Balinese Hindus celebrate birth of knowledge

Ary Hermawan, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Balinese Hindus observed Saraswati Day, also known as the birthday of knowledge, on Saturday by praying in their homes, temples and schools to acknowledge the importance of education.

Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of learning, wisdom, knowledge and the arts. The Balinese regard her as the divine manifestation of God and source of knowledge and commemorate her birthday every 210th day of the Balinese lunar and pawukon (cyclic) calendars.

"This is a routine ceremony to remind us that education should be made a priority in our lives," the province's Education Agency head, TIA Kusuma Wardhani, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

A public ceremony was held at Badung Puputan square in Denpasar, where thousand of worshipers, mostly young students, swarmed Jagatnatha Temple.

Most offices were closed and teaching and learning activities at schools were not conducted on the day.

Teachers and students at the Saraswati Foundation School held a mass prayer to mark the day, during which they made sacred offerings to books and the library.

"This ritual is aimed at respecting books and sacred texts that provide us with knowledge. We also pray that all knowledge given to us will be useful for mankind," Hindu priest Ida Pedanda Gede Putra, who led the mass prayer at the school, said.

The head of Bali's Parisadha (Hindu Council), Nengah Sudiana, said books were symbols of knowledge and therefore should be venerated.

"Some Hindus here abstain from reading books and writing on this day," he said, adding he hoped Saraswati Day would not only be viewed as a routine religious ceremony, but also as a tool by which to boost the spirit of learning.

In Hindu mythology, Saraswati is regarded as the divine consort of Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe. Since knowledge is necessary for creation, Saraswati symbolizes the creative power of Brahma.

Popular images and pictures of Saraswati often depict her with four arms, wearing a white sari and seated on a white lotus. She holds a book and a rosary in her rear two hands, while the front two hands play a lute.

The book she holds is the sacred Vedas, representing universal, divine, eternal and true knowledge as well as her command of the sciences and scriptures. The rosary represents the power of meditation and spirituality, while the lute represents her command of the arts.

Statues or pictures of Saraswati are often displayed at schools in Bali as a symbol of knowledge and science.