Sri Sarasvati (Saraswati) in Indian Art and Literature

To dispel Ignorance and Light the lamp of Knowledge had been the endevour of philosophers of every cline throughout the ages. The word Philosophy means love of wisdom. Indians from immemorial ages have been the Vistous of knowledge. The absolute is SAT, CHIT and ANANDA, and CHIT is knowledge.

Abstract-ideas of philosophy become concrestsed from time to time and the worship of different Gods and Goddess of learning. The Book now being published, studies the gradual evolution of the abstract idea into a female divinity worshipped in every household. The Mytho-Poetic faculty of the early philosophers and saints of India is undisrupted. The Brahmanical tradition is a standing proof of the same. Prosperity and development of knowledge, consciousness and learning is the aim of the worship of Saraswati and when new sects were established by religious reformers like Mahavira and Gautama BUDDHA, the popular crabbing for the worship of a divinity into which they can been retained with of couse some modifications.

A large number of Hindu deities have been incorporated into the Buddhist pantheon and this gave rise to Buddhist Tantra literature. The followers of VAJRAYANA made use of attractive philosophical conceptions and tenets of the Original Hindu of Vedic sources as well as of the new points of View of the reformist idealists.

The Siddhas and Tirthankar of Jainism, the Hagiologists in particular had their own constitution towards the modification of the Conception of divinity.

Goddess Saraswati is thus worshipped by the followers of the Three religious Group. The author has analysed this gradual evolutionary process in a masterly manner.

Out author sums up the various concepts, ritualistic practices and iconographical evidences etc. and presents to us a finished picture of this astounding synthsis. Rare figures of the Goddess represented on seals and coins are given in the book.

The author does not omit any source of material from the Vedas down to the modern treatises after the Archaeological excavations at various places. The various Tantra texts, Puranas, Agamas etc. have been thoroughly persued through, Secondary Sources in the way of Journals and reports have been studiously consulted.

Modern texts on various aspects of Buddhism and Jainism have also been made use of adequately. The Bibliography runs into several pages. Plates of various collections of metal images and Miniatures given here add to the usefulness of the book.

	Preface	vii
1.	Introduction	1
2.	Sarasvati as a River	5
3.	Relation of the Goddess Sarasvati with different Deities	13
4.	Different Aspects of the Goddess Sarasvati	19
5.	Iconographic Representation of the Goddess Saraswati in the Brahmanical Art	23
6.	System of Worshipping of the Goddess Sarasvati in the Brahmanical Pantheon and Results	50
7.	Concept and Iconographic Representation of the Goddess of Learning (Sarasvati) in Buddhist Art and Literature	55
8.	Concept and Iconographic Representation of the Goddess of Learning (Sarasvati) in Jain Art and Literature	78
	Notes and References	99
	Bibliography	111
	Index	121
	Plates