Sarasvatī holds a cherished place in Bali, especially among those who seek wisdom, as she is revered as the goddess of knowledge. However, Sarasvatī transcends being just an ethereal deity; she symbolizes myriad mystical and symbolic aspects within the Balinese paradigm.
The name Sarasvatī also signifies an initiation ritual (Pawintĕnan Sarasvatī), an essential step for those embarking on the sacred path of learning. This initiation ceremony serves as a rite of passage, ensuring that the learning journey ahead aligns with their intended goals.
In addition to her role as a goddess, Sarasvatī’s name is associated with a particular day and a popular scripture, “Sang Hyang Aji Sarasvatī” or “the divine knowledge [of] Sarasvatī.” Numerous versions of this scripture exist, but they all converge on one core theme: the mysticism of akṣara (sacred letters), a topic we delve into extensively in Lesson 4 of the Balinese Yoga Tradition course.
Today, let’s focus our contemplation on Sarasvatī Day, celebrated every 210 days across Bali. In schools, students and teachers briefly pause their learning activities to offer prayers to the Goddess of Knowledge. At home, it is customary to refrain from reading books, instead, books are revered and offered as tokens of respect.
Sarasvatī Day marks the culmination of the Balinese calendar. Why, you might wonder, does the day devoted to knowledge serve as the endpoint of the calendar?
While a written explanation is not readily available, one can interpret this as a message that ‘knowledge (jñāna) signifies the culmination of time (kāla)’—marking the end of the cycle of human suffering. This interpretation is rooted in Balinese yoga texts, which paint a profound spiritual picture.
Furthermore, on Sarasvatī Day, reading is discouraged. You might question why, on a day dedicated to knowledge, we are discouraged from reading sacred texts?
Sarasvatī is believed to manifest in the tangible world through writing (saṅ hyaṅ sarasvatī ri śāstraṅku). Books (and traditional manuscripts) are revered in Bali because they are considered sacred abodes of the Goddess Sarasvatī.
Thus, Sarasvatī Day calls for not reading books but for offering prayers to them. This ritual symbolizes reverence for knowledge. It reminds us to reevaluate our attitude toward learning, encouraging us to refine how we perceive and interact with knowledge.
We live in an era of boundless information, where all the information is a mere tap away on our smartphones. Any question can be typed into a screen, yielding countless answers. Even the most sacred knowledge is easily accessible through our devices.
While this facilitates individual growth through learning, it can inadvertently diminish the value of this knowledge. This ease of access can lead us to overlook the profundity of the knowledge available, particularly the information accessible at no cost. Consequently, information becomes a matter of casual consumption rather than a path to wisdom, self-improvement, and spiritual growth. When knowledge is not revered and is reduced to casual consumption, its benefits remain limited.
From this perspective, the ritual of offering prayers to books on Sarasvatī Day is a powerful reminder to sanctify the source of knowledge. It underscores the importance of treating knowledge as sacred.
To reiterate, the reason we are discouraged from reading on Sarasvatī Day and encouraged to offer prayers to books is to prompt introspection on our relationship with books and with ‘sources of knowledge’ or ‘sources of information’ at large.
A second reason could be linked to Sarasvatī’s abode within us. If her temple in the material world is in books, then her spiritual dwelling within us is the heart.
Sarasvatī’s temple in the external world resides in books, while within us, she dwell in our hearts. As expressed by Mpu Tanakuṅ in the opening of Kakawin Wṛttasañcaya, “I meditate my mind devotionally [to Vāgīśvari, i.e., Sarasvatī], who dwells in the depth of my heart (pinrih ring citta munggw ing sarasija ri dalĕm twas lanenastawangku).”
At times, we rely heavily on external sources of knowledge, such as books, seminars, internet articles, and more. Nevertheless, we must not forget the source of knowledge within ourselves. We must not become so engrossed in external knowledge that we neglect to cultivate our own thoughts and listen to the wisdom within us.
We need to take a pause from our role as consumers of external knowledge and create space for our inner voices to be heard.
In practice, many of us often succumb to the “herd mentality.” We are swept away by the torrent of information and forget to step aside and give ourselves time to process all that we have consumed. Especially when the new knowledge we acquire comes from sources we consider authoritative, or when it reinforces our pre-existing beliefs. At such times, we are influenced by others’ conclusions without aligning them with our personal context.
We also tend to adopt a “consumer” mentality in this age of creators. We consume information voraciously until we are overwhelmed by the uncertainty. Creators continue to produce a wide range of information, even if it is fabricated, in the name of algorithms. Meanwhile, consumers continue to immerse themselves in this noise, and their mindless consumption often stems from discomfort with the silence that would allow the inner voices to surface—voices conveying messages that need to be read and acted upon.
Learning is undoubtedly beneficial, but only if we learn well, so that we may receive the blessings of Sarasvatī. In traditional terms, this is referred to as kasaraswaten (to be one with Sarasvatī). One account explains the two meanings of kasaraswaten: first, someone whose words carry profound meaning, and second, someone who truly masters what they have learned.
Furthermore, in Dharmaśūnya Kakawin, it is conveyed as follows: A supreme scholar is someone whose mind has merged with Sarasvatī (rendered from: …yukti nikang Sarasvatī huwus ri hiḍĕp ira wiśeṣa tan kasah).
The concept of kesaraswaten is not about acquiring new information or knowledge solely to satisfy our ego’s desire to feel more knowledgeable than others. As mentioned earlier, Sarasvatī embodies knowledge in its entirety, from the external world represented by books to the inner world within ourselves. To be kasaraswaten is to embody the essence of knowledge, not just to accumulate facts and information. It means deeply integrating and internalizing what we have learned so that it becomes a part of our being.
In the Balinese perspective, becoming a kasaraswaten also means that our words carry weight and power, reflecting the depth of our understanding. It also implies that we have the wisdom to use our knowledge for the betterment of ourselves and others, and not merely to assert superiority or ego.
There exist two kinds of knowledge: the liberating kind, known as sphatikajñana, and the imprisoning kind, bhrantajñāna. Sarasvatī embodies knowledge in its entirety, yet kasaraswaten represents the blessings that guide us from confusion to clarity, from imprisonment to freedom. The pivotal determinant of whether we embody kasaraswaten lies in our attitude toward learning.
In summary, Sarasvatī and Sarasvatī Day in Balinese tradition represent a profound reminder to seek knowledge not just externally but also within ourselves, to honor knowledge as a sacred source, and to cultivate a deep and meaningful relationship with learning. It encourages us to pause and reflect on our consumption of information, ensuring that it serves as a path to wisdom, self-improvement, and spiritual growth rather than becoming mere mental clutter. Sarasvatī’s teachings are a call to embody the essence of knowledge and to use it wisely for the benefit of all.