A girl's got to have a goddess, especially on a journey into the unknown. Like many things of late, mine appeared when I reached for her.
Vishnu is the Supreme Hindu God, Shiva the destroyer of ego (and ultimately the world). Together with Brahma they are the Trimurti. Brahma is the God of creation. And Brahma had a wife. He also had mother and a daughter and a consort, and all were Saraswati (in Sanskrit, Sarasvati).
Saras means flow, wati is woman. Originally a river goddess, Sarasvati evolved into the goddess of consciousness, creativity, divine intelligence, and of literature, art and music. Buddhists call her Benzaiten, the one who offers protection and guidance to those on their spiritual path toward liberation. Her four arms represent the four aspects of learning - mind, intellect, alertness and ego. In her hands, Sarasvati holds a book of the sacred Vedas representing her universal and divine knowledge; a rosary of crystals symbolizing the power of meditation and spirituality; a pot of sacred water to signify creativity and the powers of purification; and a vina, an instrument representing the arts and sciences. She is associated with anurāga, the love for and rhythm of music which represents all emotions and feelings expressed in speech and music.
Her sacred bird is the Hansa bird which, when offered a mixture of water and milk, can drink the milk alone, thus evincing Saraswati's ability to discern the good from the bad and the eternal from the evanescent. Serendipitously, the Hansa bird is the crane-like bird in the logo of Lufthansa, the gracious sponsor of my Frankfurt-Delhi-Frankfurt flight.
Back home I remember reading that a peacock is sometimes shown with Sarasvati. He represents pride and arrogance over beauty and having a peacock as her mount, Sarasvati teaches us not to be concerned with external appearance and to be wise regarding the eternal truth. I had forgotten this until just now as I was going through some photographs from my first incredible week here.. Lo and behold, the peacock has emerged.
Jinti is one of the pets at the German Embassy. Ambassador Thomas Matussek and his wife Ulla raised him from an egg last summer. He greeted me at the Ambassador's residence two days ago when I made my first visit there. Here he is flirting shamelessly with me and flaunting his, as yet, adolescent plume. When Luna, Matussek's old dog came in to say hello (I first met Luna in NY), Jinti became very jealous and attempted to chase Luna off, his plume vibrating with ardor. It was hilarious and a memorable welcome.
The Indians celebrate Sarasvati with a festival every spring. To hear the Sarasvati Mantra, recited for higher learning and wisdom, click here.
Vishnu is the Supreme Hindu God, Shiva the destroyer of ego (and ultimately the world). Together with Brahma they are the Trimurti. Brahma is the God of creation. And Brahma had a wife. He also had mother and a daughter and a consort, and all were Saraswati (in Sanskrit, Sarasvati).
Her sacred bird is the Hansa bird which, when offered a mixture of water and milk, can drink the milk alone, thus evincing Saraswati's ability to discern the good from the bad and the eternal from the evanescent. Serendipitously, the Hansa bird is the crane-like bird in the logo of Lufthansa, the gracious sponsor of my Frankfurt-Delhi-Frankfurt flight.
Jinti is one of the pets at the German Embassy. Ambassador Thomas Matussek and his wife Ulla raised him from an egg last summer. He greeted me at the Ambassador's residence two days ago when I made my first visit there. Here he is flirting shamelessly with me and flaunting his, as yet, adolescent plume. When Luna, Matussek's old dog came in to say hello (I first met Luna in NY), Jinti became very jealous and attempted to chase Luna off, his plume vibrating with ardor. It was hilarious and a memorable welcome.
The Indians celebrate Sarasvati with a festival every spring. To hear the Sarasvati Mantra, recited for higher learning and wisdom, click here.
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