On the trail of Saraswati
- lidiaflisek
- Sep 15
- 8 min read
My first introduction to yoga was through Lynn Marshall's TV program and by attending a class in Adult Education with Peter Ballard in the 1970’s. But It was the Gayatri mantra which gave a taste of what I felt was the real yoga. Many years later I realise that this quote from the Srimad Bhagavatum describes exactly how the Gayatri made me feel.
‘The bee travels from one place to another, seeking honey, but when it approaches the celestial tree called Paarijaata, it certainly does not leave the tree, because it finds complete contentment there.
When I met Swami at the Patanjali yoga ashram on a Guru Puja day. Her talk and essence had an impact on my whole family. A few months later I started the teacher training under Swami’s supervision. Prior to the course I’d already had an introduction to the teachings of Vedas by attending talks led by Dr Van Morais, Dr Chandra. and Sri Indar Nath. My mother came with me as we were both looking for answers during a period of loss and grief. The lectures gave me comfort and insight into what is a very sophisticated and codified system. It explained the law of the universe and how this was governed by divine consciousness. I compared notes from my Catholic upbringing and my religious studies at A level, and noticed a definite thread.
My favourite Christian icon is still the sacred heart of Jesus. His prayer has always left me with a sense of deep peace. I realise now that this prayer is a form of non-attachment. and surrender. ’O sacred heart of Jesus thou knowest all, thou seest all., thou doest all. We place all our trust in thee, thy holy will be done’. Amen.
Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita also echoes what the Sacred Heart of Jesus represents; “he who does my work, who loves me, who sees me as the highest, free from attachment to all things, and with love for all creation, he in truth comes to me. (11:53-55).
I spotted a pattern or thread of truth in all my little insights. Whether it was the Sacred Heart of Jesus prayer, the Gayatri mantra or swami Ji’s essence, it all had the same effect deep within my soul.
They all gave me crystal clear inner sunlight, which once touched is never forgotten. Likewise, the sequence of sun salutation performed with mantra has had a similar effect on me. I am very inquisitive by nature, so I was thirsty to know more. So when at the Dharma yoga centre we explored the symbolism of Gayatri and the hand mudras, I dived into the Vedic text once more. Where I discovered that all this knowledge came about through a very ancient civilisation based on the banks of a river called Saraswati.
Eventually, the penny dropped and I made a mental connection between the Vedas, the Indus Saraswati Civilisation and Swami Dharmananda Saraswati. So another investigation was ignited and I wanted to know more about Saraswati. I discovered that Saraswati is known as the river goddess (Sara), or the one who gives essence of her own self (swa). In Sanskrit Saraswati (or Sru), signifies a constant and self renewing flow of pure water and knowledge (Gyan). The river is known as the great flowing one. I had anticipated that the symbolism of her form was purely practical, and that if you followed her advice you could achieve peace of mind and find your inner spark of divinity (atman).
It felt practical to use malas as a practice for concentrating the mind. I also benefited from reading the wisdom and advice in the vedas, listening to music and reciting mantra. Which kept my physical, mental and spiritual house in order. Through these practices It became clearer and clearer that our lineage helps us tap into the stream which is Saraswati consciousness.
When I discovered that there was a whole civilisation based around the Saraswati river in India which potentially extended through to Pakistan and Afghanistan I was fascinated. Then when I discovered that recent archaeological findings have proven through carbon dating techniques that this civilisation goes back at least 8000 years I was totally awe struck. As this civilisation is even older then Mesopotamian, Egyptian cultures, and the megaliths of Stonehenge. Further research now suggests there may have been settlements in the gulf of Cambay that could be up to 31,000 years old.
I was also astonished to discover that the Harrapan ruins and the Rig Veda make reference to the Saraswati River and the life and work around it. This all demonstrates that the art works and texts from this period represent the spiritual teachings of yoga and enlightenment. After all, a report published last year in the new scientist by Andrew Robinson notes that this vedic society - the Indus civilisation appears to have survived 700 years without war or social inequality.
So spiritually, socially, intellectually, practically, the Indus Saraswati civilisation appears to have reflected the qualities of its goddess by practicising a culture of compassion, something the Dalai Lama still encourages in our world today. For hundreds of years the land around the Saraswati river was fertile, so everything necessary for human life was accessible along her banks. Trade and environmental conditions led this civilisation to yield food and textiles. Geologists have confirmed that around this river there were 33 species of plant life not seen or known anywhere else in the world.
Saraswati is also known as Vac, that which created form from sound. Vac is known as the creator of multiple streams of fluid thoughts and language.
Although they are deeply inspiring, the classical yoga texts can be hard to get one's head around. From codified symbolism, to Sanskrit and re study of the texts through contemplation with one's heart and mind, there is a lot to learn and understand.
I have often wondered if the deities are used to portray complex mathematics, chemistry and physics as well as many other forms and systems of nature. For instance, Shiva represents a creative and destructive force which can be attributed to the life cycle of cells in our body which are constantly breaking down and renewing themselves. The vedic texts reference fire, water, air, nature, earth and how the cosmos came to be. If we think of Hydrogen, which is the most prevalent element in our universe, it has to bond with two molecules of oxygen to form water. Fire has four chemicals all of which need hydrogen to exist. It is the combustion of certain elements that create fire, water, and air. The interplay of chemicals that cause combustion seem to be reflected in the story of creation using dieties. The inner alchemy of spiritual unfoldment is also represented by dieties who symbolise different aspects of the sun.
