Vasantha Panchami (Sri Panchami)

Maagha Sukla Panchami (5^th day of the lunar month Maagha maasam) is reckoned as Vasantha Panchami one of the elected days for performing auspicious ceremonies. Vasantha Panchami emphasizes the approaching spring season (Vasantha Ruthu). Though this festival is not very popular in South India, it is a very important festival widely celebrated with great fervor in North, West Bengal and Maharashtra. In North Eastern States of our country it is celebrated as the beginning of a New Year.

 

This day is also known as Sri Panchami dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi, presiding deity of learning, knowledge and wisdom. Goddess Saraswathi is also referred to as Vaakk Devi, Goddess of Speech. For any student, poet, writer, analyst, journalist, astrologer, musician, singer, preacher, philosopher, etc… to become proficient and to excel in their field, Divine blessings and Grace of Vaakk Devi is very much essential.  She is also known by other names like Vaani, Sarada, Bharathi, Braahmi to name a few. A river by her name (Saraswathi) is also very famous, holy and spiritual in Hindu philosophy that forms a part of the famous river trio Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathi popularly known as Triveni.

Reference to Goddess Saraswathi, the divine consort of Lord Brahma one of the Trinity Lords we find in many Pouranic scripts like Padma Purana, Brahma Vaivartha Purana etc. It is said that several pouranic Sages like Sri Veda Vyasa, Brihaspathi, Yajnavalkya, Vasishta, Parasara, Bharadwaja etc. have worshiped Goddess Saraswathi in their spiritual pursuits. Saraswathi worship is essential for spiritual enlightenment. In the life history of Mantralaya Seer Sri Raghavendra Swamy we find Goddess Saraswathi as the Goddess responsible for giving direction to him for Sanyasa Sweekara.

Seated on a fully blossomed white Lotus, Goddess Saraswathi is generally depicted as Chaturbhuja (four hands) with Veena as her instrument which she will be holding in her two hands while in other two hands holding Vedas (sacred scriptures) and a maala of divine Rosary beads. White coloured Hamsa (Swan) is depicted as her vehicle (chariot) that symbolizes sattvik nature, purity, high intellectual capability and discrimination.

In Hindu religion, child going to a school (Vidyaarambha) generally begins with a ritual called Aksharaabhyasa (learning of alphabets) the foundation for education, one of the Shodasa Samskara. Akshara means the one that will not perish. Abhyaasa means practice. Anything that we acquire in this life may perish but, knowledge acquired through Akshara Gnana will never perish and will be an eternal asset. Goddess Saraswathi the presiding deity of such Akshara  Gnaana is said and believed to have born on this auspicious day Sri Panchami. Inducting a child into Aksharabhyaasa on this auspicious day has become a tradition for good progression in education.

While worship of Goddess Saraswathi is made round the year, certain special occasions are prescribed for an exclusive worship. One such occasion is on this auspicious day of Vasantha Panchami (Sri Panchami) and the other is during the Navarathri (Dussera) festival in the Lunar month of Aaswayuja on the 7th day (Sapthami) coinciding with Moola Nakshathra. It is highly meritorious to worship Goddess Saraswathi on these days and seek Her Grace to become learned, knowledgeable and wise.

In our country we find very few temples of Goddess Saraswathi which are of very ancient origin. Out of two such temples dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi, one is in Kashmir which is revered as one of the Ashtaadasa Shakthi Peeta (Kaashmirethu Saraswathi). The other one is in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh at a place called Basar known as Gnaana Saraswathi Kshethra said and believed to have been consecrated by Lord & Sage Sri Vedavyaasa which is more than 5000 years old.

Special celebrations and prayers are held on this day at all temples dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi. Uniqueness of this day’s celebrations at Basar temple will be; many inducting their children into Aksharaabhyasa on this auspicious day of Vasanatha Panchami also called Sri Panchami. Let us pray and worship Goddess Saraswathi on this auspicious day to get rid of our sluggishness, lethargy and ignorance.

सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यं वरदे कामरूपिणि ।
विद्यारम्भं करिष्यामि सिद्धिर्भवतु मे सदा ॥

Saraswathi Namasthubhyam Varadey Kaamaroopinee
Vidyaarambham Karishyami SiddhirBhavathu mey Sadaa...

Sri Krishnaarpanamasthu

Related post (please click on the link given below...)

Basar - A Rare Temple of Goddess Saraswathi