MEET THE JAPANESE SARASVATI Sarasvati is both the name of Vedas most revered river and godess of knowledge , Indologists believe that as VEDAS were composed on the banks of SARASVATI she became the Godess of Knowledge. Japanese like the rest of the world pray to Hindu gods and Godesses . Today we feature one of them . In Japanese Buddhism, the biwa (pear-shaped lute) is associated with the goddess Benten (Benzaiten/Saraswati). She presides over all things that flow, from water and snakes to language and music, and is thus the patron of geishas, dancers, and musicians. Her shrines are usually located near water, and paintings often show her seated on a rock by the sea, as in this eighteenth-century silk panel. Detail, Benten on a Rock by the Sea; hanging scroll (mounted on panel); Japan, Edo period, 18th century; color and gold on silk panel; gift of Charles Lang Freer; F1903.111
Posted on: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 02:30:00 +0000
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