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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