From a satsang with Pt. Dr. Umesh Persad, Spiritual Leader, Gyaan Deepak Kirtan Mandali
In Sanskrit, names describe a quality associated with a form or object. What is the meaning of the name, Saraswati? In this case, Saras means “fluid, water or lake”. In its essence, it means “something that flows”. Vati means “possessing”. Therefore, Saraswati means “to be in a state of flow”. The state of creativity is one such state of flow. It is a state in which we are fully engrossed or absorbed in an activity, such as singing a bhajan or playing a musical instrument. Saraswati is often referred to as the divine representation of knowledge, which flows from one person to another, or even one generation to another.
Furthermore, the Sanskrit root, sar, means “the essence” while swa means “oneself”. Literally, therefore, Saraswati means “the essence of yourself”. Whichever form of divinity we choose to worship, it is, in essence, who we are in reality. The scriptures declare, “Tat Twam Asi”, “Thou art That”: we are in essence one with divinity.
All forms of the Divine are representative of deep principles. The murtis are not the Divine Being themselves, but are deeply symbolic representations of the Divine. Saraswati Maa is depicted as holding a book, mala (garland of 108 beads) and a veena (musical instrument). These are representative of three principles that we require to be successful both academically and in life. The book represents academic knowledge or learning. The mala represents the spiritual life, going to temple or performing the various spiritual practices. The veena represents an outlet for creative expression in life, music, poetry, literature, dance, art, and so forth. As human beings, there is a need to express our creative selves that emanates from our source. Academic knowledge and a professional career can be balanced with creativity and expression; we should not pigeonhole ourselves into one or the other. Everybody should engage in some form of creative expression. Our brains have developed over time to be very sensitive to music. It has been shown that music activates multiple parts of the brain; the brains of those who learn a musical instrument show more development.
The mala is a chain of beads that signifies that if we wish to be successful academically and, in the arts, then we have to be good at regular repetition and practice. This is how we develop expertise. Saraswati Maa is also depicted as sitting on a swan. It is said that the swan has the ability to extract milk from water; in other words, the swan has the capability to understand the essential truth and discard all else.
Saraswati Maa is a principle and source of energy found within us. By applying these principles to our life we can connect to the power deep within the self that will bring success to our life’s endeavours. Divinity is all knowledgeable, and we have to dive into that inner reservoir of knowledge that exists within us. This source of knowledge is beyond the limitation of the ego and the sense of “I”. It is the unlimited source from which all knowledge and wisdom flows. When we surrender to that flow of knowledge, then all things are possible.
