Colour of Saraswati

The last post was about "Shree Pruthvivallabha", (click here to read it) referring to the war between Pulikeshi II and Harshavardhana in the Narmada river valley in 618-619 AD. This period of 7th century AD was a very fertile ground for growth of fine arts and literature. Temples and monuments constructed at that time as well as works of literature that are available even today bear testimony to this. There were many talented artistes and poets in the court of Pulikeshi II and other noted Kings of the period like The Gangas of Talakad and Pallavas of Kancheepuram, besides the Banavasi Kings. 

Chandraditya was the eldest son of Pulikeshi II. Chandraditya's queen Vijayambike was herself a noted poet of that time. Vijayambike was known by different names such as Vijjika, Vijayakka (meaning elder sister Vijaya) and Vijaya Bhattarika. She is referred to as "Karnati" (Lady of Karnataka) and "Karnata Rajapriya" (Darling of the King of Karnataka). She is said to have been born in a courtesan family and well versed in music, dance and literature. In fact, there are claims that she was the foremost poet in Vaidharbhi style, next only to Mahakavi Kalidasa. She has written a five act drama by name "Kaumudi Mahotsavam".  She had earned the title "Karnata Saraswati". 

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Dandi or Dandin is considered as one of the foremost poet of that period. Researchers have established that he was in the court of Pallavas King Simhavishnu and later in the court of famous King Durvinita of the Ganga dynasty who ruled from Talakad near Mysore. His celebrated work "Kavyadarsha" is a highly respected source book in Poetics. He is also credited with two more prose works, "Dasha Kumara Charita" and "Avanti Sundari Katha". He is praised as a foremost exponent of "Padalalitya" or playing with words, in his works. He lived around the same period as Vijayambike. There was a running feud between Chalukyas and Pallavas with victory favoring one or the other in a long period of 6th and 7th centuries.

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We see many photos of various deities, gods and goddesses that are sold in shops, displayed in temples and shown in calendars, books etc. These are based on the descriptions of the deities in Vedic hymns and artiste's impressions developed over a period of time. For example, the pictures of Goddess Lakshmi with two elephants on either side is a depiction based on her description from "Shree Suktam". All hymns describing Goddess Saraswati mention that she is all white; dressed in white, sitting on a white lotus, white swan as her chariot and she herself is white in colour. The picture of Saraswati given above is from such description in different sources.

Dandi has described that Saraswati is all white (नित्यशुक्ला सरस्वती) in the beginning of his "Kavyadarsha". Vijjika or Vijayambike, daughter in-law of Pulikeshi II and queen of his son Chandraditya came to know of this as she was a contemporary of Dandi. Vijjika herself was of dark complexion. She did not accept this description of Saraswati. She retorted thus:

नीलोत्पलद्लष्यमां विज्जिकां मामजानता |

वृथैव दण्डिना प्रोक्तं सर्वशुक्ला सरस्वती ||

Neelotpaladalashyamaam Vijjikaam maamajanataa

Vruthaiva Dandina proktam Sarvashukla Saraswati!

Dandi has not seen me, Vijjika, who is like a Blue Lotus. That is why he has mentioned that Saraswati is all white! (Had he seen me, he would have known that Saraswati is not white in colour. He would have mentioned that she is of dark complexion).

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Vijjika represented a generation of women poets who were confident about themselves and stood on same footing as men as far back as over a thousand and three hundred years. She had the confidence to say that she was Saraswati personified!