While studying the Hindu gods and goddesses, there are six main deities that Hindus worship: Brahma, Saraswati, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva, and Parvati. However, while learning about these six main figures, one of them stands out to be somewhat less important, or simply not as much discussed as the others. That particular goddess would be Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of music, arts, and knowledge. The reason she is less prominent is simple, she is not as dominant – as in the male gods - or as intimidating as the others. To elaborate, according to the website Broom Closet’s article entitled “Saraswati: goddess of Knowledge, Wisdom, and Art”, she is the third member of the Hindu triple goddesses which consist of Lakshmi, Kali, and Saraswati (1). The other two members of this group are extremely terrifying to look at, while Saraswati is portrayed as peaceful and pure. Therefore, the question is that if she is such an underdog goddess, why do people worship her? By delving into her history, representations, and some of her stories, the answer to this question will become quite clear.
Saraswati’s history is quite long and contains a vast amount of stories as to how she came into being. The most famous story of how she was brought into existence is when the creator god Brahma wished to create the world and therefore split himself into two parts. One part of him was male while the other half was female, who he named Saraswati. Finally, his male-self mates with Saraswati and they create Manu, who then goes on to create the world (Kinsley 57). However, According to the website Lotus Sculpture’s article “Hindu goddess Saraswati the goddess of Wisdom”, there is another story that claims that after Brahma created her he chased her obsessively. F...
... middle of paper ...
...e is ever messed with. This provides the people with a sense of comfort and security with a hint of healthy fear.
Though it may be true that Saraswati is one of the least discussed of the Hindu gods, that does not mean she is less important. Yes the other gods are more flashy or intimidating, but she is more humble. She is one with the earth and she stays under the radar. Sometimes those who are less popular are the ones people need to be connected to the most. She sits on her lotus flower dressed in white and playing her flute to welcome anyone who is in need. She knows material things do not last, and therefore she offers people things such as wisdom, courage, and talent. These are the things they can hold onto for the rest of their lives. As a result, people worship her because they know she truly cares, and that she wants people to be the best that they can be.
Research My first research experience took place from the Fall 2012 – Summer 2013 in a neurobiology laboratory (Dr. Daniel Plas) focused on Parkinson’s Disease. In this project an undergrad student and I were tasked with optimizing a cellular medium for neural growth of the model organism Lymnaea stagnalis. This was comprised of following established protocols and altering certain variables within the formulas (differing concentrations of ions, pH, et al.) to observe growth pattern differences in vitro.
being safe; so it gives off the symbol that it must be safe if everyone else thinks it is. Also the
All the gods and goddesses within the ancient greek religion were heavily worshipped by the Spartans, in particular Artemis Orthia, Poseidon and Apollo. The gods convey the society’s values and ethics. Artemis Orthia, was the combination of two deities, who
Pessoni, Michele. “‘She was laughing at their God.’: Discovering the Goddess Within Sula.” African American Review 29 (1995): 439-451.
Sara Salkahazi was born on the 11th of May 1899 in Kassa (an area now part of Slovakia) in Austria. Sara was a Hungarian Modernist Religious sister; she became a member of the Sisters of Social Service in 1929. She helped save thousands of Jewish lives during the final months of World War 2. She did this by opening the Working Girls Homes to provide a safe place for Jews. Sara died on the 27th of December in 1944. This is the anniversary of her martyrdom.
In Greek mythology, there are many, many gods and goddesses that the people prayed to on a regular basis for everyday things we take for granted. There was usually a different deity for anything a person wanted to pray for: love, money, children, success or almost anything else one could think of or want. People today are amazed at the number of gods there were and how people could remember which god did what. We study these today but still get easily confused, which is understandable. Athena was a very prominent goddess, especially in Athens and she is also featured throughout Homer’s Odyssey. Many confuse her with Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Actually, Athena is known as the goddess of war, practical reason, wisdom, and handicraft. She was also known as the protector of the city of Athens.
Every culture has some form of higher being, to be a model for their behaviour, as well as to look up to. In Greek times, these were the gods and goddesses who made their home on Mount Olympus. Women identified with the goddesses because they shared some feminine attributes. Goddesses were a “symbol of motherhood and fertility, but also of strength, wisdom, caring, nuturing, temperance, chastity, cunning, trickery, jealousy, and lasciviousness” (Clarke, 1999). However, not all of the goddesses possessed all of these attributes. The goddess Aphrodite, for instance, was not nurturing, nor was she very caring.
Gods and goddesses in mythology are used in allusions and often referred to in our daily lives, but do we truly understand them? We may not understand how or why they look the way they do, how they behave, what they are capable of accomplishing, or how they interacted with humans. These super-beings of extremely high status were the heart and soul of prayers and explanations of natural phenomena. They had a variety of natures and were represented in a variety of ways, by different religions.
She is stil worshiped to this day by the Indian people. Her story is quite different from Athena’s, she was not the goddess of war and had nothing to do with violence. Instead she was also the goddess of knowledge helping people learn things such as the Alphabet. The Indian people hold a festival every year in her honor on the fifth day of spring in which the Hindu children are given their first lesson in reading and writing (Das).
Pessoni, Michele. “‘She was laughing at their God.’: Discovering the Goddess Within Sula.” African American Review 29 (1995): 439-451.
Athena is very important because she is one of the most known but also most influential Goddesses of all. She was born out of her father's (Zeus) head after he swallowed his pregnant mistress; Athena was born grown and clothed in her mother's clothes. They named her the Iliads goddess of fight, the warrior-defender, the protector of civilized life and artisan activities, and so on. Athena had a significant role in the Greek mythology and in the lives of the Athenians and all greeks. First, she was a goddess of wisdom in a time when women were no more than a sexual servant. Next, she was one of the three goddesses involved in the Golden Apple of discord scandal, and became the lifelong enemy of Paris because her
Athena’s name actually came form the Cretan and Mycenean name Athene which predates the Greeks by about 1,500 years. The ending ‘-ene,’ was set aside for royalty and goddesses, like Helene. She was also called by some Greeks as Pallas Athena. Not many people know where the name Pallas came from. Some legends say she obtained it from the giant Pallas that she killed in the war of the gods and giants (Athena Parthenos). Another legend says that Athena accidentally killed her childhood playmate Pallas. By taking Pallas’ in front of her own, Athena shows the grief that she endured for the loss of her friend. Athena had such an impact on the Greeks that the Romans adopted her and called her Minerva (Classical).
In Indian culture, Goddess Parvati is depicted as a beautiful and serene woman, making emphasis on the sensuality of her body. In Hindu mythology the name of Parvati means “she who dwells in the mountain” she is said to be the daughter of Mena and the Himalaya Mountain. Parvati is the consort of the God Shiva, one of the supreme deities among Hinduism. The Goddess is seen as a devoted wife and mother and represents love, fertility and beauty.
fact that she s a female but also because she is a poor orphan living
As the daughter of Zeus, the mightiest Olympian, and Metis, the embodiment of knowledge, it makes sense that the goddess Athena is known as the goddess of strategy and civilization. The role played by Athena in many myths is that of a counselor in times of battle, both internal and external, as well as the protector of cities, and the importance of her level headed and protecting role continues to have an impact on modern society.