Saraswati /Essence: from mind to wisdom & flow

ByShruti Bakshi
 
 
There is a glue of ‘I, Me, Mine’ which is like an energetic bond that makes us become identified (meaning become blinded to the wider perspective and neutral view) with thought movements and action stories in our minds. It is not just thoughts and ideas that make up the ‘maya mind’. It is also deep seated feelings and emotions. The feelings may be harder to detect, as compared to thoughts, but they are constantly affecting how we act and respond in life. For e.g. feelings of guilt about how we should treat others (like, ‘I must be loving’, ‘I must be non-judgmental’, etc) are like a thick ‘feeling layer’ of identification that goes undetected mostly and because of this, we cannot scientifically or clinically view what’s happening and thus remain identified. What happens as a very quick reflex/mechanism is that when a certain response/action happens that we feel guilt towards (e.g. being unloving, in our perception), the feeling layer will unconsciously cause us to project an alternative in which we will not feel the guilt. For e.g. we will project an image of ourselves as ‘loving’ and then our actions will follow this suggestion and we will start to instead behave lovingly. This is the mechanism of ‘unconscious reaction’.
However, this entire time, we have not left the mind space.
 
How does Saraswati fit into all this? Well if we are using Her as a metaphor for consciousness, then her symbolisms give us many directions about how our true nature sees everything. The word ‘love’ is not really associated with Saraswati as it is in so much spiritual language. Her associations are with wisdom and the ‘flow’ or ‘essence’ of life. This is good in a way because of the great misunderstandings the word ‘love’ creates in the human mind, including the ‘feeling layers’ of identification described above. The trouble arises because while love is an expression of our true nature, it is also what the ego craves, to perpetuate itself. That’s why we see how often in the world, fear, jealousy, need etc. masquerade as ‘love’.
 
The point of non-duality or knowing our true Self is that when for e.g. ‘unloving’ thoughts arise, to not be motivated towards ‘loving’ ones instead, as a denial reflex, but to “wake up”. To switch out of the storyline. To recognise our place as unidentified consciousness. This discernment and wisdom of the Being becomes stronger in us over time and gives us our true eyes and vision back.
 
 
 
The last line of the famous Saraswati Vandana (part of a longer stotram) beseeches the goddess to remove complacency/sluggishness (nihshessa jaaddyaapahaa) which leads to ignorance i.e. the lack of vigilance which leads to falling back into identification.
 
 
From here life flows in its true Beauty. Saraswati is the goddess of creative expression which is the movement of life from the Source. As Saraswati represents, true Love is seen in expressions of art, drawing one into the deeper Beauty. True Love, which is beyond human relating and is simply the absence of resistance. Freedom in flow.
 
 
 
Related articles
 
 
 
 
 
 

Shruti Bakshi has worked in banking and management consulting in London, Paris and Australia for several years. In 2016 she traded boardrooms for ashrams and created The LivingWise Project to share from her spiritual path spanning yoga, Vedanta and various aspects of Indian culture. |

MBA, INSEAD Business School | MPhil, Cambridge University (Shell Centenary & Commonwealth Scholar) | Hatha yoga instructor (Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Academy)

Instagram: @shruti.heartwords

Books:
HeartWords: mystic poems |
From Dior to Dharma | Other books

Read More

Sanskrit Chant from Isha Upanishad (Purnamadah)

Sanskrit Chant from Isha Upanishad (Purnamadah)

ByShruti Bakshi

An offering of the Sanskrit Chant Purnamadah Purnamidam

Yoga Day Countdown: Day #3

Yoga Day Countdown: Day #3

ByAmbika Gupta

Continuing our countdown to Yoga Day 2017 with Hatha Yoga teacher Ambika Gupta’s yoga postcards from the gorgeous banks of Lac Léman, Switzerland! The asanas follow the progression of a yoga practice. Day #3: Gomukhasana

Want to be a Laughing Buddha? Try Laughter Yoga

Want to be a Laughing Buddha? Try Laughter Yoga

ByLivingWise Project

Too lazy to do yoga-asanas? Why not try Laughter Yoga? Read more to find out what’s so funny.

Effective ways to improve your yoga and meditation practice
|

Effective ways to improve your yoga and meditation practice

ByShruti Bakshi

You’ve proudly managed to find your ‘quiet time’ in the middle of a hectic schedule. You’ve changed into clothes with more zen-inspiring potential and maybe even lit a candle or two to set the mood. But as you settle in for your yoga or meditation, you can’t get your mind off that work problem, or how rude that cashier was or how you’ll manage to squeeze all your ‘to-do’s into the rest of the week. You know what a meaningful yoga/meditation practice is supposed to look like but your mind is not in a mood to cooperate. Here’s a few methods I use that can hopefully help to guide you back to attentiveness or if you’re having a good session already, to make it more effective.

When Gautama became the Buddha

When Gautama became the Buddha

ByShruti Bakshi

Buddha Purnima reminds us of our highest purpose, to realise our true, Buddha nature. Read about Gautama’s enlightenment and what other spiritual masters had to say about the Buddha.

Meditation 101
|

Meditation 101

ByShruti Bakshi

New to meditation and wondering what it’s really about? This article may help.

2 Comments

  1. I really appreciate your writings. It is short and easy to read.
    The blog design and interface is very soothing.
    Can you tell me from where I can make this type of website?
    -Thank you

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.