The goddess Saraswati represents all of the basic elements of the universe, but especially sound. Through metre, rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, form, texture and dynamics the universe was formed. The story goes that Brahman the male aspect of Saraswati, in turn created her. He saw her potential when she created sound vibrations, as the different frequencies created patterns and mathematical shapes in the cosmos which created form.
Sound which is also elemental can be described as: Vibrations carried through air, water or solid materials, mechanical or electrical energy make objects vibrate.vibrations which produce sound energy,vibrations travel through a vacuum.Saraswati created harmony, this harmony was disturbed by Brahman's desire for her. So he was reprimanded by Shiva, who cut off one of his five heads. Brahman then withdrew and practised tapas and before he re-emerged and re-united with the female aspect of creation.
“Then finding himself floating in the ether, Brahman, still seated upon the lotus, re-entered the heart of the lotus and dividing it into three sections, created three spheres, heaven, earth and sky” - Simrad Bhagavatum. This story suggests that Indus Saraswati civilisation lived in harmony with nature and each other for a long time.
The following quote from the Rig Veda (190) represents creation in the outer universe and spiritual creation in our inner universe, our body, mind and spirit.
‘Order and truth were born from heat as it blazed up. From that heat was born the billowy ocean. From the billowy ocean was born the year, that arranges days and nights. Rolling over all that blinks its eyes. The arranger has set place the sun, moon, sky, earth, the middle realm of space, and finally the sunlight’.
Saraswati is responsible for sound, word, music and mantra (man to free, tra to liberate). The Gayatri mantra is a reflection of our outer world and three aspects of the sun in our normal everyday. The number three repeats itself in different combinations in mathematics and nature but also describes different levels of consciousness. It represents different aspects of time, morning, noon and night and different aspects of the cosmos, inertia, activity, and purity of form. To me the Gayatri mantra bridges the gap between man and god and reveals itself in different ways at different times.
Traditionally Gayatri is chanted three times a day, morning, noon and night which represent the three Gunas (three states): energy, matter and consciousness. These also represent, INERTIA, ACTIVITY and ESSENCE. All are said to emerge from Purusha (a male energy, colourless, formless, which takes no part in activity). Whilst Prakuti awareness with choice, the divine will to create many from the one. The universe is the child born out of the womb of Prakuti. When this balance is disturbed there is chemical combustion which sparks the flame of evolution.
https://youtu.be/d63COahIpVM Click here for a modern version of Gayatri Mantra
Gayatri Mantra
Om bhur bhuvaha swaha
Tatsavitur varenyam Bhargo devasya dhimahi Dhiyo yonaha prachodayat
Om. Let us meditate upon the Light Of that adorable sun (underlying intelligence).
May it awaken our spiritual perception and understanding On all planes physical, vital, mental and beyond.
The Gayatri first appears in the Rig Veda and is the oldest mantra. It is a salutation to the sun and light representing the awakening and rising consciousness within us.
So the Gayatri represents creation in the outer universe as well as creation within us and the light of our inner sun. The divine spark that resides in all our hearts.
‘The Heart is the hub of all sacred places, go there and roam.’ Swami Muktananda
In the Mahabharata and Tatariya Aranyaka the rivers were considered daughters of the sun and cloud. Rig veda denotes that creation started with the origin of water. Lord Vishnu is also known as Narayan (one who resides in water). The origin of life from water and the development of the species are explained through the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu and specific hand mudras.
Back on earth satellite images have unearthed a hidden course of water which seems to be Saraswati below the sands of the desert region of the Thar desert in Rajasthan.
In the autumn of last year I was lucky enough to visit the Thar desert I was close to an oasis where the water resembled resembled the light I see and experience around Swami ji. I’m now convinced I saw a glimpse of the Saraswati River which for me verifies her manifestation on earth as well as in heaven. “ Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’. The Lords Prayer.
Once again the quote from the Srimad Bhagavatam resonates
‘The bee travels from one place to another, seeking honey, but when it approaches the celestial tree called Paarijaata, it certainly does not leave the tree, because it finds complete contentment there.’ Who knows perhaps perhaps Saraswati is calling me back to Rajastan? I am grateful for these tiny glimpses of insight, long may it continue.
Click on the following links in your browser for related topics.
Saraswati River
https://youtu.be/Wfy8OdSbhsQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u3f7_p1i8c The Unified Field.
https://youtu.be/8MBIlWA7ZdY When Love meets sorrow Jack Kornfield
https://youtu.be/iPheEg-K2qc Hydrogen as fossil fuel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3torYqRaOI The wisdom of uncertainty
References
Role of water in the development of civilisation in India—a review of ancient literature, traditional practices and beliefs K. SHADANANAN NAIR Cochin University of Science & Technology.
Gombrich, Richard F. (1975) “Ancient Indian Cosmology.” In Ancient Cosmologies. London: George Allen and Unwin.
Kuiper, P.B.J. (1983) Ancient Indian Cosmogony. New Delhi: Viskas Publishing House.
Lal, J. K. (1995) Pancamahabhutas, Origin and Myths in Vedic literature, in volume two, Vedic Buddhist and Jain Traditions, of the seven-volume, multi- author collection Prakrti: The Integral Vision. Kapila Vatsayayan (ed.). New Delhi: Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
David Frawley- American Institute of Vedic Studies. https://www.vedanet.com
The concept of water in rig veda Dr. Chandni Saxena
The Vishnu Purana
The Upanishads translated by Swami Prabhavananda and Frederick Manchester
The Rig Veda- Penguin classics
Indian Philosophy Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Charles A. Moore
The holy Geeta Swami Chinmayananda
The oriental Caravan Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah
s://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/history/interesting-archaeological-discoveries-in-india-in-recent-years
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