SARASVATĪ is a goddess of pan-Indian importance best known as the patron of learning and the fine arts. Her name means "flowing, watery," and indeed, she first appears in the Ṛgveda as a sacred river. Since Ṛgvedic...

In origin, an ancient Indian river goddess. In the Brahmanas, she is identified with speech, whence she is promoted to become goddess of eloquence and wisdom, identified with → Vāc. The Hindus venerate her as Vāgdevi, ‘goddess of...

In Hinduism, Saraswati (Sanskrit सरस्वती sarasvatī) is one of the goddesses, the other two being Lakshmi and Durga, that form the female counterpart of the Trimurti. Saraswati has been regarded as a river goddess and in recent times a...

Swaminathan (Chandrasekharendra Saraswati), philosopher and spiritual leader: born Viluppuram, Tamil Nadu 20 May 1894; died Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu 8 January 1994. A REVERED philosopher and spiritual leader, Chandrasekharendra Saraswati was Hinduism's greatest scholar. He made a unique contribution to the preservation and study...

A GARLAND FOR SARASWATI Lincoln Center North Plaza Closed Elise Long's Brooklyn artists illuminate a soggy Lincoln Center It's a dedicated audience that will stand outside in a thunderstorm. Such a crowd arrived atthe North Plaza one rainy afternoon to...

Ash-smeared and naked Hindu saints led millions of devotees Wednesday in a pre-dawn holy dip at the meeting of three major rivers in northern India, starting a weeks-long pilgrimage to wash away their sins.Chanting religious hymns and "Har Har Gange," or "Long Live the Ganges...

Hundreds of Christians, fearing more clashes with Hindu nationalists, fled to government-run relief camps where authorities on Saturday were providing them with food, medicine and security.The clashes left at least four people dead last week, including three killed when police fired on a group of...