Search This Blog

Saraswati Pooja Visarjana

Significance

The fourth and final day of Saraswati Pooja during Navratri is known as Saraswati Visarjana day. Saraswati Visarjana is also known as Saraswati Udvasana. In Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka, Saraswati Pooja starts with Saraswati Avahan on Maha Saptami and ends on Vijayadashami with Saraswati Udasan or Visarjana (the day depends on individual customs at different places).

History

Saraswati is found in almost every major ancient and medieval Indian literature. She has remained significant as a goddess from the Vedic age through modern times of Hindu traditions. In Shanti Parva of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Saraswati is called the ‘mother of Vedas’, and later as the celestial creative symphony who appeared when Brahma created the universe. In Taittiriya Brahmana, she is called the ‘mother of eloquent speech and melodious music’. Saraswati is the active energy and power of Brahma.

Rituals

At the beginning of Goddess Saraswati pooja, the presiding deity is first invoked in a murti for the purpose of worship. At the end of the pooja, the presiding deity (Saraswati) is requested to depart from the murti. "Visarjana" is a Sanskrit word that refers to this final rite and act of respectfully requesting departure. The murti is viewed as a temporary body and is then returned to Nature by submersion into running water, such as a lake, river or the sea. The act is not necessary for inaugurated (pratishthita) permanent murtis found in Hindu temples.

People in Karnataka, in general, keep noble books at their home in the pooja griha and worship them imagining Goddess is there in books. They worship the books with a little bit turmeric, kunkum and offer flowers to it assuming that they are offering flowers to mother Saraswati.  Only after ‘visarjana’ they take those books back.