Saraswati and Her Implications for South Asian Women in Today’s Society
Savrana Gayadin
Bard Graduate Center Object Study Paper, Fall 2017
The Hindu goddess Saraswati represents intelligence in a society that stereotypes the ideal woman as unconcerned with, or unable to pursue an education. In many ways, Saraswati’s representation as an idol implies a contradiction for women and girls who worship her. She represents power in the sense of knowledge which is not always accepted by Indian and diasporic South Asian society. In addition, the prevailing sociocultural idea of Indian beauty standards is also applied in conveying the idea of knowledge as divine power. Saraswati’s fair skin and conservative clothing set the norms and expectations for women who worship her.
Saraswati is the embodiment of knowledge, wisdom, and music. Devotees worship her as an embodied figure, or murti, in hopes that they will gain knowledge and wisdom to help them overcome academic challenges. She is commonly portrayed with four arms, and usually wears a white sari. Additionally, she sits on a lotus flower and holds a veena, or Indian stringed instrument, in her arms which she has positioned in a way that implies her playing it with her front two arms. In her rear two arms, she holds a grantha, or sacred scripture and a mala, or rosary.
In considering the relationship between the Hindu devotee and the goddess Saraswati, it is useful to consider the idea of darshan, or tactility in sight, which has an interesting parallel with the visuality of chastity in South Asian society. Although Saraswati is in a sense, proof that women should be knowledgeable, the beauty standards that her representation creates are “other worldly” and limits the power of a woman to control how she wants to represent herself physically and in turn be perceived by others. This creates the visual and physical stereotype that women should look a certain way, in terms of having fair skin, and like Saraswati, long hair to depict their femininity. Additionally, her conservative attire implies that women should not wear revealing clothing. Saraswati possesses all of these qualities, but her external appearance is still formed in a way that appeals to conventional South Asian beauty standards based on gender and culture.
The implications of Saraswati’s depiction are very clear for the ideas that the women and girls who worship her should live by. In Tapati Guha Thakurta’s “Women as 'Calendar Art' Icons: Emergence of Pictorial Stereotype in Colonial India,” the author discusses the 19th century depictions of goddesses by the artist Raja Ravi Verma and says that “The mark of the individual sitter gets subtly effaced, as the 'Malabar Lady' (in her frontal gaze and pose, with her whites, gold and veena) stands as Saraswati incarnate-or as an abstracted emblem of purity, chastity, culture and tradition.” (1991: WS96) Ravi Verma’s paintings have greatly influenced the depictions of deities to this day in various forms such as calendar art or sculpture. Thus, white connotes purity, which is emphasized by the pale pastels of Saraswati’s clothing, skin, and lotus, a striking contrast to the bright earthy colors of folk depictions of Hindu goddesses.
Saraswati is seen playing the veena which represents her mind and intellect. This representation conveys that the devotee must “tune” his or her mind to be in perfect harmony with the world. Even the animals that surround Saraswati imply certain ideas about her character. For example, the peacock that is by her side is supposed to symbolize “unpredictable behavior,” which translate to emotions, and the fact that Saraswati does not rely on the peacock symbolizes that she is above her emotions which creates the idea of a higher power.
Darshan, or the connection of eyes rather than physical touch emphasizes Saraswati’s power over her devotees. It also reminds us of the manner in which female devotees intersubjectively identify with the goddess on a spiritual and cultural level. In Diane Eck’s piece, “Darshan of the Image,” the author says that the gods and goddesses do not represent “earthly realities” but “present divine realities.” (1986: 48) This idea makes clear that Saraswati is so powerful that a woman cannot simply have the same graceful attributes as she does. Saraswati represents ideals for women to live by, but her presentation simultaneously emphasizes the idea that while the human woman cannot be so perfect she must aspire to mirror this image. The concept of darshan also has a lot of importance in the context of physical sight and how that can impact a female who aspires to be successful and virtuous by South Asian cultural and religious standards. In “Clothing as a Technology of Enchantment: Gaze and Glaze in Hindu Garments,” Urmila Mohan says, “Darshan is both visual and tactile because it invokes a theory of extro-missive sight where visual rays stream from the viewer’s eye to touch the form of the object. The latter then moves back along the visual ray to imprint itself in the memory and substance of the viewer.” (2017: 228) Being involved in a religious community and being around the murti can create a mental imprint which often leaves the devotee in a mindset of desire to achieve the expectations that a divine goddess may set. This idea of aspiring to idealized forms of beauty is invoked in the South Asian film industry, also referred to as Bollywood. The women are not portrayed as powerful in a spiritual sense, but do echo the beauty standards that Saraswati sets in her physical form as well as the morals she upholds.
