To: K-list
Recieved: 2001/01/13 23:07
Subject: [K-list] Lakshmi and Saraswati - Tales in Mythology and Art
From: Sanjulag
On 2001/01/13 23:07, Sanjulag posted thus to the K-list:
I have put together a short piece on the Hindu Goddesses Lakshmi
and Saraswati. Hope it is enjoyed.
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Lakshmi and Saraswati - Tales in Mythology and Art
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While the great goddess as a cosmic force may be a deity of
compelling dynamism and fearsome power, it is in the guise of the
gentle and beneficent giver of the devotees' desires, that the
female divinities of India first appeared. This role of the
goddess as one who fulfills wishes has remained one of enduring
strength and consequence. In the ancient collection of sacred
hymns known as the Veda, this aspect of the goddess already
becomes manifest. The two most shining examples in this context
are The Great Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati.
LAKSHMI:
Goddess Lakshmi, also known as Shri, is personified not only as
the goddess of fortune and wealth but also as an embodiment of
loveliness, grace and charm. She is worshipped as a goddess who
grants both worldly prosperity as well as liberation from the
cycle of life and death.
Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/sculptures/zb82.jpg
(size : 34 kb)
Lore has it that Lakshmi arose out of the sea of milk, the
primordial cosmic ocean, bearing a red lotus in her hand. Each
member of the divine triad- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (creator,
preserver and destroyer respectively)- wanted to have her for
himself. Shiva's claim was refused for he had already claimed the
Moon, Brahma had Saraswati, so Vishnu claimed her and she was
born and reborn as his consort during all of his ten
incarnations.
Though retained by Vishnu as his consort, Lakshmi remained an
avid devotee of Lord Shiva. An interesting legend surrounds her
devotion to this god:
Every day Lakshmi had a thousand flowers plucked by her
handmaidens and she offered them to the idol of Shiva in the
evening. One day, counting the flowers as she offered them, she
found that there were two less than a thousand. It was too late
to pluck any more for evening had come and the lotuses had closed
their petals for the night.
Lakshmi thought it inauspicious to offer less than a thousand.
Suddenly she remembered that Vishnu had once described her
breasts as blooming lotuses. She decided to offer them as the two
missing flowers.
Lakshmi cut off one breast and placed it with the flowers on the
altar. Before she could cut off the other, Shiva, who was
extremely moved by her devotion, appeared before her and asked
her to stop. He then turned her cut breast into round, sacred
Bael fruit (Aegle marmelos) and sent it to Earth with his
blessings, to flourish near his temples.
A few texts say that Lakshmi is the wife of Dharma. She and
several other goddesses, all of whom are personifications of
certain auspicious qualities, are said to have been given to
Dharma in marriage. This association seems primarily to represent
a thinly disguised "wedding" of Dharma (virtuous conduct) with
Lakshmi (prosperity and well-being). The point of the association
seems to be to teach that by performing Dharma one obtains
prosperity.
Tradition also associates Lakshmi with Kubera, the ugly lord of
the Yakshas. The Yakshas were a race of supernatural creatures
who lived outside the pale of civilization. Their connection with
Lakshmi perhaps springs from the fact that they were notable for
a propensity for collecting, guarding and distributing wealth.
Association with Kubera deepens the aura of mystery and
underworld connections that attaches itself to Lakshmi. Yakshas
are also symbolic of fertility. The Yakshinis (female Yakshas)
depicted often in temple sculpture are full-breasted and
big-hipped women with wide generous mouths, leaning seductively
against trees. The identification of Shri, the goddess who
embodies the potent power of growth, with the Yakshas is natural.
She, like them, involves, and reveals herself in the
irrepressible fecundity of plant life, as exemplified in the
legend of Shiva and the Bael fruit narrated above, and also in
her association with the lotus, to be described later.
Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/sculptures/za30.jpg
(size : 61 kb)
An interesting and fully developed association is between Lakshmi
and the god Indra. Indra is traditionally known as the king of
the gods, the foremost of the gods, and he is typically described
as a heavenly king. It is therefore appropriate for Shri-Lakshmi
to be associated with him as his wife or consort. In these myths
she appears as the embodiment of royal authority, as a being
whose presence is essential for the effective wielding of royal
power and the creation of royal prosperity.
