The Tales of Goddess Saraswati

After Lord Brahma created the cosmic universe, he realized that it lacked forms, concepts and orders. He felt lost and needed assistance to organize the Universe.

He decided to create the very embodiment of knowledge to help him with this Herculean task, and from his mouth emerged the Goddess Saraswati.

She gave him direction on how to create order in the cosmos, as we know it. The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars were born. The oceans emerged and seasons changed. The joyous Brahma then named Saraswati - Vagdevi, the Goddess of speech and sound.

Thus, Brahma became the Creator of the World with Saraswati as his Source of Wisdom.

Another legend tale tells the story of how Goddess Saraswati got back the life-giving Somras from the Gandharvas without a war.

It is believed that the Gandharvas were demigods who sprang from the fragrance of flowers. They stole the Soma plant from the Gods, as its inebriating and invigorating sap was believed to make devas immortal.

This infuriated the Gods, but Goddess Saraswati promised to recover the plant without a fight. She walked into the garden of the Gandharvas and began to create beautiful music with her veena - the enchanting tunes of ragas and the raginis.

Mesmerized, the Gandharvas begged for the music, and Goddess Saraswati agreed to teach it to them if they returned the Soma plant.

Hence, the gods got back their Soma plant, and the Gandharvas learned music to become celestial musicians whose melodies could rouse the mind like no other intoxicant.