The two films I analyzed are Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and Heropanti (released in 2001 and 2014 respectively). In my analysis, I looked specifically at the female characters who challenge the culture they are in by exhibiting some sort of independence, but also how they are confined to the beauty standards that are set by the culture’s broader awareness of Saraswati and other female goddesses. In Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Pooja (acted by Kareena Kapoor), represents herself in a way that plays into ideas about independence. Pooja is seen pursuing an education at King’s College in London, which directly parallels with Saraswati’s main sphere of influence. Although we rarely ever see her express an interest in her education, just the fact that Pooja is allowed to attend an institution signals some level of independence. In this way, she appeals to Saraswati’s impact of breaking barriers, although in a very modern and westernized way. However, in the film, Pooja is the exact opposite of the beautiful woman by the religious and cultural beauty standards set by Saraswati. If beauty is connected with morality and is mainly defined by being conservative especially as it applies to clothing, Pooja is not seen as a beautiful woman by South Asian cultural and religious standards. She breaks away from the traditional Indian way of dressing (as shown in the image on page 7) by wearing provocative clothing and bold makeup. In one scene Pooja says, “If everyone in the temple was staring at me instead of praying to God, then it’s not my problem.” Pooja recognizes that the way she dresses can be seen as scandalous and distracting, but does not attempt to change that. As a result, she is constantly being reprimanded by the other female characters in the film to dress in a more conservative way because she is a distraction. Therefore, although Pooja is able to break barriers such as getting an education, it is evident that she is constrained by beauty standards such as her fair skin and dress to fit in with the other women in society.
In Heropanti, Dimpy (acted by Kriti Sanon) openly challenges the society around her that prevents her from gaining an education because she will be exposed to an “outside” culture. The film captures the effects of an older sister's elopement on Dimpy, who is the youngest daughter in the household. In one scene that takes place after the older sister, Renu, has run away, Dimpy is going to submit a home science project at her college but is stopped by one of her father’s men. He says (in Hindi), “Your sister submitted many such home science projects. Aren’t you ashamed? Your sister ran away and you’re going to college.” Dimpy says, “What nonsense! Renu’s the one who ran away.” Dimpy wants to live out all of her dreams before she is forced to marry someone her father approves of. Shortly after, when she recounts the incident to her friend, Shaalu, she says, “I have two years for myself… I have to finish my education and learn dancing. I want to become Miss Haryana.” Dimpy does not allow herself to be stopped from pursuing an education because her sister has eloped. She believes that educating herself is very important, and also wants to pursue dancing. Saraswati’s influence is clear in this film—Dimpy is intent on becoming knowledgeable, maybe in hopes that it will help her stand up to the predominantly male authority figures in her household. However, there is again the portrayal of the female lead character as fair-skinned, long-haired, and conservatively dressed. Throughout the film, Dimpy wears saris or salwars, which are cultural and religious (as in Ravi Verma’s paintings) forms of dress.
