Saraswati Puja

[anirvan]

pranam,

shakta learning is not related with liking the woman aspect of supreme.

worshiping male or women aspect of god can be either shakta way or by bhakti way.

if one love Divine mother out of love,passion with pure heart,it is bhakti sadhna.Laksmi,saraswati sadhna are more of bhakti sadhna.

those who worship divine (may be male/female aspect) as per methods of tantra
shakta. definitely there is also bhakti,but there involves lot of different achar,drabya,abhiseka,japa,dhyana etc. most important is use of draby(materials with miraculous power to invoke divine shakti to be pleased like....sacrifices, flower,soils,sandal,meat,saba etc).

[PatrickMB]

It sounds like your devotional leanings will be more closer to Shakta worship and tradition, then. You are not the first among many newcomers from the west who have intimated the same feelings to the Divine Mother (myself included among that many).

If I find any other useful resources on Maa Saraswati and Maa Lakshmi, I'll be sure to post them here.

Om namah Shivaya

Thank you, Sunyata07. The pictures of Maa Saraswati on this thread seem to me to reflect her Divine Beauty. I pray that She will help me cut the tangled knots of ignorance and illusion that cloud my soul.

[issacnewton]

Namaste Patrick,

Yes, Saraswati's beej syllable is AIM (somtimes written as EIM). And Her whole mantra is "Om Aim Saraswatye namah". In Sanskrit, this is written as:

Om namah Shivaya

sunyata , the beej mantr in the youtube link posted is not EIM.

[Jainarayan]

Sometimes I feel conflicted because, while my Ishta deva is Sri Krishna, I feel an affinity for Maa Saraswati because of my guitar playing. Even before I fully committed to Sanatana Dharma I began keeping her image near where I play. My learning and playing improved greatly after that. I have Her image in my avi with Her mantra because I am still learning, about a lot of things.

[sunyata07]

sunyata , the beej mantr in the youtube link posted is not EIM.

Namaste Isaacnewton,

I'm aware of this. As I view Saraswati as being the same luminous Being as Mothers Durga/Kali and Lakshmi, I am of the opinion that these beej syllables can be used together freely. Others may view this differently, but then again, this is my opinion. If you want a video with the actual EIM syllable included, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4AbqzSbBZE.

Om namah Shivaya

[sunyata07]

Sometimes I feel conflicted because, while my Ishta deva is Sri Krishna, I feel an affinity for Maa Saraswati because of my guitar playing.

Namaste Minotaur,

Why should you feel conflicted? Krishna is not a jealous God. It's my belief that one's affinity to Saraswati is a great motivator for striving for greater knowledge for the Supreme Truth, which in your case is Sri Krishna. She and Ganesha were one of the first Devas that really caught my attention when I first began reading casually about Hinduism. For this reason, They both have a special place in my heart.

Om namah Shivaya

[Jainarayan]

Namaste Minotaur,

Why should you feel conflicted? Krishna is not a jealous God.

Oh I know, you are right. I'm so silly at times. George Harrison said "the Lord loves the one that loves the Lord".

It's my belief that one's affinity to Saraswati is a great motivator for striving for greater knowledge for the Supreme Truth, which in your case is Sri Krishna. She and Ganesha were one of the first Devas that really caught my attention when I first began reading casually about Hinduism. For this reason, They both have a special place in my heart.

Om namah Shivaya

I feel the same way, with the addition of Sri Hanumanji. When I was a serious runner, and then serious strength trainer (which I must get back to), even before becoming Hindu, I always invoked Him for strength.

[sunyata07]

Oh I know, you are right. I'm so silly at times. George Harrison said "the Lord loves the one that loves the Lord".

Nice quote. You're not silly. I went through a similar phase a year ago when I was convinced that by singing Hare Krishna Hare Rama to myself, I was somehow insulting Shiva and Ganesha. I see Sri Hanuman much like I see Maa Saraswati. For me, He is the shining example of a true spiritual aspirant, powerful, courageous and selfless in all actions performed in sacrifice to God, as well as being unswervingly loyal. There is great benefit in saying a prayer to Him when you need the strength to push on.

[Jainarayan]

Yes, I see the Deva and Devi as "special needs" facets of God.

Btw, The Lord Loves The One (That Loves The Lord) is a song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frNTP7Z8tXQ

I'm going to learn how to play it.

[sunyata07]

Don't forget that Saraswati has long been praised as the giver of the element of Sound (Bijagarbha). Everytime a devotee rejoices in music creatively to praise God, does he not do so through the power of Mother Saraswati?

Btw, The Lord Loves The One (That Loves The Lord) is a song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frNTP7Z8tXQ

I can't believe I've never heard this one! Good luck with learning it. Hey, if and when you've fully mastered the guitar, maybe you could move onto the sitar someday. Imagine sitting on your porch playing one of those 21-stringed babies.

Om namah Shivaya