Women in the Atharva-veda Samhita
by Pranab Jyoti Kalita | 2017 | 62,142 words
This page relates ‘Goddess Sarasvati’ of the study on women in the Vedic society reflecting the Atharva-veda Samhita in English. These pages discusses the social aspects of women, education, customs of marriage, practices of polyandry and polygamy, descriptions of female deities and various rites and rituals. It is shown how women earned much praise in ancient Indian society. Included are Sanskrit text and references of the Atharvaveda and commentary by Sayana-Acharya.
20. Goddess Sarasvatī
Sarasvatī is the deification of a river existing in the Vedic period. As a river goddess, she receives the greatest attention of the seers of the Ṛgveda. The Ṛgveda celebrates her in three entire hymns,[1] and in many other scattered passages while, in the Atharvaveda too, she is eulogised in six entire hymns[2] and in many other contexts. The author of the Nirukta[3] derives Sarasvatī from the root sṛ, meaning to flow. The word saras is a synonymous of water and Sarasvatī is so called because she is rich in water. Yāska[4] enumerates Sarasvatī among the deities of the mid-region. Sāyaṇācārya[5] also knows her as belonging to the region which is in between the Heaven and the Earth.
In the Ṛgveda, though, Sarasvatī appears as a river goddess, but, she loses her identity as a river in the Atharvaveda. Because, in all the references, Sāyaṇācārya interprets her as identical to Vāk. In one reference,[6] he clearly mentions that the Sarasvatī, mentioned therein is not other than Vāk and hence, she should not be misunderstood as the river goddess. Further, he[7] paraphrases Sarasvatī as the goddess of speech moving with syllables, words and sentences. He[8] calls her the goddess of speech arranging all the words. In this context, the view of S. Kumar is also worth noting, who interprets Sarasvatī to mean vāṇī, which is supported by the Vedic passage, yanme chidraṃ manaso … etc., (Atharvaveda, 19.40.1).[9] Once, Sāyaṇācārya[10] regards her as mantrātmikā, i.e. identical to a mantra.
In the Atharvaveda,[11] Sarasvatī is prayed along with Anumati and Bhaga to make one’s speech pleasant. That Śraddhā is a particular state of mind is discussed in due context. For the acquisition of that Śraddhā, one’s speech is expected to be blessed by Sarasvatī.[12] Like other deities, she is also called subhagā.[13] She is worshipped with oblations.[14] She bears the three vital airs, viz. apāna, vyāna and prāṇa.[15] Sarasvatī, along with the deities, viz. Dyāvāpṛthivī, Grāva, Soma and Agni is prayed for protection.[16] She is the cause of nourishment and happiness.[17] The divinities like Dyāvāpṛthivī, Indra, Agni and Sarasvatī are spoken of as turned to the sacrificer and hence, the same expects himself to be a successful one.[18] She is asked to accept the oblations offered to her and is prayed to grant progeny.[19] She is śivā,[20] i.e. propitious, sumṛḍīkā,[21] i.e. very gracious and śaṃtamā,[22] i.e. mostly capable in repelling diseases. She is called anamīvā,[23] i.e. free from disease.
Sarasvatī is also connected with the manes. She is spoken of as travelling in the same chariot along with the manes.[24] Again, the forefathers call her to the sacrifice.[25] There, she is asked to assign food to the invokers.[26] In the sacrifice, she is asked to bestow nourishment and abundance of wealth.[27] The presence of Agni in the crematory is urgent and desiring the same, Sarasvatī is called to the sacrifice.[28] She is asked to accept the oblations on behalf of the manes.[29] There, she is urged to give whatever is desirable to the worshipper.[30]
She is eulogised as a goddess of lustre along with the deities Agni, Savitṛ and Brahmanaspati.[31] A husband prays her to unite him with his wife.[32] When one becomes disappointed as his expectations are unfulfilled, Sarasvatī is invoked to make the same as he was earlier, or to fill up the same with ghee.[33] The seer expresses his fervent desire not to be separated from the sight of this Sarasvatī.[34]
Thus, Sarasvatī, the river goddess of the Ṛgveda becomes identical with Vāk in the Atharvaveda, being associated with many other attributes. About the Ṛgvedic Sarasvatī, Keith[35] speaks thus, “In the Ṛgveda, in Sarasvatī we need not see anything more than a river goddess somewhat strongly anthropomorphised in certain details who inspires prayers of devotion.” Yāska[36] also refers to the two-fold identity of Sarasvatī. Nevertheless, Sarasvatī, though, has her original identity as the river goddess, yet, is intermingled with many other attributes losing some earlier ones during her journey through ages and thus, becomes identical with Vāk in the Atharvaveda and a prominent goddess of learning in later Vedic literature till today.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Ṛgveda, 6.61; 7.95-96
[2]:
Atharvaveda, 6.94; 7.11-12; 7.59; 7.70-71
[4]:
cf., Ibid., 11.22-25
[6]:
vācamiti sarasvatīviśeṣaṇam vāgrūpā yā sarasvatīti / etat ca nadīrūpāyāstasyā nivṛttyartham / Sāyaṇa on Atharvaveda, 3.20.7
[7]:
sarasvati varṇapadavākyādinā saraṇavati vāgdevate / Sāyaṇa on Atharvaveda, 7.11.1 Also vide, Sāyaṇa on Atharvaveda, 7.70.1; 71.1
[8]:
sarasvatīṃ saraṇavatīṃ sakalaśabdasaraṇisvarūpāṃ vāgdevatāṃ / Sāyaṇa on Atharvaveda, 18.1.41
[11]:
[12]:
[13]:
Ibid., 6.3.2
[14]:
sarasvatyā uruvyace vidhema haviṣā vayam / Ibid., 6.41.2
[15]:
apānāya vyānāya prāṇāya bhūridhāyase / Ibid.
[16]:
Ibid., 6.3.2
[17]:
cf., Ibid., 7.11.1
[18]:
cf., Ibid.
[20]:
Ibid., 7.71.1 śivā sarvasukharūpā / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.
[21]:
Atharvaveda, 7.71.1 sumṛḍīkā śobhanasukhapradā / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.
[22]:
Atharvaveda, 7.71.1 atyantaṃ roganirharaṇakṣamā / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.
[23]:
Atharvaveda, 18.1.42 anamīvāḥ hiṃsakai rakṣobhirvarjitāḥ vyādhirahitā vā / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.
[24]:
sarasvati yā sarathaṃ yayāthokthaiḥ svadhābhirdevi pitṛbhirmadantī / Atharvaveda, 18.1.43
[26]:
āsadyāsmin barhiṣi mādayadhvamanamīvā iṣa ā dhehyasme / Ibid.
[28]:
Ibid., 18.1.41
[31]:
cf., Ibid., 4.4.6
[32]:
cf., Ibid., 6.89.3
[33]:
cf., Ibid., 7.59.1
[34]:
mā te yuyoma saṃdṛśaḥ / Ibid., 7.71.1