Accordingly Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and arts, represents the free flow of wisdom and consciousness. She is the mother of the Vedas, and chants directed to her, called the ‘Saraswati Vandana’ often begin and end Vedic lessons.
Saraswati is the daughter of Lord Shivaand Goddess Durga. It is believed that goddess Saraswati endows human beings with the powers of speech, wisdom and learning. She has four hands representing four aspects of human personality in learning: mind, intellect, alertness and ego.
In visual representations, she has sacred scriptures in one hand and a lotus the symbol of true knowledge in the opposite hand. Saraswati’s birthday, Vasant Panchamis, is a Hindu festival celebrated every year on the fifth day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Magha. Hindus celebrate this festival with great fervor in temples, homes and educational institutes alike. Moreover Pre-school children are given their first lesson in reading and writing on this day. All Hindu educational institutions conduct special prayer for Saraswati on this day.