saraswati namastubhyam (सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम्)...

I wanted to continue posting more dakShiNamUrti slokas and follow that up with slokas on  hayagrIva and dattatreya. There is no particular link connecting this list, but its just that these avatars of God have always seemed intriguing to me and I was hoping to learn more by posting some slokas on them. However, with the navaratrI season upon us, I will post devI and saraswatI slokas over the next few posts. I am starting off with a basic saraswati sloka that every kid is asked to recite for succeeding in his/her studies. :

 सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् वरदे कामरूपिणि।
विद्यारम्भम् करिष्यामि सिद्धिर्भवतु मे सदा॥

saraswati namastubhyam varade kAmarUpiNi |
vidyArambham kariShyAmi siddhir bhavatume sadA ||

saraswati, the consort of brahma, is the goddess of learning and is considered to be the mother of the vedas. saraswati literally means 'she who flows' and it is no wonder it is also the name of a river. Knowledge is not meant to stagnate and has to keep flowing and evolving, and hence, the connection. According to various sources on the internet, saraswati is mentioned in the Rigveda both as a river and as a separate entity as a goddess. The essence of the sloka is the following:

O Goddess saraswati, my salutations to you  (नमस्तुभ्यम्), O giver of boons (वरदे) to fulfill or give form (रूप​) to ones desires (काम), I am beginning my studies today (विद्यारम्भम् करिष्यामि), wish me success (सिद्धिर्भवतु मे)  always (सदा).

Even though goddess saraswati does not directly fulfill our desires for wealth or fame, it is understood here that she does so by blessing us with the knowledge basis required to go attain the same.