Several myths of this genre describe Shri-Lakshmi as leaving one
ruler for another. She is said, for example, to dwell even with a
demon named Bali. The concerned legend makes clear the union
between Lakshmi and victorious kings. According to this legend
Bali defeats Indra. Lakshmi is attracted to Bali's winning ways
and bravery and joins him along with her attendant auspicious
virtues. In association with the propitious goddess, Bali rules
the three worlds (earth, heavens and the nether-worlds) with
virtue, and under his rule there is prosperity all around. Only
when the dethroned gods managed to trick Bali into surrendering
does Shri-Lakshmi depart from Bali, leaving him lusterless and
powerless. Along with Lakshmi, the following qualities depart
from Bali: good conduct, virtuous behavior, truth, activity and
strength.
Lakshmi's association with so many different male deities and
with the notorious fleetingness of good fortune earned her a
reputation for fickleness and inconstancy. In one text she is
said to be so unsteady that even in a picture she moves and that
if she sticks with Vishnu it is only because she is attracted to
his many different forms (avataras)! She is thus also known as
'Chanchala', or the restless one.
Her notorious fickleness has convinced her devotees that she may
desert them at the slightest pretext. They have thus devised
numerous ingenious strategies to retain Lakshmi, and thus
prosperity in their establishments. One such sect is known to
offer only the worst netlike fabric as vastra (clothing) to
Lakshmi; for they say, 'It is much easier for Goddess Lakshmi to
abandon our houses clad in ample folds of cloth rather than
scantily dressed in the minimum fabric we offer to her as
garment'!
In a mythological sense her fickleness and adventurous nature
slowly begin to change once she is identified totally with
Vishnu, and finally becomes still. She then becomes the
steadfast, obedient and loyal wife who vows to reunite with her
husband in all his next lives. As the cook at the Jagannatha
temple in Puri, she prepares food for her lord and his devotees.
In the famous paintings on the walls of the Badami caves in
central India, she sits on the ground near where her lord
reclines upon a throne, leaning on him; a model of social decorum
and correctitude.
Physically Goddess Lakshmi is described as a fair lady, with four
arms, seated on a lotus, dressed in fine garments and precious
jewels. She has a benign countenance, is in her full youth and
yet has a motherly appearance.
Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/batik/ba74.jpg (size
: 61 kb)
The most striking feature of the iconography of Lakshmi is her
persistent association with the lotus. The meaning of the lotus
in relation to Shri-Lakshmi refers to purity and spiritual power.
Rooted in the mud but blossoming above the water, completely
uncontaminated by the mud, the lotus represents spiritual
perfection and authority. Furthermore, the lotus seat is a common
motif in Hindu and Buddhist iconography. The gods and goddesses,
the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, typically sit or stand upon a
lotus, which suggests their spiritual authority. To be seated
upon or to be otherwise associated with the lotus suggests that
the being in question: god, Buddha, or human being-has
transcended the limitations of the finite world (the mud of
existence, as it were) and floats freely in a sphere of purity
and spirituality. Shri-Lakshmi thus suggests more than the
fertilizing powers of moist soil and the mysterious powers of
growth. She suggests a perfection or state of refinement that!
transcends the material world. She is associated not only with
the royal authority but with also spiritual authority, and she
combines royal and priestly powers in her presence. The lotus,
and the goddess Lakshmi by association, represents the fully
developed blossoming of organic life.
Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/marble/ra19.jpg
(size : 69 kb)
No description of Goddess Lakshmi can be complete without a
mention of her traditionally accepted vehicle, the owl. Now, the
owl (Ulooka in Sanskrit), is a bird that sleeps through the day
and prowls through the night. In a humorous vein it is said that
owing to its lethargic and dull nature the Goddess takes it for a
ride! She is the handmaiden of those who know how to control it;
how to make best use of her resources, like the Lord Vishnu. But
those who blindly worship her are verily the owls or 'Ulookas'.
The choice is ours: whether we wish to be Lord Vishnu or the
'Ulooka' in our association with Lakshmi.
Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/madhuban/pc26.jpg
(size : 129 kb)
SARASWATI:
Saraswati is one of the few important goddesses in the Vedas who
have retained their significance to the present day. Literary
evidence suggests that right from the ancient times down to the
modern, she is perceived in three major roles, as a river, as Vak
(speech), and as a goddess.
In the Vedas her character and attributes are clearly associated
with the mighty Saraswati River. She is the earliest example of a
goddess who is associated with a river in the Indian tradition.
In a symbolic sense she suggests the sacrality inherent in rivers
or water in general. While the symbolism of water is rich and
complex in the religions of the world, two typical associations
are important in Vedic descriptions of Saraswati. First, she is
said to bestow bounty, fertility and riches. Her waters enrich
the land so that they can produce. Second, Saraswati represents
purity, as does water, particularly running water. It is stated
frequently in the Vedas that the banks of Saraswati were
especially sacred for ritual purposes. This also suggests the
purifying powers of the river.
Another particular association with rivers is the imagery of
crossing from the world of ignorance or bondage to the far shore,
which represents the world of enlightenment or freedom. The river
in this metaphor represents the state of transition, the period
of birth, in which the spiritual sojourner undergoes a crucial
metamorphosis. The river represents a great purifying power in
which the pilgrim drowns his old self and is born anew, free and
enlightened.
In addition, a curious legend surrounds Saraswati, the river:
Once the celebrated Vedic sage Vasishtha was practising penance
on the banks of the river Saraswati. Suddenly, the warrior turned
saint Vishvamitra, a sworn enemy of Vasishtha, appeared on the
scene and said to her, 'Flow on and bring Vasishtha floating on
your waves.' Saraswati hesitated for a while, but seeing that
Vishvamitra was determined, she broke through her banks where
Vasishtha sat meditating. Vishvamitra was very pleased. But
Saraswati did not stop at that. She flowed on towards the east,
with Vasishtha on the crest of her waves. Vishvamitra realizing
her intention was to protect Vasishtha rather than harm him, grew
indignant and cursed Saraswati, turning her into a river of
blood.
When the poor sages, who lived in hermitage on her banks, came
for a bath, they were shocked to find a flowing stream of blood.
Saraswati prayed to them, ' I was a river of pure water. But the
sage Vishvamitra ordered me to bring his enemy, the good sage
Vasishtha, floating to him. I sensed mischief but was afraid of
Vishvamitra's ire. So I carried Vasishtha away from where he sat,
but instead of delivering the innocent sage to his ill-tempered
colleague, I took him to a safer place. Vishvamitra realized my
intention and cursed me. I feel so unclean and humiliated. Can't
you sages cleanse my water and restore my purity?'
'We surely can and are definitely going to do just that,' said
the kind-hearted hermits, who were moved by her courage. So,
through their magic powers Saraswati regained her purity and
again became a river flowing with water. This is why she is also
referred to as Shonapunya, a Sanskrit word meaning 'one purified
of blood'.
Conception of Goddess Saraswati as a flowing blood river is open
to interpretation as a symbol of the menstrual blood flow in
women, particularly since Saraswati is conceived of as an
ever-flowing stream which purifies and "fertilizes" the Earth.
Later ancillary Vedic literature consistently equates her with
the goddess of speech, known as Vak. The importance of speech in
Hinduism is both ancient and central. The entire creative process
is said to be held in the sacred syllable OM, and the idea of
creation proceeding from shabda -brahman (ultimate reality in the
form of sound) is often mentioned in the ancient texts. A mantra
too, which may consist of words or of sounds alone, is said to
possess great power. Indeed, the mantra of a given deity is
declared to be equivalent to the deity itself. To pronounce a
mantra is to make the deity present. There resides in sound a
potent quality, and this quality is embodied in Saraswati, the
Goddess of speech.
As the embodiment of speech, then, Saraswati is present wherever
speech exists. And so it is that she is pre-eminently associated
with the best in human culture: poetry, literature, sacred
rituals, and rational communication between individuals.
Till today, whenever a new baby arrives, grandmothers make a five
pointed star-called Saraswati-sign on the newborn's tongue with
honey. The tongue, the organ of speech, is thus expected to get
hitched to Saraswati's star early enough.
