Sanskrit: सरस्वती, Sarasvatī
Free Simple Saraswati Puja PDF
Mother Saraswati is the Goddess of Learning. Her blessings are vital to our advancement and happiness.
In the form of “Jnana Saraswati,” the Divine Mother removes all obstacles to learning and grants us knowledge. Saraswati is a wonderful source of strength and refuge for young students – and all of us, who seek to learn. Saraswati is the Divine Mother of both “para” and “apara” vidya (spiritual wisdom and material knowledge), so anybody traversing a spiritual path and seeking to discover the truth of their being will honor Mother Saraswati and seek Her blessings to attain the Highest Wisdom.
Goddess Saraswati is described as being white-colored and wearing radiant white garments that represent her pure Sattvic nature. She carries the vina, a musical instrument that symbolizes the vibrational harmony of all life. She holds the Vedas (all knowledge) and a Japa Mala, which represents constant meditation upon the Divine Names. While the Vedas represent knowledge and Japa represents spiritual practice, by holding them both aloft, Mother Saraswati shows us that for the attainment of any important goal—we need both knowledge and focus.
Worship and its Benefits
We pray to Saraswati to shine forth the Light of true knowledge in our hearts and lives and lead us on the path of pure vibrations and Truth.
Shree Maa has told this charming story about the grace of the Goddess Saraswati. Once, a high school student told Shree Maa that even though she studied sincerely, she never got good grades. Shree Maa asked her gently why this was so, and the student mumbled that she sometimes got nervous, sometimes she forgot what she had studied, and sometimes the questions asked on the tests were just too difficult.
Shree Maa asked her, “And prayer? Do you pray to Mother Saraswati? Everyday? Even just before your exam?” The young girl was silent and Maa said encouragingly, “Pray to Mother Saraswati from now on. Chant Her mantra. Pray every day a little – and ask Her to help you. Call on Her before your exam. Mother will help you, no doubt.”
Less than a year passed and the girl’s mother told Shree Maa how well her daughter was doing in her studies, thanks to Mother Saraswati’s blessings and grace! Praying to Mother Saraswati is so important for children that Swamiji and Shree Maa have written a book called “Saraswati Puja for Children”.
Worship and Celebrations at the Devi Mandir
At the Devi Mandir, Saraswati Puja is celebrated with great fanfare on Magh Panchami, the fifth day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Magh, which usually falls in January. A variety of offerings are made for Mother Saraswati, and a grand puja is conducted by Swamiji.
Swamiji blesses all the children in attendance, as well as each of us who seeks knowledge, with the gift of pens that have been offered to Saraswati during the puja. He blesses our books, notebooks, musical instruments and even our laptops on this holy day. We end this celebration by singing to Divine Mother, who is the source of all vibration and the origin of music itself.
Reference Material
Exemplifying Divine creativity and inspiration in abundance, Shree Maa has written and sung many beautiful songs in praise of Mother Saraswati.
The Saraswati Stotram is available on Shree Maa’s CD, In the Temple of the Heart.
Make Puja for the whole family with our Saraswati Puja for Children book by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.