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THE GODDESSES
THE PART played by the woman in the perpetua
1. SARASVATI (Pls. 98-103) tion of the species was not ignored by the Vedic scers. This had to be recognised in religion. The She is the goddess of learning and culture. Her intellect of the Vedic seer had been illumined by other names are: Vāk, Vägdevi, Vägišvari, the vision of the ONE whom the motionless, Bhārati, Vāni, etc. inscrutable, deep, dark void in labour gave birth She is popular with the Hindus, the Buddhists to. The majesty of this August Mother could not and the Jains. The Buddhists have made her the but be realised early. She is called Aditi-Bound- consort of Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. lessness personified.
In Hindu mythology, she is sometimes consorted Aditi is Universal Nature. She is the spouse with Brahma and sometimes with Vishyu or of Rita, the cosmic order or Law prevailing in Ganesa. She is ordinarily represented sitting on Nature. She is the sky, the air, the mother, the a lotus seat with one leg pendant, playing on a father, the son. She is whatever has been born; Vină a lute-like stringed musical instrument. she is whatever shall be born. She is not only The Rigvedic Sarasvati is the manifestation the Universal Nature but also the Universal of a river of that name. In the course of time, Mother.
she came to be identified with the Vedic goddess The Purāņic conception of the Devi is the saine Vāk (Speech). as that of Aditi. Through the course of the deve- When she appears as an individual goddess, lopment of the theory of Sakti, her maternal she becomes the wife of Brahma. The Matsyaaspect is never lost sight of. The next develop- Purina tells the story of her creation by Brahma. ment of this line of thought is reached when the Brahmå became cnamoured of his own daughter, maternal aspect of Sakti led to her inevitable and as she began to move round him in devotion, characterisation as wife. Here even her conception out of a keen desire to stare at her, a face sprang does not subordinate her to the husband. Sakti is up in each direction, to enable Brahma to look the female counterpart of Siva: Prakriti is the at her. This is how Brahma got five faces. The female energy of Puruşa; but it is she who is the myth of Brahma's incest with his own daughter. dynamic principle. Siva is powerful and active only however, owes its origin to the Rig Veda, where with Sakti, otherwise he is in torpor and inactive. the Vedic Prajāpati copulates with his daughter
This wifely aspect of the Original Mother has Uşas. been accounted for in the Purăņas by the story Later, Sarasvati is consorted with Vishnu. These of the birth of the Triad, Brahmå. Vishnu and later legends are concerned with Krishna. Siva, from the Devi, who ultimately took Siva as She appears as the wife of either Brahma, her consort,
Vishnu or Ganesa. Sometimes she appears alone. 54
