Saraswati Pooja – for Knowledge and Wisdom

 February 2, 2025 is Basant Panchami. It is the fifth day of Shukla Paksha in the Lunar month of Magha. Traditionally, it is the birthday of Saraswati Devi. This is when the chill of winter starts to ebb away. The Spring season symbolises new beginnings, development and growth with new saplings germinating. As spring takes over the entire landscape, each plant, tree, shrub, creeper and climber, dresses at its colourful best. The greens are greener; the reds are redder! Each plant grows its most beautiful flowers and foliage, because spring is in the air. The seniors stretch their limbs saying, “Aaya Basant, Paala udant.” (The spring season is here and the winter chill has flown away.)

The feminine aspect of divinity is revered in three forms: Durga Lakshmi and Saraswati. In Navratri, we worship the Goddess as Durga. During Diwali, we worship the Goddess as Lakshmi. On Basant Panchami, we worship the Goddess as Saraswati.

Goddess Saraswati controls the mind and the intellect. She embodies knowledge, wisdom, poise and calmness. Her four hands hold a lotus, Japa Mala, the Vedas and the Veena. She is the master of the sciences, arts, crafts, music, poetry, dances etc. She rides a white swan, wearing a white saree. Her carrier, the swan, is able to sift out and drink the milk out of a mixture of milk and water. It is highly revered as a wise bird that can filter out the good from the bad.

People wear yellow dresses on Basant Panchami to be in sync with the beauty of nature. The yellow Marigold flowers are in full bloom and are used to decorate the altars in temples and homes. It is also the time when children start new classes and buy new books, stationery and uniforms. On this day, children put their books at the altar at home and pray to Saraswati Devi to bless them with education and wisdom. We sing Saraswati Vandana and offer yellow flowers and yellow sweetmeats.

Kite flying is a favourite sport during the spring season. It is not only a fun thing to do, it brings the opportunity to be out in the Sun to absorb Vitamin D, after being closeted indoors, in the winter months. Being outside in the greenery of nature, under the clear blue skies, kite flying is a time to enjoy nature, breathe in pure air, stretch the limbs and achieve good health.

If you have completed fifty revolutions around the Sun, you would have heard of the dreamy song, ‘Ooo basanti pawan pagal, Na ja re na ja, roko koi …’ The lyrics of this romantic song evoke visions of a beautiful countryside with yellow flowers, the wafting cool breeze, perfect weather and blue skies entwined with pinning for the beloved, as she calls out to the heavens to convince her beloved, to not leave her.

I always marvel at how our festivals are designed to teach us to respect nature and all things living or non-living. Basant is about thanking God for the bounties of nature. This also means not wasting and ensuring that everything is preserved for the future generations. There is a lot of hue and cry about environmental deterioration, pollution, global warming, etc. If we learn to appreciate nature, we shall learn to use it within limits and not misuse it.

If we understand the deep thought that is at the heart and soul of our festivals and customs, Basant Panchami being one of them, we can preserve our environment for times to come. Many a malady that we are facing, is because humans have ill-treated Mother Nature due to lack of knowledge or apathy. Either ways, raising the awareness and understanding, could be the key factor in controlling the massive deforestation, wastage of water and other natural resources, usage of plastic and non-eco-friendly products. Happy Basant Panchami!

This piece has been pubished in the Hindustan Times in the 'Spice of Life' column on 03.20.2025. It can be viewed here https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/spice-of-life-festivals-teach-us-to-respect-mother-nature-101738520791157.html