Sri Saraswathi Vandanam

Prayer of Goddess Sri Saraswathi 

या कुंदेंदु तुषारहार धवला, या शुभ्र वस्त्रावृता |     
या वीणावर दण्डमंडितकरा, या श्वेतपद्मासना ||
या ब्रह्माच्युतशंकरप्रभ्रृतिभिर्देवै: सदा वन्दिता |
सा मां पातु सरस्वती भगवती निःशेष जाड्यापहा ||
शुक्लां ब्रह्मविचार सार परमां आद्यां जगद्व्यापिनीं
वीणा पुस्तक धारिणीं अभयदां जाड्यान्धाकारापाहां|
हस्ते स्फाटिक मालीकां विदधतीं पद्मासने संस्थितां

वन्दे तां परमेश्वरीं भगवतीं बुद्धि प्रदां शारदां||

Hindi Text:

जो कुंद फूल, चंद्रमा और वर्फ के हार के समान श्वेत हैं, जो शुभ्र वस्त्र धारण करती हैं|
जिनके हाथ, श्रेष्ठ वीणा से सुशोभित हैं, जो श्वेत कमल पर आसन ग्रहण करती हैं||
ब्रह्मा, विष्णु और महेश आदिदेव, जिनकी सदैव स्तुति करते हैं|
हे माँ भगवती सरस्वती, आप मेरी सारी (मानसिक) जड़ता को हरें||

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु विद्यारूपेण संस्थिता, नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ||

( English text):

Yaa Kundendu tushaara haara-dhavalaa, Yaa shubhra-vastra'avritaa
Yaa veena-vara-danda-manditakara, Yaa shweta padma'asana
Yaa brahma'achyuta shankara prabhritibhir Devai-sadaa Vanditaa
Saa Maam Paatu Saraswati Bhagavatee Nihshesha jaadya'apahaa.
Shuklaam Brahmavichaara Saara paramaam Aadhyaam Jagadvyapinim,
Veena Pustaka Dhaarineem Abhayadaam Jaadya'andhakaara'apahaam
Haste Sphaatika Maalikam Vidadhateem Padmasane Sansthitaam

Vande taam Parmeshwareem Bhagavateem Buddhipradaam Shardam.

She, who is as fair as the Kunda flower,the moon, and a garland of Tushar flowers; She, whose hands are adorned by the excellent veena, and whose seat is the pure white lotus; O Mother Goddess, remove my mental inertia!

Saraswati Vandana Mantra is an important hindu mantra that is recited for higher knowledge and wisdom.

The goddess Saraswati is the authority on academics and the arts. Everybody from musicians to scientists following Hinduism pray to her for guidance and knowledge. The Saraswati Vandana Mantra is recited by her devotees every morning for good luck.Everyone has a different version for the vandana which just means holy song. So as a student you ask for physical knowledge as a musician ask for Timing Taals etc

The name Saraswati comes from saras (meaning "flow") and wati (meaning "she who has flow"). In Telugu Langquage(తెలుగు భాష) she is also known as chaduvula talli(చదువుల తల్లి), Sarada(శారద). In Konkani, she is referred to as Sharada, Veenapani, Pustaka dharini, Vidyadayini. In Kannada, variants of her name include Sharade, Sharadamba, Vani, Veenapani in the famous Shringeri temple. In Tamil, she is also known as kalaimagal (கலைமகள்), Kalaivaani (கலைவாணி), Vaani (வாணி). She is also addressed as Sharada (the one who loves the autumn season), Veena pustaka dharani (the one holding books and a Veena), Vaakdevi, Vagdevi, Vani (all meaning "speech"), Varadhanayagi (the one bestowing boons) and many other names.

Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and arts, represents the free flow of wisdom and consciousness. She is the mother of the Vedas, and chants to her, called the 'Saraswati Vandana' often begin and end Vedic lessons. The  goddess Saraswati endows human beings with the powers of speech, wisdom and learning. She has four hands representing:

1.       In First hand a  pustaka (sacred Vedas) , representing the universal, divine, eternal, and true knowledge as well as her perfection of the sciences and the scriptures.

2.       In Second hand a akshamala (garland of crystals to meditate), representing the power of meditation and spirituality.

3.       In Third hand a kamandalu (pot of sacred water), representing creative and purificatory powers, or the smooth flow of knowledge, like water, stored in a pot. 

4.       In Fourth hand, a musical instrument (Veena) that represents her perfection of all arts and sciences.

She is dressed in white – the symbol of purity – and rides on a white swan – symbolizing Sattwa Guna or purity and discrimination. The white swan is often located next to her feet. Swan, in Sanskrit, is called "Hamsa", hence Goddess Saraswati is also referred to as Hamsa-vahini,. It is said that if the  sacred swan  offered a mixture of milk and water, she will drink the only milk. Thus swan symbolizes discrimination between the good and the bad or the eternal and the evanescent. The swan and her association with the lotus flower also point to her ancient origin. Sometimes a peacock is shown beside the goddess. The peacock represents arrogance and pride over its beauty, and by having a peacock as her mount, the Goddess teaches not to be concerned with external appearance and to be wise regarding the eternal truth.

