In the knowledge economy goddess, Saraswati is our guiding force. Every single day things are changing, the only way to cope with this is to be a voracious learner with an appetite for any challenging change brought to us. Our wellbeing, wealth, work-life are all dictated by our updated knowledge.
In India, every god represents qualities and traits that we want to bring into ourselves and our life for larger success -satisfaction and a soulful life journey. Saraswati symbolizes our need and nurturing of wisdom, which is the GPS to our life purpose.
Today every profession demands continuous learning -relearning and unlearning to stay relevant. Thus goddess Saraswati commands our destiny in the knowledge economy. She symbolizes aura of knowledge through her presence, purity through her white attire, wisdom with the books she holds, pure judgment through the swan, her lotus represents energy, veena representing tuning of the head-heart -hands, the peacock is a representation of ego control and rosary the symbol of being in a meditative mode.
In the knowledge economy, knowledge is the first step to performance -potential and productivity. Prayers help us focus our inner being to cultivate the traits -habits-qualities of eternal learning mind. No matter what profession our society today has become very learning savvy. While Google is our universal academy for research and soaking ourselves into knowledge pertinent to our domain, WhatsApp facilitates social learning & leverage. The boom in edutech companies is a testimony to the need to learn on the go. This intuitive -AI-driven world has made us conscious of how we can find our passion, alignment, and satisfaction as knowledge seekers!!
Saraswati Puja is performed to seek the blessings of Goddess Saraswati. She is believed to be the consort of Lord Brahma, who created the Universe with her knowledge. She sits on a swan and has a peacock on her side. She holds a Veena in her hands. The puja is performed with friends and family by placing an idol or a photo of Goddess Saraswati in your Puja room ideally in the east direction. And keeping all our important books next to her, lighting a Diya and offering sweets-flowers and fruits. Mantras of Goddess Saraswati are recited before the idol or photo of Goddess and Arati is performed with dedication and devotion. Students usually pray for success in exams and ultimately in life while professionals seek excellence, capability to address change, continuous learning and progress in life.
Food prepared during this day includes kheer (rice cooked in milk and sugar), curd rice, sugar cane, sugar candy, and gingelly balls along with parched rice and paddy are offered to Goddess and then eaten by all the members of the family as Prasad. Many people feed poor Brahmins, give books to poor students, feed them and provide them things needed for health and knowledge. People pray to holy Gods and Gurus for spiritual knowledge. You can also donate money or books to educational institutes, orphanages, and spiritual institutes.
The origin of the Goddess has many stories attached to it. Some say she came out of the mouth of Lord Brahma while some say that she came out of the Samudra Manthan. It does not matter what the story of origin is, the festival is celebrated with great fervor and gaiety in Bengal. Kite festival is associated with Vasant Panchami and people spend the day flying kites and socializing as well. Praying to Goddess Saraswati is said to reward a person with success and peace in life.
Wish you a very happy Basant Panchami!! May your wealth of knowledge grow by the days!
drsonaliduttabaanerjee 
Thanks very much, Sonali, for this immensely enlightening blog on Goddess Saraswati and for your gracious Greetings on the propitious occasion of ‘Basant Panchami’ which I most warmly reciprocate. You richly deserve to be extolled…!!
You have brilliantly underscored the acquiring of Knowledge and Learning in one’s life, and have given a wonderful insight of Goddess Saraswati as well as how ‘Basant Panchami’ is celebrated.
Reading your blog is great learning per se. If the Goddess of Learning & Knowledge feels that She requires an ‘Ambassador’, it is you who will be adorned with the mantle!
As one who is privileged to share space with you in the same professional ilk, my affirmation is in sync with yours : one must have an unwhettable appetite and passion for learning and for sharing and applying knowledge and skills so gained, in order to stay relevant and avoid being redundant, particularly in the current scenario which is fiercely competitive and challenging. In doing so, one pays the right obeisance to Goddess Saraswati.
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