Saraswati Puja 2023 is one of the most important festivals in Hinduism dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, popularly known as the goddess of wisdom and knowledge. It is believed that on this day the Maa Saraswati endows human beings with the powers of speech, wisdom, and learning. She has four hands which symbolize the four aspects of human personality in learning: mind, intellect, alertness, and ego. Saraswati Puja often falls in the month of January or February marking the onset of the spring season. The festival of Saraswati Puja 2023 is also known as Basant Panchami. Maa Saraswati is the daughter of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga. She is the consort of Lord Brahma. Goddess Saraswati is also often credited as the creator of the Sanskrit language of Hinduism. Children are taught to write for the first time during the festival, Brahmin priests are given fine food, and ancestors are venerated.
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When is Saraswati Puja 2023?
Saraswati Puja 2023 falls on 26th January, Thursday.
- Puja Muhurat: 07:12 AM to 12:34 PM
- Duration – 05 Hours 21 Mins
- Basant Panchami Madhyahna Moment – 12:34 PM
- Panchami Tithi Begins – 12:34 PM on Jan 25, 2023
- Panchami Tithi Ends – 10:28 AM on Jan 26, 2023
Significance of Wearing Yellow During Saraswati Puja
Yellow is said to be the favourite colour of Goddess Saraswati. During the puja, the devotees wear yellow coloured clothes, which is associated with wisdom, light, good energy and prosperity. Statues of the goddess are also draped in yellow silk, and the devotees pray for blessings with their pens, books, and musical instruments. Moreover, the mustard fields all over the country are filled with beautiful yellow flowers, signifying the onset of Spring. Since the colour yellow and Goddess Saraswati, both represent the idea of knowledge, people often associate yellow with the Saraswati Puja or Basant Panchami.
Benefits of Performing Saraswati Puja
- Worshipping Goddess Saraswati on the occasion of Basant Panchami can enable the devotees to deal with challenges that come with wisdom, intellect and adaptability.
- Remembering Maa Saraswati can help the devotees rejuvenate their mind and establish a deeper connection with themselves and the universe after introspection.
- Saraswati Puja is considered to be a very important festival for the students since Maa Saraswati is the Goddess of Knowledge. Student devotees who worship Maa Saraswati on Saraswati Puja 2023 get blessed with special grace of Maa Saraswati and do very well in their academic career.
- Worshipping Goddess Saraswati also helps the devotees in getting jobs, having profit in business and opens doors for financial gains.
- Performing the Saraswati Puja helps the devotees to remove all kinds of obstacles and hindrances from their life and climb the ladder of success smoothly.
- This puja also improves one’s mental strength and confidence. It makes the minds of the devotees stable and calm which helps them in taking better decisions in life.
Significance of Fasting on Saraswati Puja
Saraswati Vandana for Saraswati Puja 2023
The most popular Stuti or prayer dedicated to Goddess Saraswati is Ya Kundendu. It is also a part of the Saraswati Stotram. Therefore, it is considered very auspicious to recite this Stuti on the day of Basant Panchami.
“Ya Kundendu Tushar Haar Dhawala Ya Shubhra Vastra Bruta
Yaa Veena Vardanda Manditkara Ya Shweta Padmasana
Ya Brahmachyut Shankar Prabhrutibhihi Devai Sada Vandita
Sa Mam Paatu Saraswati Bhagwati Nihshesh Jadyapaha”
“Shuklam Brahma Vichara Saar Paramamadya Jagdvyapini.
veena-pustaka-dharini ambhaydan jadyandhakarapaham॥
Haste Sphatikmalikam Viddhatin Padmasane Sanstitam.
Vande Tam Parmeshwari Bhagwati Buddhipradam Shardam”
“या कुन्देन्दुतुषारहारधवला या शुभ्रवस्त्रावृता।
याI वीणावरदण्डमण्डितकरा या श्वेतपद्मासना॥
या ब्रह्माच्युत शंकरप्रभृतिभिर्देवैः सदा वन्दिता।
सा मां पातु सरस्वती भगवती निःशेषजाड्यापहा॥१॥”
“शुक्लां ब्रह्मविचार सार परमामाद्यां जगद्व्यापिनीं।
वीणा-पुस्तक-धारिणीमभयदां जाड्यान्धकारापहाम्॥
हस्ते स्फटिकमालिकां विदधतीं पद्मासने संस्थिताम्।
वन्दे तां परमेश्वरीं भगवतीं बुद्धिप्रदां शारदाम्॥२॥”
Procedure for Saraswati Puja 2023
- On the day of Saraswati Puja, wake up early in the morning and indulge in early morning meditation.
- Then take a bath by rubbing the nem and turmeric paste on your body. It is believed that this paste has medicinal and therapeutic benefits. For ex: it helps greatly in keeping the skin smooth and shiny. It also helps in treating acne. This paste also provides protection against any kind of infection and purifies the body too.
- After taking a bath wear fresh yellow coloured clothes since yellow is considered to be the favourite colour of Maa Saraswati. Also the colour yellow symbolizes knowledge and enlightenment in Hinduism.
- Clean the puja place properly and then arrange all the puja materials near the pandal. Also sprinkle Gangajal in the puja space to purity the atmosphere.
- Lay a new piece of white cloth on the platform and place the idol of Mata Saraswati on it. If you don’t have an idol of the Goddess, then you can use a picture.
- Place the idol of Lord Ganesha near Goddess Saraswati in another platform since devotees believe that Mata Saraswati and Lord Ganesha should be worshipped together. This is because both the deities are representatives of Knowledge and wisdom. Also, Lord Ganesha is often worshipped as a symbol of good luck before any new or auspicious beginnings.
Know the Benefits of worshipping Lord Ganesha
Saraswati Puja 2023 Procedure Contd.
- After that, decorate the platform with flowers, turmeric, kumkum and rice. These ingredients are generally used to invoke Goddess Saraswati on the occasion of Saraswati Puja 2023.
- Since Maa Saraswati is often associated with art and learning, place some books, pens, musical instruments, paint brushes etc near the altar. These items are also worshipped with Maa Saraswati during Basant Panchami Puja.
- Then place a brass Kalash filled with water near the idol of the Goddess. Place mango leaves on the kalash and then place a coconut on it. It is believed that the Kalash is a representation of creation. The mango leaves symbolize the seat of the deity and the water below the mango leaves keep the seat pure.
- Light an oil lamp and incense sticks and offer it to the deity. Then offer fruits and sweets as Bhog to the Goddess. Some people also keep a Saraswati Puja 2023 fast on this day.
- Close your eyes and chant the Saraswati Mantra with full dedication. Spend the entire day meditating and reciting bhajans related to Goddess Saraswati.
- Finally, perform the Aarti of the goddess and conclude the puja by offering Prasad to the family members and other devotees.
On this auspicious day, the entire team of DevDarshan wishes you all a very Happy and Prosperous Saraswati Puja.
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