In hymns of Book 10 of Rigveda, she is already declared to be the 'possessor of knowledge'. In Vedic literature, Saraswati acquires the same significance for early Indians (states John Muir) as that accredited to the river Ganges by their modern descendants. May they who purify with butter, purify us with butter,įor these goddesses bear away defilement,

Saraswati is celebrated as a feminine deity with healing and purifying powers of abundant, flowing waters in Book 10 of the Rigveda, as follows: īest of mothers, the best of rivers, best of goddesses, Sarasvatī. In Book 2, the Rigveda describes Saraswati as the best of mothers, of rivers, of goddesses. In initial passages, the word refers to the Sarasvati River and is mentioned as one among several northwestern Indian rivers such as the Drishadvati. The word Saraswati appears both as a reference to a river and as a significant deity in the Rigveda. It is also a Sanskrit composite word of surasa-vati (सरसु+अति) which means 'one with plenty of water'. Originally associated with the river or rivers known as Saraswati, this combination, therefore, means 'she who has ponds, lakes, and pooling water' or occasionally 'she who possesses speech'. Saraswati, is a Sanskrit fusion word of saras (सरस्) meaning 'pooling water', but also sometimes translated as 'speech' and vati (वती) meaning 'she who possesses'.

7.2.2 Saraswati Puja in North, West and Central India.

7.2.1 Saraswati Puja in East and Northeast India.

Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text. The goddess is also revered by believers of the Jain religion of west and central India, as well as some Buddhist sects. Some Hindus celebrate the festival of Vasant Panchami (the fifth day of spring, and also known as Saraswati Puja and Saraswati Jayanti in so many parts of India) in her honour, and mark the day by helping young children learn how to write the letters of the alphabet on that day. Each of these items have symbolic meaning in Hinduism. She is generally shown to have four arms, holding a book, a rosary, a water pot and a musical instrument called Veena. She has remained significant as a goddess from the Vedic period through modern times of Hindu traditions. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a goddess is in the Rigveda. She is a part of the tridevi of Saraswati, along with Lakshmi and Parvati. Saraswati ( Sanskrit: सरस्वती, IAST: Sarasvatī) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning.

Jai maa saraswati vandana