All Blogs · Theology Thursday ·Oct 21, 2021

The Story of Saraswati Devi's Music

Once upon a time, there was a demigod named Vishvavasu, who hailed from the Gandharvas race. He was put in charge by the gods to guard somras, the elixir of life.

Over time, his curiosity got the best of him and one day, he decided to steal it. He ran off to the Gandharvas' abode to hide it.

When the gods realized they had been betrayed by their own friend, they sought a way to retrieve the potion peacefully. Waging a war simply was not an option.

The gods approached Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom, for advice. What she offered instead was a solution.

Saraswati disguised herself as a young maiden, and arrived at the Gandharvas'. She seated herself outside their garden and began playing her veena.

Melody filled the air.

The Gandharvas were entranced. They had never heard anything like it.

Saraswati was aware of her audience and smiled secretly to herself. Then suddenly, she stopped playing.

The Gandharvas, feeling disappointed and distressed, clamored for more.

Saraswati agreed, but only under one condition: "You must return the potion that you stole from the gods and hand it over to me. If you do so, I will happily grant you the knowledge of music and give you the wisdom to play well, for I am Saraswati Devi, and it is in my power to do so."

The Gandharvas were so enchanted that the tradeoff seemed fair. In exchange for returning the stolen somras, Saraswati taught them to play music.

This is how Gandharvas became known as celestial musicians, and Saraswati Devi restored peace in heaven.

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