Saraswati Vandana
या कुन्देन्दुतुषारहारधवलाया शुभ्रवस्त्रावृता ।या वीणावरदण्डमण्डितकराया श्वेतपद्मासना ॥
yā kundendu tuṣārahāra dhavalā yā śubhravastrāvṛtā | yā vīṇāvaradaṇḍamaṇḍitakarā yā śvetapadmāsanā ||
🔊 yaa kun-den-du tu-shaa-ra-haa-ra dha-va-laa · yaa shu-bhra-vas-traa-vri-taa · yaa vee-naa-va-ra-dan-da-man-di-ta-ka-raa · yaa shvay-ta-pad-maa-sa-naa
📖 What it means
She who is white as jasmine, the moon and a garland of frost; who is wrapped in bright cloth; whose hand is adorned with the veena; who is seated on a white lotus.
🔍 Word by word
| कुन्द kunda | the jasmine flower |
|---|---|
| इन्दु indu | the moon |
| तुषार tuṣāra | frost, snow |
| धवला dhavalā | white, shining |
| वीणा vīṇā | the stringed instrument |
| श्वेतपद्म śvetapadma | white lotus |
🕰️ When it is used
At the start of the school day in many Indian schools, and on Vasant Panchami.
💡 Worth knowing
Four images, all of them white — jasmine, moon, frost, lotus — for clarity of mind. It is a description before it is a request, which is itself a lesson in how attention works.
🔬 Does it do anything?
A straight answer, with the evidence and its limits — including the claims that are popular and untrue.
More mantras
Om
The syllable taken as the sound of the whole — beginning, middle and end together.
Open →The Gayatri Mantra
We contemplate the glorious light of the sun, the giver of life. May it set our thinking in motion.
Open →Asato Ma Sad Gamaya
From the unreal lead me to the real; from darkness lead me to light; from death lead me to deathlessness.
Open →