ॐ ऐं महासरस्वत्यै नमः ||
Om Aim Mahasaraswatyai Namah
When Lord Brahma created this universe everything was in disarray and topsy turvy. It was then that he created his ethereally beautiful wife Goddess Saraswati. She, being the Goddess of all knowledge, helped him bring order to his creation.
Once she had brought order to Lord Brahma’s creation, nature began to work exactly as it should. The sun rose every morning and set every evening allowing the moon to shine brightly in the sky. Seasons came and went in a cyclic pattern to allow for the plants to grow so that they could provide food for insects, animals and man. Everything was now working perfectly. As Goddess Saraswati’s work was done, she spent her hours sitting on a resplendent, full bloomed, white lotus and played her Veena and sang the most sweet sounding songs to the joy of the whole universe.
Legend has it that after a while the Goddess began to feel a little bored. Her husband Brahma was busy in the complex process of continuous creation and she was feeling a bit neglected. She felt it was time she embarked on something new. She was ready for a bit of adventure.
So she went to Brahma and rather mischievously asked, “Lord, please tell me what it feels like to be a mortal - a human being?”
Brahma smiled at her and said, “Saraswati, only a human can answer that question.”
This is exactly the answer the Goddess was expecting and waiting for.
“Then Lord,” said Saraswati, “Allow me to be a human for a while so that I might get the answer to my question.”
Brahma was amused and warned her that it would be foolish for her to become a human being. But Saraswati’s pleas were so persuasive that Brahma could not resist her charm and finally gave in. But almost instantly he regretted acceding to his wife’s request. Brahma did not want Saraswati to leave him. But as he had agreed to her wish, Lord Brahma could not go back on his word. So it was with a heavy heart that he bid farewell to his enchanting wife.
As she left the Goddess cheerfully reassured Lord Brahma that she would be “Back soon”.
On a very auspicious day, far far away from the heavens and on the distant planet earth, a beautiful girl was born. The baby’s face glowed with a divine radiance and emanated peace and tranquility. When the baby girl let out her first cry it was so melodious that everyone marvelled at the sweetness of her voice. Unknown to everyone including her parents the Goddess Saraswati had taken human form. The girl was named Avvaiyar.
Besides being beautiful, having a lovely voice and being a most happy child, Avvaiyar was also extraordinarily intelligent. She mastered the most difficult of literature pieces in minutes. She knew the scriptures too. Her parents were amazed by her many talents and everyone doted on her.
As Avvaiyar grew up her parents wanted her to marry. They set about looking for a husband who was as exceptional as she was. This they knew would be a difficult task but her mother was insistent that she marry, so the search began.
But much to their disappointment Avvaiyar was totally uninterested in matrimony. In fact her parents were astonished with Avvaiyar’s loud and persistent protests. They had never know their little girl to be so difficult.
How could they have known that she was the Goddess Saraswati and was already married to Lord Brahma?
Avvaiyar was not about to let her parents into this secret. However, she did want to spend a little more time on earth as a mortal. So each time her parents brought up the topic of the many suitors asking for her hand Avvaiyar would turn away and leave the room. When she could not avoid their relentless badgering, she told them rather firmly that she was not going to ever get married.
In spite of this, her mother never gave up hope and would come to her every day and say, “Avvaiyar there are so many young men from wealthy and noble families asking for your hand. How long will you keep rejecting them? Will you not consider even one of them?”
And every day, Avvaiyar would give her mother the same reply, “Mother I have no intention of marrying.”
Her parents were horrified to hear this but did not give up in their attempts to change Avvaiyar’s mind.
Finally after many such incidents, Avvaiyar realised that her parents would never stop bothering her with their pleas.. So she decided to remedy the situation herself. She knew that it was because she was young and beautiful that suitors asked for her hand. She also knew that there was much more to her than just her outer beauty. Beauty of the face and body fade away, what remains is the inner beauty. Strength of character, intelligence, kindness, generosity, wisdom, compassion these were what made a person beautiful not the flesh, hair, body shape or skin colour. Avvaiyar wanted to show people what it meant to be truly beautiful.
So with the magical mystical powers that she had Avvaiyar created a new look. She shut her eyes and prayed. Then before everyone’s eyes flower petals showered down on her and lilting music could be heard. As the veil of falling petals faded it revealed not the Avvaiyar everyone knew and adored but an old woman with sagging skin, wrinkles on her face, straggly, grey hair and a back bent with age.
Naturally her parents were horrified to see their young beautiful Avvaiyar disappear before their eyes and in her place was this haggard and aged woman. Both of them could not speak for a few moments. Her father looked at the old woman with wide eyes and gaping mouth. Her mother felt faint and in a few moments collapsed to the floor.
Avvaiyar rushed to her mother’s side with a small bowl of water and gently sprinkled drops of water over her mothers’ face to revive her. Slowly her mother recovered and lay there, her head cradled in the lap of an old woman she had never ever seen before.
Her parents were silent with shock, wondering what had happened to their beloved daughter.
Her father was the first to be able to speak and he said, “Avvaiyar, what is this that just happened? Where is our child?”
Avvaiyar looked at him and reaching out for his hands, gently held them and said, “I did not come here to live an ordinary life and get married and have children.”
Seeing her mother lying there on her lap staring up at her, unable to even open her mouth Avvaiyar, gently stroked her head. The familiar touch brought some relief and her mother with tears in her eyes said, “My darling daughter. How did this terrible calamity happen? And why has my gorgeous, joyful daughter disappeared?”
In her soothing voice, so loved by her parents, Avvaiyar explained, “Mother, Father I have a lot to do here and in my earlier appearance I was unable to do all the work I had come to do. This is the reason that I have changed my appearance.”
