Essay on Basant Panchami
According to the Hindu calendar, the fifth day of the Magha Sukla Paksha is celebrated as Basant Panchami. On this day, Goddess Saraswati is worshipped. According to the legend, the creator Lord Brahma reviewed his creation, the Earth. Struck by the sadness prevalent in the atmosphere, Brahma wanted to change the haunting gloom. Taking some water from his Kamandal, he sprinkled it on all the trees, and with a blinding flash, a Goddess appeared. She was playing the veena with two hands. In her other two hands, she held a book and a garland. Lord Brahma named her as Goddess Saraswati meaning beholding of all rasas and kalas.
At the instance of Lord Brahma, Goddess Saraswati filled the ‘creation with colours of music, dance, art and education. In Eastern India, on ‘Basanta Panchami’ or Saraswati Puja (as it is known in the east) brushes are worshipped and kept near the idol of the Goddess. Yellow is the predominant colour of the day and people wear yellow-hued clothes, especially in North India.
