Vedic Goddess Devi Saraswati as portrayed in various Asian cultures

Vedic Goddess Devi Saraswati as portrayed in various Asian cultures: 

Whenever we present a formless entity in a form, some changes and alterations are inevitable due the diversity of cultures in space and time. But anybody can easily recognize the oneness of the fundamental concept which has inspired such a diverse representation in various cultures, as is in the case of all these pictures of Devi Saraswati. The same is true about the formless and nameless supreme entity. The moment the transcendental reality is presented in words, such differences according to the place and time in this world, some basic differences are bound to come in. But we need to train ourselves to look beyond those differences and have a vision of the fundamental oneness which lies beyond all the differences. This is where the path of the Vedas leads us, “The Truth is One, but the wise express it in various ways.” (Rig Veda) How ridiculous it would be for me to say that ONLY the Indian or Hindu depiction of Saraswati is the correct one?

 

Saraswati in Balinese Art, Embassy of Indonesia, Washington DC. USA. President Barack Obama is sitting as a child at Her lotus feet. 

Saraswati, ancient marble statue, India

Saraswati in Balinese Art, Indonesia

Saraswati in contemporary Indian art. India

Saraswati in Japanese Art, Japan

Saraswati in Buddhist art.

Saraswati in Buddhist Art. 

Saraswati in Buddhist Art

Saraswati in Burmese Art, Burma

Saraswati in Cambodia. 

Saraswati in Thailand.

Saraswati in Jainism

Saraswati in Tamilnadu, India. 

Daily Message from the Upanishads (05.07.14)

“Know that all this, whatever moves in this moving world, is enveloped and inhabited by the Divine Lord.” The Divine Lord, the pure existence (Sat), is the only immovable and unchanging substratum of everything that moves and changes. Can we perceive this omnipresent existence? Yes, unconsciously we refer to it all the time when we use the verb “to be” in our language, such as in sentences like: The book ‘is’ here, I ‘am’ here, etc. However, we remain unconscious of this presence because we always experience it as defined by something else, such as by the ‘book’ or the ‘I’ in the above two examples, never in its pure undefined formless form. Let us today meditate upon this existence as it is on its own, undefined by anything else, just pure Existence per se. This Pure Existence doesn’t look like anything and yet it looks like everything. (Shukla Yajur Veda Ishavasya Upanishad 1)
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The Upanishads comprise of the quintessential mystical sections of the Vedas and therefore form the very foundation of Vedic Spirituality.

The Vedic masters on acts of service devoid of any selfish interest

Every good and noble deed leaves a subliminal impression (samskara) in the mind, the collection of which gives rise to the kind of human nature, inclination and interest which creates favorable circumstances under which the pleasant result or fruit of that good deed can be enjoyed. However, most good deeds give rise to pleasant experiences in which the experienced pleasure is momentary because it is dependent on the senses and the sense-objects. In the mystical language of the Vedas such experience is called “candra loka” or the enjoyments that a person experiences in the realm of the moon. While the sun of bliss lies deep within, a person experiencing the pleasant fruits of his actions is just experiencing a few rays of that inner sun of eternal bliss, not even directly, but only the ones reflecting from the surface of the mind, like a man standing in a full moon night experiences only the sunrays through the moon. It must be noted that the moon stands for the mind which like the moon is seemingly shining with consciousness because of a few rays of consciousness which fall upon it from the great inner sun of consciousness, the Self. Pleasant experiences dependent on the contact of the senses with the sense-objects are momentary and constantly increase or decrease in their intensity like the light of the moon. The secret key to transcend momentary experiences of pleasure and to reach the inner everlasting source of bliss is to constantly perform good and noble deeds, but without a desire for their fruits. The fruits of those noble deeds are to be offered back to the omnipresent divinity for the wider good of the society. This is the idea of Karma Yoga presented by Bhagavan Shri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita: “To action alone you have a right and never at all to its fruits. Let not the fruit of action be your motive, neither let there be in you any attachment to inaction.” Maharshi Patanjali calls it Kriya Yoga, and more specifically Ishvara Pranidhana (see Yoga Sutra 2.1). On the Vedic path of spirituality, this is considered the single most important practice for inner development, the only practice among all practices which Shri Krishna claims to practice even himself: “ O Arjuna, There is not for me any work in the three worlds which has to be done nor anything to be obtained which has not been obtained; yet I’m constantly engaged in work. For if I should cease to work, there worlds would fall in ruin and I should be the creator of disordered life and destroy these people.” That someone can acquire supreme perfection by this single practice alone has been very clearly stated in Gita 3.20: “It was by work alone that King-Rishi Janaka and others attained to perfection.” This is the path of finding peace and God in the world, not in the escape from it.  