Her father immediately realised that Avvaiyar was not a mere human. She was divine. He asked her, “Dearest Avvaiyar, what is this work you have come to do?”
But all that Avvaiyar would say was, “You will soon see.”
Avvaiyar then left home and began to travel from one temple to the next. She would spend her time in devotion to the Lord. The aged Avvaiyar also began writing poetry. She wrote such exquisite poetry that her poems became renowned throughout the kingdom. Not only did the words read perfectly but her writings also imparted great wisdom. She spent her years wandering through the kingdom, giving people guidance and direction through her poems. Her words were simple, easy to understand and yet rich in spiritual knowledge. She loved children very much and wanted to teach them good values through her words which is one of the main reasons she often spoke in few words and single sentences.
To the Brahmins and teacher she would say, “What you have learned is a mere handful. What you haven't learned is the size of the world.” These wise words warned them not to get too proud of their superior knowledge.
To the greedy man who came to ask her how to make more money from his business, she said “The rain falls on behalf of the virtuous benefiting everyone in the world.” In these simple words was a wealth of meaning - they meant that everything in this world is for everyone and to demand that you alone benefit is nothing but selfishness. The businessman had enjoyed all the benefits of the world but when it came to profits from his business he wanted more and all of it for himself.
When people came to her to ask about their future she said, “Look out of the window, see your life reflected in the bushes and the trees and the glossy meadows and live.” Even today hundreds and hundreds of years later we need to be reminded that destroying nature destroys our world and our future.
People were in awe of this great poetess and wise woman. They came to her and she had an answer to all their questions. The answers she gave were simple and easy to understand - this was her greatest strength. Her fame spread across the kingdom. No longer was she pursued only for her beauty. In fact Avvaiyar had a far greater following of admirers now that she was old and haggard than she had ever had in her youth. She had made her point - outer beauty is but skin deep.
In order to reach out to as many people as possible, Avvaiyar would keep wandering never staying on in one place for too long. One day exhausted after walking many miles Avvaiyar came to a Shiva temple. She decided to sleep the night in the temple. She was so tired that she lay down and fell fast asleep without realising that her feet were pointing towards the Lord Shiva idol. The priest found her fast asleep on the temple floor and rudely awoke her and said, “Get up immediately how did you dare to lie down with your feet facing towards Lord Shiva ?”
Avvaiyar, now awake calmly replied, “Tell me learned priest which direction is it that Lord Shiva is not present and I will point my feet in that direction?”
The priest was left dumbfounded. He felt ashamed when Avvaiyar went on to explain, “It is foolish to think that God is only found in temples and places of worship. God is found in our hearts and in everything around us too.”
The years were passing and Goddess Saraswati had spent quite some time on earth. Lord Brahma was missing her and wondering when she would be back.
He decided that as the Goddess had not yet resolved to return, he would somehow trick her into coming back. So he enlisted, Lord Ganesha’s brother, Lord Kartikeya’s in his plan.
That day as Avvaiyar was wandering she found herself in a scenic orchard full of Jambu fruit trees. The fruit were ripe and tempting. Avvaiyar was a little hungry. She looked up and saw a young boy sitting in the branches of the Jambu tree.
Avvaiyar, called out to the boy, “Son could you please pick a fruit for me from the branch?”
The boy replied, “Yes certainly grandmother I will pick one for you. Do you want hot Jambu fruit or cold Jambu fruit?”
Avvaiyar had never ever heard of hot fruit, but did not want to seem ignorant or foolish, especially in front of a young boy. She had got accustomed to giving wise answers and being applauded for her wisdom. She did not want to tell the boy she had no idea what he meant by a hot Jambu fruit. So she quickly replied’ “cold Jambu fruit.”
The boy shook the branch and several of the fruit fell on the earth below.
Avvaiyar bent down and picked one. As it was covered with dust she began to blow the dust off.
Seeing this the boy said to her, “You had asked for cold fruit so why are you picking a hot one and blowing on it?” Then with an impish smile he continued, “In fact there are no cold or hot fruit only ripe or raw fruit.”
Avvaiyar knew that it was because she had got used to people praising her for her wisdom that she, in order to appear knowledgable, had said she wanted “cold” Jambu fruit. She knew that she had fallen into the trap of arrogance inspite of warning others to avoid it. Avvaiyar also realised immediately that the boy on the tree was no ordinary child and that he had come to her to teach her a lesson in humility.
She acknowledged that she too had slipped-up. Then in order to thank the little boy for making her see this failing, Avvaiyar in her mellifluous voice sang sweet words in praise of the boy. The boy was spell bound by her words and her voice. So when she requested that he come down and reveal his true form he did so immediately. He climbed off the tree and there before Avvaiyar was Lord Kartikeya.
The Goddess had spent time experiencing life as a mortal but she knew that now it was time to return to the heavens and to her husband Brahma. Lord Brahma of-course was delighted that his plan had worked and that his wife was back with him.
AVVAIYAR is loved and respected in Tamil Nadu as an incarnation of the Goddess of learning, Saraswati.
LIFE LESSONS
1. Avvaiyar shows us that how you look is never as important as who you are. A truly beautiful person is one who is wise and beautiful from within.
2. The Goddess came to earth to spread wisdom. We too are on this earth for a purpose - it could be to spread happiness, knowledge or love. Find your purpose.
3. All it took was a child’s question to make Goddess Saraswati realise that she was losing a very important virtue - humility. Remember pride always comes before a fall.
4. Like Goddess Saraswati we too should acknowledge our mistakes and correct them
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