Saraswati Puja

Shardiya Navratri is celebrated with great pomp in all parts of the country but in South India, special worship of Goddess Saraswati is done during Navratri puja. In South India, the last four days of Navratri puja are dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. Saraswati Puja mainly begins with the Saraswati invocation of a deity and ends with the Saraswati Immersion on the auspicious day of Vijay Dashami. Mother (Mata) Saraswati is invoked on the Shashti Tithi of Shukla Paksha of Ashwin month. Worship is done on Saptami Tithi, sacrifice is done on Ashtami Tithi, and immersion of Goddess Saraswati is done on Dashami Tithi.

Saraswati worship

Mata Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge who eliminates the inertia of our lives. Those receiving education and other devotees worship Goddess Saraswati on this day. Goddess Saraswati worships is also described in the Puranas. According to the Puranas, Mata Saraswati has been called the goddess of knowledge. She can make even a person talented who is totally worthless. Mata Saraswati represents knowledge, wisdom, art and music. Therefore, by worshiping Mata Saraswati one become mastered in knowledge and art.

Method of worship

On the seventh day of Shukla Paksha of Ashwin month become pure after retiring from daily routine etc. Clean the place of worship by sprinkling Ganga water. Firstly worshiping Ganesha, Surya, Agni, Vishnu, Shiva, and Parvati, meditate for Goddess Saraswati and invoke her. Keep a fast and worship the Mata Saraswati with Shodashopachar (16 types of methods by which deities are worshipped.). Naivedya is useful for puja like fresh butter, curd, milk, puffed rice, sesame laddu, fresh jaggery made from sugarcane and sugarcane juice, sugar, Akshat (rice which is not broken), chiuda (made up of rice), laddu, ghee, kheer, and fruits, etc. White flowers, white sandalwood, and beautiful conch should be offered to Goddess Saraswati. Offer a garland of white flowers to the Mata Saraswati. Meditating on Goddess Saraswati gives immense happiness and removes confusion.

We have to Meditate like this

'The idol of Saraswati is white. She is an extremely beautiful goddess and always keeps smiling. Even the radiance of millions of moons is insignificant in front of her. She is wearing pure clothes. She has a veena in one hand and a book in the other. Jewelery made of the best gems is adorning her. It is blessed with the Brahma , Vishnu and Shiva and main Gods. Manu and Manav bow their heads at her feet. I pay my respects to such Goddess Saraswati .

After meditating in this way, offer all the items of worship to Goddess Saraswati and pay obeisance to the Mother Goddess. The people who consider Mother Saraswati as their favorite goddess should worship her daily. If it is not possible to worship daily through the above activities, then do the above meditation of Goddess Saraswati. Children should worship Mata Saraswati daily because Mata Saraswati is called the goddess of knowledge. After worship, one should listen to the story of Mata Saraswati. The mind remains calm by listening to the story of Mata Saraswati.

Story of Saraswati Puja

It is told in Brahmavaivarta Purana that once Goddess Saraswati had expressed her desire to find Lord Shri Krishna. Lord Shri Krishna, who is omniscient, understood their meaning. Shri Hari gives only those blessings to his followers which are good for them, hence he spoke beneficial words for them .

Lord Shri Krishna said- Sadhvi! You should serve Lord Vishnu. They are a part of me. You should always live your life happily with them. His feet give happiness. Lord Shri Krishna says- Oh Goddess! You will be worshiped with great pride in the universe on the auspicious occasion of Panchami Tithi of Shukla Paksha of Magh month. Due to the influence of my boon, from today onwards in every Kalpa, humans, Manugans, deities, sages, Vasus , Yogis , Siddhas, Nagas , Gandharvas and Rakshasas - all will worship you with great devotion by performing 16 types of methods. You will be cared for and worshiped by those restrained men. They will call you in a pot or a book. After writing your armor on birch bark, keeping it in a metal box and worshiping it with scent and sandalwood etc., people will wear it around their neck or on their right arm. During the puja, you will be praised and worshiped in many ways.

Saying this, Lord Shri Krishna, worshiped by everyone, first worshiped Mata Saraswati. After worshiping Lord Krishna, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Anant, Dharma, Munishwar, gods, sages, kings, etc. also worshiped Mata Saraswati . In this way Mata Saraswati started being worshiped by the entire world . We celebrate this puja by the name of Vasant Panchami (also called Basant Panchami). This story told in Brahmavaivarta Purana is very beneficial and fruitful. Mata Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge. By just remembering her, all paths to attaining knowledge open up. The seeker attains wealth in the form of knowledge.

Saraswati Sacrifice

Saraswati sacrifice day is a very auspicious day. On this day, people wake up in the morning, finish their daily routine etc. and prepare for the puja. All the devotees organize Havan to express their reverence before Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge. During the puja, coconut is also put in the 'Havna Kund' to seek the blessings of the deity. Also, in some communities, there is a tradition of sacrificing animals on this day.

Immersion of Saraswati Mata

This is the last day of Saraswati worship. On this day, all the devotees bid farewell to Goddess Saraswati with great joy. All the devotees, after worshiping the Mata Goddess in the morning, go to decorate the idol of Mata Saraswati and immerse it in the pure river with great celebration. During immersion, all the devotees perform aarti of Mata and wish her to come next year.