Saraswati The Goddess of Speech:

Saraswati means "the essence of one's own self." Saraswati denotes that aspect
of the Supreme reality which represents knowledge, learning, and wisdom. In
Hindu mythology Saraswati is the divine spouse of Brahma, the god of creation.
Goddess Saraswati is the embodiment of the mighty Saraswati River of the Vedas.
Saraswati means "the essence of one's own self." The Sanskrit word 'sara' means
essence and 'swa' means 'self'. She is the earliest goddess who is associated
with a river in the Indian tradition. She is the divine spouse of Lord Brahma,
the creator. Since knowledge is necessary for creation, Saraswati
symbolizes the creative power of Lord Brahma. She is also praised for her
ability both to cleanse and fertilize the earth, and has been equated with the
goddess of learning, poetry, music, and culture. She is associated with speech- Vac: the goddess of river like, streaming speech. The Rigvedic hymns dedicated to Saraswati mention her as a mighty river with creative, purifying, and nourishing properties. Veda says that the path of knowledge has the power to dispel ignorance of what is permanent and what is passing. Celebrating Saraswati is a call to the higher mind, the beginning of a deep desire to understand the purpose and meaning of life. 

Saraswati - The goddess of learning:

Saraswati is typically shown seated on a lotus. Like the swan, the lotus seat of
the goddess suggests her transcendence of the physical world. She floats above
the muddy imperfections of the physical world, unsullied, pure, and beautiful.
Although rooted in the mud (like man rooted in the physical world), the lotus
perfects itself in a blossom that has transcended the mud. She inspires people
to live in such a way that they may transcend their physical limitations
through the ongoing creation of culture. Goddess Saraswati is worshiped
throughout India and on her special day in spring, Vasant Panchmi, she is
worshipped by school children as the patron goddess of learning. The Benaras
Hindu University was also founded on this day. Saraswati's birthday - Vasant Panchami - is a Hindu festival celebrated every year on the 5th day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Magha. Hindus celebrate this festival with great fervor in temples, homes and educational institutes alike.

 In the Rig-Veda (6,61,7), Saraswati is credited, in association with Indra, with killing the serpentine being Vritraasura, a demon which hoarded all of the earth's water and so represents drought, darkness, and chaos. She is often seen as equivalent to other Vedic goddesses such as Vak, Savitri, and Gayatri. Saraswati represents intelligence, consciousness, cosmic knowledge, creativity, education, enlightenment, music, the arts, and power. She is worshipped for the true divine knowledge essential to achieve moksha. She is also referred to as Shonapunya, a Sanskrit word meaning ‘one purified of blood’. In some Puranas (like Skanda Purana) she is associated with Shiva and in some Tantras with Ganesha.    Brahma created the universe with the help of Saraswati. Brahma was the guardian of the cosmos. He needed Saraswati’s support to sustain the cosmos. Using her knowledge he instituted and maintained dharma, sacred laws that ensure stability and growth in society.  Saraswati gives the essence of one’s self. She provides us with the mundane and spiritual knowledge of our lives. She is a representation of the science of life, or the Vedanta, which attempts to unravel the essentials of human existence and the universe concealed within. She points to the ultimate aim of human life which is to realize the true nature of the self even if it requires an enormous amount of determination, perseverance and patience. The knowledge that Saraswati renders through continual worship, devotion and discipline is one of an integral vision in which both temporal and spiritual levels of study are meditated upon, practiced and developed.  She is the impeller of true, sweet speech, she is the creative process with the syllable, ‘OM.’ She is the potent quality of sound.   There is a Triveni-Sangam (confluence of three) within our subtle-body  ( Sukshma- Sharira ). There is a Triveni at the spot between our eyebrows, the ajna-chakra, which is the actual prayaga. He whose mind  passes through this Chakra, becomes one with the Absolute. The three vital Nadis concur at this point - Ida, Pingala and Sushumna . Normally people breathe through Ida or Pingala, the left or the right nostril but the perfect yogins breath through the Sushumna which cannot be perceived by others. Sushumna is Saraswati, who is antah-Salila whereas the other two are Yamuna and Ganga respectively.

In the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and the union territory of Pondicherry skilled craftsmen have been making beautiful icons of Saraswati since generations. Around the festival of Durga Puja in October, innumerable craftsmen move out from West Bengal to different parts of the country and display their artistry in making clay images of Saraswati and other deities that are ceremonially installed in the pavilions erected for the celebrations. In West Bengal, Saraswati Puja forms part of the Durga Puja celebration. Saraswati in the Bengali tradition is regarded as the daughter of the Mother Goddess Durga or Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva. In Durga Puja, images of Durga and her children—Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartik—are installed in the specially built pavilions and celebrations go on for four days, ending with the immersion of the images in the sea of river. Durga Puja is the most important festival for the Bengalis world over and it is not only a religious festival but also an occasion for promotion of fine arts, culture and universal brotherhood.