years through rushio, munio and all degrees of learned creations who have the capacity to transmit the ved (knowledge). shree champaklaal and PVAF says pranaam to all these conveyors and perpetuators of knowledge. We all also pray for more learning in days to come through this cyberspace universal platform called Prajaapati Vishva Aashram Foundation given to this humanity by the krupaa (grace) of brhmah. All italics are sanskrit words - some of the word can be looked up in the SANSKRIT GLOSSARY on this web site). 

 


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