Tridevi - the three supreme Goddess in Hinduism". Hindu FAQS | Get answers for all the questions related to Hinduism, the greatest religion!. 18 March 2015. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the last three days of the Navaratri festival, i.e., Ashtami, Navami, and Dashami, are celebrated as Saraswati Puja. [95] Saraswati Devi idol at home

a b Warrier, Shrikala (2014). Kamandalu: the seven sacred rivers of Hinduism. London: Mayur University London. p.97. In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, "Sarasvati appears above all as a sacred river, along which pilgrimages are made. She is also represented as goddess of speech and knowledge." [46] She is called "the best of rivers and greatest of streams", and with calm and tranquil waters, in contrast to the mighty torrential Vedic Sarasvati. [46] Her banks are filled with priests and sages ( rishis) who practice asceticism and sacrifices on her banks. [47] There are numerous depictions of people making pilgrimages to the river to perform sacrifices and bathe in her waters and she often appears in her human form to great seers like Vasishtha. [48]According to the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra (c. 4th century - 5th century CE. ), Saraswati was born from the eyetooth of Avalokiteshvara. [128]

A hamsa – either a swan or a goose – is often shown near her feet. In Hindu mythology, the hamsa is a sacred bird, which if offered a mixture of milk and water, is said to be able to drink the milk alone. It thus symbolizes the ability to discriminate between good and evil, essence from the outward show, and the eternal from the evanescent. [75] Due to her association with the swan, Saraswati is also referred to as Hamsavāhini, which means "she who has a hamsa as her vehicle". The swan is also a symbolism for spiritual perfection, transcendence and moksha. [73] [78] a b MacRae, Duncan (2016). Legible religion: books, gods, and rituals in Roman culture. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-08871-9. OCLC 974037540. In Fasti III, Ovid called her the "goddess of a thousand works" [14] due to all of the things she was associated with. Minerva was worshipped throughout Italy, and when she eventually became equated with the Greek goddess Athena, she also became a goddess of battle. Unlike Mars, god of war, she was sometimes portrayed with sword lowered, in sympathy for the recent dead, rather than raised in triumph and battle lust. In Rome her bellicose nature was emphasized less than elsewhere. [19] Hunúŋpa, Lakota bear spirit of wóksape (Lakota concept of sacred knowledge), lesser spirit of knowledge The birth of Saraswati from the mind of Brahma is also described in the Brahmanda Purana (chapter 43). Saraswati is tasked to reside on tip of the tongue of all beings, a river on the earth and as a part of Brahma. [58] In the Bhagavata PuranaIn various Indian tantric sadhanas to Saraswati (which only survive in Tibetan translation), her bija (seed) mantra is Hrīḥ. [136] Nepalese Buddhism Ludvík, Catherine (2007). Sarasvatī, Riverine Goddess of Knowledge: From the Manuscript-carrying Vīṇā-player to the Weapon-wielding Defender of the Dharma. BRILL. p.1. Our Lady of Victories (The Portland Sailors and Soldiers Monument)". Public Art Portland . Retrieved 28 January 2017. The Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sūtra (PDF). BDK English Tripiṭaka Series. Translated by Rolf W. Giebel. Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai; Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. 2005. pp.33, 141. In other influential Shakta texts, such as the Devi Bhagavata Purana and the Devi Upanishad, Saraswati (along with all Hindu goddesses) is also said to be a manifestation of the supreme Mahadevi.