The True Significance of Vasant Panchami: Celebrating Creation and Self
We know that every Indian festival is not merely an occasion of merriment and ritualism; rather there is celebration of that which is bundled in several layers. There is not just the story but also its essence, not just the gross but also the subtle, not only the outer but also the inner for us to explore. When celebrations are combined with an appreciation of this profundity, then the spirit is elevated further more.
The outer dimension: So also it is, with Vasant Panchami. Vasant Panchami is dedicated to the goddess of knowledge, arts and music, Ma Saraswati as also to Kamadev. As the name suggests, Vasant Panchami, which is celebrated on the fifth day of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of the ‘Magha’ lunar month, marks the onset of spring (Vasant Ritu). But there is so much more to this than just the gods and goddesses we speak of. Spring brings with it new creations and this is symbolized by the divine energy of Ma Saraswati. But interestingly, people also worship the divinity, Kamadeva on this day. This is no surprise, because the onset of spring is associated with nature coming alive: flowers blooming, bumblebees buzzing, and creatures mating. This gets symbolized by Kamadev – the divine creative energy of Nature.
Heralding the arrival of Spring, Vasant Panchami also marks the start of preparation for Holi, which occurs 40 days later. Vasant Panchami is one of the many festivals that have been celebrated in India for a long time as part of ‘Vasantotsav’ (“festival of spring”). The celebration in Nature thus lends itself itself to celebration in community…thus Vasantotsav. In both poetry and prose, writers have reserved their best for the spring season.
The legend about Kamadeva goes that after the god of love was turned to ashes by Lord Shiva for his misdeeds, his wife Rati went through an arduous 40 days of penance to bring her husband back. On the day of Vasant Panchami, Shiva finally relented and brought Kamadeva back to life. This signifies Nature is restored back to its beauty with the onset of Spring. Kamadeva, the god of love and desire, is worshipped along with his wife Rati on this day, celebrating this aspect of Nature.
The inner dimension: According to popular beliefs, goddess of knowledge, art, music and science, Saraswati was “born” on this day and people worship her to achieve wisdom. Ma Saraswati is almost always shown in the colour Yellow. What is the connection with Yellow?
Yellow is the colour of the solar plexus chakra. It is a primary color, composed from a single ray of light. Yellow is the colour of sunshine and it is the core of our being. It is at the solar plexus where the “I” shines from, where one feels the strength, will and personal power. The energy of yellow is vibrant, optimistic, and full of energy. It is the colour People who are drawn to yellow are drawn to intellectual pursuits. Thus the colour yellow is the colour of Saraswati.
The Solar plexus Chakra is connected with the element fire – Agni. Unfolding the petals of solar plexus chakra, one finds that Agni burns within us, that gives us power and energy to stand for our self and to assert our self. Its also about trust and inner worth. That is the healing brilliance of yellow. On a physical level agni relates to stomach, digestive organs, middle back, pancreas, liver, and muscles. People with strong yellow energy stand tall and radiate power. Thus Vasant season is the traditional beginning of good health, creativity and learning in humans, while enjoying the fullness of Nature and thus the celebration of Vasant Panchami.
Ma Saraswati is the one who gives us the essence of our own self. This is the highest knowledge known to humankind and leads to the understanding of the world. She is also one who carries the flow of knowledge. The Lotus is one more symbol – of the experience of the self, being one with the Divine. A true teacher has to be a realized soul, hence the Lotus has been depicted as her seat. Why does she play the Veena? Yet another symbol or symbols – both the Veena and the hands which wield it. The hand on the upper part of the Veena represents the mind and that on the lower part is the intellect. The mind and the intellect have to come together; along with knowledge (scriptures in the third hand) and meditation (japamala in the fourth hand) to play the divine melody of realization of the Self. The swan is again another symbol – of Vivek – (separating milk from water) discernment, which forms the foundation/ vehicle of all self knowledge.
Having sought the blessings of Ma Saraswati, the arduous yet beautiful journey from the outer world to the inner: Self – inquiry, examination, knowledge, evaluation, reflection and realization may be possible. Then it is possible to create the new, beautiful and diverse, just like Nature starts doing with the onset of Spring. This event of creation in Nature is celebrated as Vasant Panchami.
_Wish you and your family Shubh Saraswati Puja and Vasant Panchami!