Saraswati Prayers
"Saraswati namastubhyam, varade kamarupini…" — the verse children recite before opening their books. Learn the Saraswati prayers, what they mean, and how families welcome a child into learning.
The verse
Before every lesson
In homes and schools across India, children fold their hands before studies and say: "Saraswati, I bow to you, giver of boons, who takes any form at will. I begin my learning — may there always be success for me." It is the first prayer many children learn.
A child's first letters
On Vasant Panchami, Vijayadashami or an auspicious day, families perform Akshar Abhyasam or Vidyarambham: a parent or priest holds the child's finger and writes "Om" or the first letters in rice or on a slate. It is one of the most tender rites of a Hindu childhood…
The journey continues for members
- The Vidyarambham rite
- The full vandana
- A note on what mantras promise
Sources
- Traditional prayers
- Rigveda — Saraswati hymns, 6.61