As Saraswati, the goddess, her identity is not as nebulous as Vak
(speech). There are clear descriptions of her form, dress,
ornaments and mount, together with the articles she is associated
with. She is always referred to as extremely beautiful, fair
complexioned, with four arms, ever youthful and gracious looking.
She is seated on a lotus-accompanied by her swan, and holds a
lute (Veena) resting across her breast. In her hands she holds a
rosary, a book and a water pot. The book associates her with the
sciences and with learning in general. The lute associates her
with the arts, particularly the musical arts, and the rosary and
the water pot associate her with the spiritual sciences and with
religious rites. She is dressed in white and blue garments,
reminiscent of her form as a river. Like Lakshmi and unlike Durga
and Kali, she does not carry any arms or weapons.
Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/hindu/ha10.jpg (size
: 49 kb)
Her color is white, the color of peace. Her clothes, the lotus
she sits upon, and also her familiar swan, are all white. Not for
her Kali's dramatic and gory nakedness, or Lakshmi's dazzling red
and gold. Her robe and appearance show serenity and a total lack
of artifice.
Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/sculptures/za33.jpg
(size : 63 kb)
Legends say that she sprung from the forehead of her father,
Brahma, as did the Greek virgin goddess Athena who was born from
her father, Zeus's head. As soon as Brahma looked at this
beautiful woman, he desired her, even though she was his
daughter. Saraswati disliked the amorous attentions of this old
god and kept dodging him, but whichever way she moved, Brahma
grew a head in that direction to see her the better. As a result
he grew four faces on four sides of his neck, and even a head on
top of these four, so that she could not escape by moving
upwards. But Saraswati still eluded him.
Brahma was angry. He, being the Creator, was also all powerful.
We do not know how, but legend has it that he did manage to marry
the elusive girl, and produced through her mind the four great
Vedas. Lore also has it that Brahma discovered that his girl-wife
was too aloof and absent-minded for his liking. He had arranged
for a major fire-sacrifice, at which his wife's appearance by his
side was a must. He repeatedly warned Saraswati not to take too
long over her toilet and miss the auspicious hour. She must, he
had decreed, take her traditional seat to his left, well in time.
But Saraswati behaved with her characteristic whimsical disregard
for parental diktats. Her prolonged toilet saw to it that the
holy hour passed without the couple's making the supreme joint
offering to the fire God as man and wife. When Saraswati finally
arrived, Brahma was livid. He threw her out, and replaced her
with the daughter of a sage, called Gayatri.
Saraswati, thus, though married, never enjoyed domestic bliss
like Durga or Lakshmi. According to most myths she had no
children, possessed a fiery temper, was easily provoked and was
somewhat quarrelsome. She, of all the goddesses, is described as
possessing a very independent will and was not very obliging to
the male gods.
As the disinherited daughter and estranged wife, Saraswati lived
perpetually in self-imposed exile. She focuses her calm,
dispassionate gaze upon the past as pure experience. The capacity
to recall without anger or resentment, is Saraswati's greatest
gift to her children: the writers, musicians and creators of
various art forms. All of them have fought with tradition, but
their fight has been cerebral, not emotional. For without cutting
away the umbilical cord, no innovative new beginning may ever be
made, whether one is creating or procreating. This is the message
of Saraswati.
Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/batik/ba73.jpg (size
: 61 kb)
Saraswati's ironical eye, one may be sure, watches Kali's tussle
for power against male demons and Lakshmi's subterfuges in the
male world of power and plenitude. But she remains a witness, a
dispassionate historian. She is the one who believes in the
ultimate futility of all warfare and the trappings of wealth.
Understandably, such a Goddess could be venerated by the
simple-minded and earthy householders, but not loved and fussed
over by them, like her regal sister Lakshmi, or even feared and
held in awe like Shakti. Saraswati remains the unblemished
ascetic goddess, to whom no temples are built and who offers
nothing except knowledge, no institution, no protection, no
riches.
Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/madhuban/db17.jpg
(size : 49 kb)
(Thus ends the newsletter for the month of December.)
Warm regards,
Nitin G
http://www.exoticindiaart.com
http://www.kundalini-gateway.org
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