Saraswati Visarjan Dates- Rituals- Customs and its Significance

BY : STARZSPEAK

By: Manmeet Kaur Tura

The fourth and last day of Saraswati Puja during Navratri is known as the Saraswati Visarjan day. Saraswati Visarjan is also called Saraswati Udvasan. It is celebrated with great fervor and enthusiasm  In Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Saraswati Puja commences with Saraswati Avahan on Maha Saptami and ends with Saraswati Udasan or Visarjan on Vijayadashami.

Saraswati Puja calendar:

Saraswati Puja Avahan – Maha Saptami – Triratna vratam starts in Andhra Pradesh.

Saraswati Puja (main puja) – Durga Ashtami

Saraswati Uttara Puja – Mahanavami

Saraswati Visarjan or Udasan – Vijaya Dashami

17th October,2018

Shravana Nakshatra Visarjan Muhurat = 21:29 to 28:15

Duration = 6 Hours 46 Mins

History

Maa Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge and wisdom and her narrations are found in almost every major ancient and medieval Indian literature from 1000 BC to 1500 AD. Almost every Hindu disciple worships Maa Saraswati. Wisdom and Knowledge is the key of a balanced life and Goddess Saraswati is believed to be the bearer of all the knowledge and wisdom of the Universe and it is believed that she blesses her devotee’s with wisdom, knowledge, arts and education. She has remained significant as a goddess from the Vedic age. Goddess Saraswati is called the mother of the Vedas. In Book 2 of Taittiriya Brahmana, she is proclaimed to be the mother of eloquent speech and harmonious music. Saraswati is the dynamic energy and power of Brahma.

Rituals and Customs

Saraswati Visarjan means the departure of Maa Saraswati after the 4 day long Puja during Navratri. "Visarjan" is a Sanskrit word that refers to this last rite and act of courteously requesting departure. The idol of Maa Saraswati is a temporary body for the incarnation of Maa Saraswati and is returned to Nature by submersion into any form of running water, such as a lake, river or the sea.

Devotees get up early in the morning on the day of Saraswati Visarjan and wear new traditional clothes. Married women wear red saris along with ornaments and it is customary to apply vermillion on each other’s forehead. Special sweets are prepared on the occasion of Saraswati Visarjan and are offered to the Goddess.

After carrying out the puja and rituals of the Saraswati Puja, on the day of Vijayadashami, disciples perform the Visarjan puja. At the end of the ceremonies, the Saraswati Visarjan procession is carried out in a grand manner and is celebrated with music and dance. Devotees wish farewell to their Goddess by immersing the idol in water and wait eagerly for her return next year.

In South India, on the day of Saraswati Visarjan or Udvasan, there is a custom of beginning the process of learning in young children. This is known as ‘Vidya Arambham’ and is celebrated in Kerala and Karnataka.

Prior to the Visarjana the idol is prayed for 4 days and the family seeks for the blessings of Maa Saraswati to provide wisdom and knowledge to the students and even the elders. During the nine day Navratri celebrations in South India, the first 8 days are devoted to different forms of Goddess Shakti and last day is dedicated completely to Goddess Saraswati.