SARASVATI

Hindu goddess of learning and the arts. She is first referred to in literature as the personification of the sacred river, the Sarasvati, and is also identified with Vac, the goddess of speech. In later Hinduism she is usually considered the consort of the god Brahma (the promulgator of the Veda), but she enjoys an autonomous position as the patroness of art, music, and letters. She is given legendary credit for having invented the Sanskrit language and the Devanagari script in which it is written. She is usually represented in painting and sculpture as graceful, fair (usually stark white), and dressed in white garments, riding on a swan (or goose) and holding a lute and a manuscript or book. She is annually worshiped with great enthusiasm by students and teachers alike at the advent of spring, which in the Hindu year occurs in JanuaryFebruary, when her image is taken out in jubilant procession. Sarasvati is also a popular goddess in Jaina and Buddhist mythology.