BAVINA SOOKDEO
Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago will celebrate Vasant Panchami and Saraswati Jayanti on February 13.
Vasant Panchami is an annual Hindu festival that honours Mother Saraswati, the Hindu goddess representing knowledge, music, and art. In the Hindu calendar, this festival falls on the fifth day (Panchami) of the month of Magh (January-February) and heralds the end of winter and the onset of spring.
Sadhvi Ananda (Sadhvi ji), general secretary of the Brahma Vidya Peetham International in Caratal, Gasparillo, said, “This season not only offers respite from the chill of winter but also heralds the blossoming of mustard crops, initially painting the landscape in vibrant yellow. This hue signifies attributes such as knowledge, illumination, vitality, prosperity, and harmony. Consequently, it is deemed a propitious period to embark on new endeavours such as marriage, home acquisition, or career initiation.”
Offering a deeper interpretation, Swami Brahmaswarupananda, founder of Brahma Vidya Peetham International in TT, said, “The word vasant embodies three essential elements: Vasant signifies novelty or freshness; sant represents the utmost refinement and purity (sattvic), and anant denotes eternal and everlasting aspects. During the Vasant period, the entire cosmos experiences rejuvenation, emitting a profoundly sacred, pure, and perpetually divine energy, signalling a new beginning. Panchami denotes five, which means that with the blessings of Goddess Saraswati, our five senses will become elevated.”
Who exactly is Mother Saraswati?
Brahmaswarupananda replied, “During Brahma’s (the creator of the universe) creation, there was an initial silence. Brahma then invoked the manifestation of Mother Saraswati. Even though the entire creation existed, there was silence despite the wind blowing, water flowing, birds present, and all humans lacked the ability to speak. With Saraswati Ma’s blessings, however, all beings, including humans, were endowed with the gift of speech, words, and language (
Shabdha Chetana). Through her grace, each entity in creation acquired its unique sound and language.
“Ignorance is ever present and shrouds the world. Yet, transcending this ignorance reveals knowledge and wisdom, which is Saraswati Ma’s energy. Mother Saraswati embodies wisdom, knowledge, and consciousness, as elucidated in the Sama Veda, the Supreme scripture detailing all arts and music. She is the epitome of knowledge and consciousness.”
During this period reverence is also paid to Kamadeva (God of Love) and Rati (goddess of love).
“Renowned Sanskrit poet Kalidasa extolled the virtues of the Vasant Ritu in numerous works. He also highlighted the symbolic significance of yellow during this celebration: people adorn themselves in yellow attire and venerate Mother Saraswati bedecked in yellow, and relish yellow sweets. Yellow symbolises purity, festivity, and love.”
Asked how Vasant Panchami relates to Saraswati Jayanti, the he pointed out that Vasant Panchami doubles as the birthday celebration of the g