I found it interesting that both films, each in their own ways, put forth the concept of independence for women in terms of education and the way women challenge social structures that surround them but limit their choice on physical appearance as well as their decision-making capacity. The beautiful woman will always be the most feminine and fair-skinned by South Asian standards, and this notion has a lot to do with the representation of goddesses in Hinduism via paintings and sculptures. Saraswati’s representation specifically applies to the women in each film, and their portrayal says a lot about her influence on popular culture. The invocation of the qualities of an educated female deity may have influenced the culture surrounding the “worldliness” of South Asian and Indian women in a more accepting direction, however, there is still a long way to go with changing the perception of beauty and femininity in South Asian culture and reconciling “otherworldliness” to women’s daily lives.
Bibliography
Eck, Diane. “Darshan of the Image.” India International Center Quarterly 13, No. 1(1986): 43-53.
Mohan, Urmila. “Clothing as a Technology of Enchantment: Gaze and Glaze in Hindu Garments.” Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 12, No. 1(2017): 225-244.
Guha Thakurta, Tapati. “Women as 'Calendar Art' Icons: Emergence of Pictorial Stereotype in Colonial India.” Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. xxvi, No. 43, 26 October 1991.
Bard Graduate Center Object Study Paper, Fall 2017
 |
| An image of the Saraswati murti in my home. |
Saraswati is the embodiment of knowledge, wisdom, and music. Devotees worship her as an embodied figure, or murti, in hopes that they will gain knowledge and wisdom to help them overcome academic challenges. She is commonly portrayed with four arms, and usually wears a white sari. Additionally, she sits on a lotus flower and holds a veena, or Indian stringed instrument, in her arms which she has positioned in a way that implies her playing it with her front two arms. In her rear two arms, she holds a grantha, or sacred scripture and a mala, or rosary.
In considering the relationship between the Hindu devotee and the goddess Saraswati, it is useful to consider the idea of darshan, or tactility in sight, which has an interesting parallel with the visuality of chastity in South Asian society. Although Saraswati is in a sense, proof that women should be knowledgeable, the beauty standards that her representation creates are “other worldly” and limits the power of a woman to control how she wants to represent herself physically and in turn be perceived by others. This creates the visual and physical stereotype that women should look a certain way, in terms of having fair skin, and like Saraswati, long hair to depict their femininity. Additionally, her conservative attire implies that women should not wear revealing clothing. Saraswati possesses all of these qualities, but her external appearance is still formed in a way that appeals to conventional South Asian beauty standards based on gender and culture.
The implications of Saraswati’s depiction are very clear for the ideas that the women and girls who worship her should live by. In Tapati Guha Thakurta’s “Women as 'Calendar Art' Icons: Emergence of Pictorial Stereotype in Colonial India,” the author discusses the 19th century depictions of goddesses by the artist Raja Ravi Verma and says that “The mark of the individual sitter gets subtly effaced, as the 'Malabar Lady' (in her frontal gaze and pose, with her whites, gold and veena) stands as Saraswati incarnate-or as an abstracted emblem of purity, chastity, culture and tradition.” (1991: WS96) Ravi Verma’s paintings have greatly influenced the depictions of deities to this day in various forms such as calendar art or sculpture. Thus, white connotes purity, which is emphasized by the pale pastels of Saraswati’s clothing, skin, and lotus, a striking contrast to the bright earthy colors of folk depictions of Hindu goddesses.
Saraswati is seen playing the veena which represents her mind and intellect. This representation conveys that the devotee must “tune” his or her mind to be in perfect harmony with the world. Even the animals that surround Saraswati imply certain ideas about her character. For example, the peacock that is by her side is supposed to symbolize “unpredictable behavior,” which translate to emotions, and the fact that Saraswati does not rely on the peacock symbolizes that she is above her emotions which creates the idea of a higher power.
