Many Representations…
Saraswati Ma is known amongst many as the Goddess of Knowledge and Arts. Wisdom and consciousness flow freely from her as she is the mother of sacred scriptures, such as the Vedas.
Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga (Amba Ma) are her parents. For the millions that worship her, she returns blessings and grace through the powers of speech, wisdom, and learning. She is strongly tied with flowing water as well; for example, you have probably heard of the Saraswati River, mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts.
In fact, Dada Bhagwan’s speech is verily the manifestation of Goddess Saraswati herself. It is the speech of the Vitarag, which is free from all attachments. His speech is also Syadvad, meaning it is universally accepted and does not offend anyone’s viewpoint. Such a speech that has come forth naturally for the salvation of the world, based on the evidences of worldly situation, time, location, and deep inner intent.
Thus, Dada Bhagwan’s speech is considered the manifestation of Saraswati because it comes after having ‘touched’ the Supreme Soul within! How awesome it is !?
Symbolism of Murti/Idol
Absolutely beautiful idols of Shri Saraswati Ma are placed in thousands of temples throughout the world. Her four hands all contain a certain object, depicting the many virtues she holds. Also, the number four connect to the human personality in learning: mind, intellect, chit, and ego.
In one hand, she carries scared scriptures, which hold true knowledge – knowledge of the Self. With another two hands, she gracefully plays an antique, classical instrument known as the ‘veena’. This string instrument sounds magical. If you haven’t heard it, you should! Here’s a close-up picture of a ‘veena’:
Furthermore, she sits/stands on a white lotus portraying how she is associated with finding the absolute truth. A sacred pot of water and a beaded mala of crystals are also held by her, representing powers of creativity and meditation, respectively.
The white swan located beside her feet is a very special bird. It means discrimination between the good and bad. Along with this bird, a peacock is also shown. A peacock is the national bird of India. It denotes pride over external beauty. By having this bird near her, Saraswati Devi states not to be concerned with outer beauty, but to go within for the eternal truth!
In Dada’s Words: Rules of Goddess Saraswati
“If you abide by all the rules that apply to speech, then Goddess Saraswati will be pleased with you. How can she be pleased if speech is misused, if lies are spoken, and if deception is employed in speech? When you speak contrary to what you feel inside, how can she be pleased?
Why is there no power in one’s speech nowadays? It is because one has not abided by the rules of speech. Having been born a human, one must have power of speech and power of mind. Power of the body (physical energy) is considered to be animalistic (pashavta), but the power of speech and mind both make the relative self-strong.
Nowadays the power of speech has disappeared and the mind has become fractured. What kind of power is there in speech today? If a father asks his son to get up, the son will lie down and be awkward. His own son does not obey him. How did the power of speech disappear? It disappeared because it has been misused and abused. If speech is not expended inappropriately, and not used for any selfish worldly motives, then it will gain energy.”
In Dada’s Words: Gnani’s Speech
“Deceiving or lying to people is wrong use of speech. There is a big difference between abuse (apvyaya) and misuse of speech (durvyaya).
Apvyaya means unfit in every aspects; a person abuses his speech in everything. When lawyers lie in their testimony for a few rupees, “Yes, I know him very well”, it is called apvyaya (abuse). Misuse (durvyaya) of speech is when one uses it to scare people, animals, tell lies and employ deceit. This is why the power of speech deteriorates.
The power of the speech should be like that of this ‘Dada’. If you to tell someone to get up, he will do so right away. The power of Dada’s speech is extraordinary. What are ‘our’ words like? They are not words of the scriptures; words in the scriptures are inanimate, whereas ‘our’ words are living. Even just one sentence of the Gnani will take you to Moksha!
‘Our’ speech is pratyaksh (direct) Saraswati. The Saraswati Devi you see in pictures, books and scriptures is an indirect form. If you want to do darshan of the real presence of Saraswati, you can do so by listening to this (Dada’s) speech.”
Respecting Saraswati Devi
In India, people go to much extent to respect knowledge or Saraswati. For example, if their foot accidentally touches a book or any reading material for that matter, they immediately ask for forgiveness by touching the book and putting it on their forehead or chest (heart). This is a form of respect for all knowledge.
What is the definition of the worship of Saraswati? It means to not abuse the speech in any way or form. Also, speech should not hurt anyone, even in the slightest extent; that is called ‘true speech, divine speech’.
Let’s all ask for strength from Goddess Saraswati to guide us in keeping awareness to produce premal (love & care) and madhuri (sweet) speech