5" Small Goddess Saraswati Panchaloha Bronze Statue from Swamimalai

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The purest and highest symbolism of ‘Sattwa Guna,’ manifesting true knowledge, insight, and wisdom, is this ‘madhuchista vidhana’ lost wax bronze image of Saraswati, gracefully poised on a raised pedestal, playing the Saraswati or Raghunatha Veena. The musical instrument is placed against her folded right thigh – her whole-body posture imagined in the ‘virasana’ or the heroic demon-slayer manner. The veena’s association with Saraswati projects her patronage of the creative arts, perfecting that musical harmony from which stems all kinds of knowledge. Her ‘anuraga’ expression of love, rhythm, and music – expressive of immense devotion, has also been associated with Shiva’s veena-playing form called ‘Vinadhara,’ Narada’s mastery over the instrument, and Ravana’s skillful playing of the veena.

It is interesting that this particular image of Saraswati is particularly lacking in ornate bejewelling or the presence of her famously recognizable swan as the mount or ‘vahana,’ or a lotus. What it nevertheless presents itself as is a clean, lean, and delicately fine visualisation of the mother goddess, seen with four arms: while two play the veena, with the other two we see Saraswati holding a ‘Pustaka’ or book, and a ‘Japamala’ or rosary beads. Her four arms are emblematic of the four virtues of Brahma’s heads: ‘manas,’ ‘buddhi,’ ‘citta,’ and ‘ahamkara.’ However, while Brahma’s celestial presence remarks on the abstract nature of the cosmos, Saraswati’s Shakti reverberates with the highest form of reality. Such an easy-to-handle and auspicious image therefore becomes a significant addition to any household, blessing it with knowledge and wisdom.