My dear children, I hope you will be interested very much to know the connotation and meaning of the new words printed above with which you may not be acquainted. ‘Bharate’ means in India or Bharat. The Sanskrit root Bharat, Bha means lustre, wisdom, effulgence etc.

As such our motherland Bharat or India is the most ancient land of light, lustre, wisdom because the most ancient, scriptures and literature ever discovered on the surface of the earth is “The Veda”. Veda  means complete wisdom. India is a land of the Vedas. The ancient Risis or seers of India every morning used to pray the almighty---  Bharate Bhatu Bharatee, which  implies that our Bharat spreads light or lustre of wisdom. Now let us come to the word ‘Bharatee’. In Sanskrit ‘wisdom is Vidya’, it means complete wisdom. Throughout the whole Vedic literature the Goddess Saraswati is the epitome of real Vidya or Jnana. On Feb, 2 this year throughout India most of the educational institutions from the Universities down to the primary standard schools are observing the worship of Saraswati.

Vac – Vidya (all knowledge) Nada or Svar (all musical sound) comes out in form of sound (Sabda) from the vocal cord inside throat. Saraswati is the Goddess of that vocal point and she is the presiding deity of that point. Therefore she is depicted with book and Vina in two hands.

Now the advent- day of Saraswati, i.e. 5th day of spring season or Vasanta Panchami is significant.

All of you, my dear little friends, know from geography, that our Bharat is the only sloe continent on the earth, where all six seasons are distinctly felt. Out side India, there is not a single patch of land where all six seasons are so distinctly felt. Spring or Vasanta Ritu is the best of all seasons for starting to learn alphabets and music by worshipping Saraswati on her advent day i.e. Vasanta Panchami. Again this 5th or Panchami has another significance. If we start from gross to subtle matters, i.e from Earth-Water-Fire-Air-Eather, Eather or ‘Akash’ is the most subtle of all five prime matters. But when the creation begins, it starts from the subtlest and gradually from Eather – Air – Fire – Water – and then  the Earth which is the grossest of all previous matters.

The first form of creation is Sabda – Word – Vac or Sabda and Svara(sound) and Nada Brahma i.e. Om which includes all Sabda or knowledge and Svar
(music). Saraswati is the presiding deity of that part of the human body,  which is described as the fifth form of Vac or Sabda. Sabda originates from Para (naval point). Pasyanti (heart),  Madhyama (throat),   Vaikhali and lastly Matruka – Vac or Sabda (voice or vocal form).

We should worship the deity Saraswati with all purity of body and mind. The present form of worship has lost the spirit of devotion and purity. It is simply merry making and an occasion of sensual enjoyment. You must try to avoid this sort of worship.