The Vedic traditions on eating food

Maharshi Vedavyasa has stated in Kurma Purana (1.2.19.19): “Whatever is eaten wearing shoes should be considered demonic (asura) in nature.” In Vedic tradition eating food is a very sacred affair. It isa form of fire worship (yajna) in which food is offered to the divine fire present within every being’s stomach as ‘Vaishvanara’ – “Becoming the fire of life I dwell in the bodies of all living creatures.” (Bhagavad Gita 15.14) With this awareness the daily intake of our meals becomes a form of meditation and worship of light. Our food becomes sacred and sanctified as an offering to the omnipresent divinity residing within each one of us. The Maharshis of the Krishna Yajur Veda (Taittiriya Upanishad 3.2) realized that “Food is Brahman (a manifestation of the Supreme Life Force).” Our life completely depends on it. Therefore, we should consume our food with respect, awareness and mindfulness, and ideally, in silence. This will also enable us to find out the proper quantity of our meals and prevent us from overeating, a great killer of humanity, as the Shukla Yajur Veda (Shatapatha Brahmana 7.2.2.17) states: “Only food eaten in proper quantity protects. If eaten too much, it destroys. If eaten too less, it fails to protect properly.” Someone who lacks this awareness consumes food for sheer enjoyment of the senses and, therefore, is called ‘asura’ – someone who lives only for the selfish enjoyment of his/her own senses. In our ignorance we are all born as ‘asuras’. But the Vedic traditions show us the path to transform ourselves from ‘asuras’ into ‘manushyas’ (thinking beings, human beings), and then, eventually, into ‘devas’ (radiant/enlightened beings). It must be noted that eating pure and wholesome food in a balanced amount is considered a great form of austerity (tapas) in the Yogic traditions (see Yogasudhakara commentary on Yoga Sutra 2.1) The Paka-shastras (Vedic cooking manuals) were inspired by such noble Vedic traditions.

Lotus flower: the symbol of the heart in the Vedic teachings

The lotus flower is the symbol for the heart in the Vedic teachings. Lotus’ love for the Sun, which is the source of life and light upon earth and therefore is worshipped as a manifestation of the Supreme Light, is well-attested as the flower opens after sunrise and closes after sunset. Despite being in a pond of muddy water it remains above the filth and hence remains undefiled by it. A heart attached to worldly desires is often compared to a downward facing closed lotus bud, but a heart awakened to universal love and the supreme light of wisdom is compared to an upward-facing fully-blossomed lotus. Every Hindu deity is mostly depicted as seated or standing on a lotus, because one meditates on the Divine as sitting within the heart-lotus, known in Yogic scriptures as Hṛdaya-Puṇḍrīka. Sama Veda (Chandogya Upanishad 8.1.1) states, “Here in this city of Brahman, i.e. in the body, is an abode in the form of a small lotus flower, i.e. the heart. Within it is a tiny little space. What is within that should be sought, for that, indeed, is what one should desire to understand.” Shiva Upadhyaya, a great commentator of an Agama text called “Vijñāna Bhairava”, explains (see commentary on verse 49): “The upward facing petals of the heart-lotus stand for correct understanding and the downward facing petals stand for the objects of our thoughts, i.e. the mind-content. At the center of both lies Pure Consciousness, the entity which comprehends all objects.” It is this inner Pure Consciousness which every mystic aspires to experience and become united with!!! 

The Lotus flower which is used as a symbol for the heart in Vedic mysticism

Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, manifestations of God's power to create, sustain and destroy are depicted standing on a lotus flower because a pious person meditates upon them as abiding within the heart.

Devi Saraswati, Devi Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha seated on lotus flowers which symbolize the heart.

What made India the most prosperous and richest land in the ancient world?

First, to those who think that the Vedic path is only a path of renunciation, voluntary poverty and hardships in life I would like to say the following: this is only true in the case of a chosen few who, despite being very rich, like the Buddha, have concluded that true everlasting happiness is not to be found through material wealth, and therefore now desire complete emancipation from the darkness of ignorance and want to find inner peace, inner prosperity and complete stillness of mind. 

For other common people, the Vedic path is a path to cultivate righteousness through which they learn how to properly earn material wealth and then fulfil their human desires, both without inflicting any kind of harm and suffering over the wider society. For them it shows the path of the 3 Purusharthas (common goals of humanity): the cultivation of dharma (righteousness), artha (accumulation of material wealth) and kama (proper fulfilment of human desires, including the sexual ones). The Vedic Rishis dedicated a considerable amount of effort to understand the depth and subtle nuances of these Purusharthas. 

The noble sage Shankaracharya provides the following interesting reason to why a person should work hard to achieve greatness or high position in life: “With high position material wealth bows down in front of him. With material wealth comes money which he can use for noble actions (such as the worship of light and acts of social charity). With this he achieves either the path of the forefathers or the path of the radiant beings.” (see commentary on Sama Veda Chandogya Upanishad 5.2.4) The path of the forefathers (pitṛ-yāṇa) unfolds through the worship of light (yajña), study of the noble Vedic teachings (adhyayana), charity (dāna) and austerity (tapas). This is the path of the religious. The path of the radiant/enlightened beings (deva-yāna) unfolds through truthfulness (satya), forgiveness (kṣamā), self-control (dama) and renunciation of greed (alobha). This is indeed the path of the mystic to which the path of the religious is merely preparatory. (see Mahabharata 3.2.75,76,77) 

However, wealth and material prosperity are essential tools to achieve this and, therefore, there is no sense of denial for wealth on the Vedic path. On the contrary, collective wealth and prosperity, if accumulated with such noble goals in mind, is worshipped as Devi Lakshmi or Shri, the goddess of wealth and the consort of Lord Vishnu, God’s power of universal sustenance. This was the philosophy and ethics which made India the richest and the most prosperous nation in the ancient world. Pics: Devi Lakshmi, the Vedic Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity, in Her various forms.