(One of the seven sacred rivers of the Hindus)

sarasvatī


N. of a river (celebrated in RV. andﾠ held to be a goddess whose identity is much disputed;
most authorities hold that the name Sárasvatī is identical with the Avestan Haraquaiti river in Afghanistan, but that it usually means the Indus in the RV., andﾠ only occasionally the small sacred rivers in Madhya-deṡa < seeﾠ below>;
the river-goddess has seven sisters andﾠ is herself sevenfold, she is called the mother of streams, the best of mothers, of rivers, andﾠ of goddesses;
the Ṛishis always recognize the connection of the goddess with the river, andﾠ invoke her to descend from the sky, to bestow vitality, renown, andﾠ riches;
elsewhere she is described as moving along a golden path andﾠ as destroying Vṛitra etc.;
as a goddess she is often connected with other deities e.g.. with Pūshan, Indra, the Maruts andﾠ the Aṡvins;
in the Āpri hymns she forms a triad with the sacrificial goddesses Iḍā andﾠ Bhātrati;
accord. toﾠ a myth told in the VS. XIX, 12, Sárasvatī through speech < vācā> communicated vigour to Indra;
in the BrShmaṇas she is identified with vāc, « Speech», andﾠ in later times becomes goddess of eloquence seeﾠ below) RV. etc. etc.;
N. of a well-known small river (held very sacred by the Hindūs;
identified with the modern Sursooty, at, d formerly marking with the Dṛishadvatī one of the boundaries of the region Ārya-deṡa andﾠ of the sacred district called Brahmâvarta < seeﾠ Mn. II, 17 > in RV. VII, 95, 2,
this river is represented as flowing into the sea, although later legends make it disappear underground andﾠ join the Ganges andﾠ Jumnā at Allahibād;
seeﾠ tri-veṇī, prayāga) ib. ;
N. of various rivers (esp. of rivers which in sacredness are equal to Sárasvatī andﾠ which are three accord. toﾠ AV. VI, 101,
andﾠ seven accord. toﾠ MBh. IX, 2188);
any river Naigh. I, 13 ;
N. of the goddess of eloquence andﾠ learning (cf. above;
she is opposed to Ṡri orﾠ Lakshmī <cf. Vikr. V, 24 >, andﾠ sometimes considered as the daughter andﾠ alsoﾠ wife of Beahmā, the proper wife of that god being rather Sāvitri orﾠ Gāyatri;
she is alsoﾠ identified with Durgā, orﾠ even with the wife of Vishṇu andﾠ of Manu, andﾠ held to be the daughter of Daksha) Mn. MBh. etc.;
speech orﾠ the power of speech, eloquence, learning wisdom MBh. Kāv. etc.;
a celestial orﾠ oracular voice Kālid. Kathās. Rājat. ;
a cow VS. VIII, 43 ;
an excellent woman (= strī-ratna) L. ;
N. of various plants (Cardiospermum Halicacabum, Egle Marmelos, Ruta Graveolens etc.) L. ;
N. of a twoyear-old girl representing Durgā at her festival L. ;
of a poetess Cat. ;
of various other women (esp. of the wives of Dadhica, Ṡaṃkarâcārya, Maṇḍaṇamiṡra etc.) ib. ;
of one of the ten mendicant orders traced back to Ṡarnkaracārya (whose members add the word sarasvatī to their names)
- सरस्वतीकण्ठाभरण
- सरस्वतीकुटुम्ब
- सरस्वतीकृत
- सरस्वतीतन्त्र
- सरस्वतीतीर्थ
- सरस्वतीदण्डक
- सरस्वतीदशश्लोकी
- सरस्वतीदानविधि
- सरस्वतीद्वादशनामस्तोत्र
- सरस्वतीनिवास
- सरस्वतीपुराण
- सरस्वतीपूजन
- सरस्वतीपूजा
- सरस्वतीप्रक्रिया
- सरस्वतीप्रयेग
- सरस्वतीबालवाणी
- सरस्वतीमन्त्र
- सरस्वतीमाहात्म्य
- सरस्वतीरहस्योपनिषद्
- सरस्वतीवत्
- सरस्वतीविनशन
- सरस्वतीविलास
- सरस्वतीव्रत
- सरस्वतीषट्श्लोकी
- सरस्वतीसरस्
- सरस्वतीसूक्त
- सरस्वतीसूत्र
- सरस्वतीस्तव
- सरस्वतीस्तोत्र
- सरस्वतीस्वामिन्