Darshan, or the connection of eyes rather than physical touch emphasizes Saraswati’s power over her devotees. It also reminds us of the manner in which female devotees intersubjectively identify with the goddess on a spiritual and cultural level. In Diane Eck’s piece, “Darshan of the Image,” the author says that the gods and goddesses do not represent “earthly realities” but “present divine realities.” (1986: 48) This idea makes clear that Saraswati is so powerful that a woman cannot simply have the same graceful attributes as she does. Saraswati represents ideals for women to live by, but her presentation simultaneously emphasizes the idea that while the human woman cannot be so perfect she must aspire to mirror this image. The concept of darshan also has a lot of importance in the context of physical sight and how that can impact a female who aspires to be successful and virtuous by South Asian cultural and religious standards. In “Clothing as a Technology of Enchantment: Gaze and Glaze in Hindu Garments,” Urmila Mohan says, “Darshan is both visual and tactile because it invokes a theory of extro-missive sight where visual rays stream from the viewer’s eye to touch the form of the object. The latter then moves back along the visual ray to imprint itself in the memory and substance of the viewer.” (2017: 228) Being involved in a religious community and being around the murti can create a mental imprint which often leaves the devotee in a mindset of desire to achieve the expectations that a divine goddess may set. This idea of aspiring to idealized forms of beauty is invoked in the South Asian film industry, also referred to as Bollywood. The women are not portrayed as powerful in a spiritual sense, but do echo the beauty standards that Saraswati sets in her physical form as well as the morals she upholds.
The two films I analyzed are Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and Heropanti (released in 2001 and 2014 respectively). In my analysis, I looked specifically at the female characters who challenge the culture they are in by exhibiting some sort of independence, but also how they are confined to the beauty standards that are set by the culture’s broader awareness of Saraswati and other female goddesses. In Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Pooja (acted by Kareena Kapoor), represents herself in a way that plays into ideas about independence. Pooja is seen pursuing an education at King’s College in London, which directly parallels with Saraswati’s main sphere of influence. Although we rarely ever see her express an interest in her education, just the fact that Pooja is allowed to attend an institution signals some level of independence. In this way, she appeals to Saraswati’s impact of breaking barriers, although in a very modern and westernized way. However, in the film, Pooja is the exact opposite of the beautiful woman by the religious and cultural beauty standards set by Saraswati. If beauty is connected with morality and is mainly defined by being conservative especially as it applies to clothing, Pooja is not seen as a beautiful woman by South Asian cultural and religious standards. She breaks away from the traditional Indian way of dressing (as shown in the image on page 7) by wearing provocative clothing and bold makeup. In one scene Pooja says, “If everyone in the temple was staring at me instead of praying to God, then it’s not my problem.” Pooja recognizes that the way she dresses can be seen as scandalous and distracting, but does not attempt to change that. As a result, she is constantly being reprimanded by the other female characters in the film to dress in a more conservative way because she is a distraction. Therefore, although Pooja is able to break barriers such as getting an education, it is evident that she is constrained by beauty standards such as her fair skin and dress to fit in with the other women in society.
In Heropanti, Dimpy (acted by Kriti Sanon) openly challenges the society around her that prevents her from gaining an education because she will be exposed to an “outside” culture. The film captures the effects of an older sister's elopement on Dimpy, who is the youngest daughter in the household. In one scene that takes place after the older sister, Renu, has run away, Dimpy is going to submit a home science project at her college but is stopped by one of her father’s men. He says (in Hindi), “Your sister submitted many such home science projects. Aren’t you ashamed? Your sister ran away and you’re going to college.” Dimpy says, “What nonsense! Renu’s the one who ran away.” Dimpy wants to live out all of her dreams before she is forced to marry someone her father approves of. Shortly after, when she recounts the incident to her friend, Shaalu, she says, “I have two years for myself… I have to finish my education and learn dancing. I want to become Miss Haryana.” Dimpy does not allow herself to be stopped from pursuing an education because her sister has eloped. She believes that educating herself is very important, and also wants to pursue dancing. Saraswati’s influence is clear in this film—Dimpy is intent on becoming knowledgeable, maybe in hopes that it will help her stand up to the predominantly male authority figures in her household. However, there is again the portrayal of the female lead character as fair-skinned, long-haired, and conservatively dressed. Throughout the film, Dimpy wears saris or salwars, which are cultural and religious (as in Ravi Verma’s paintings) forms of dress.
I found it interesting that both films, each in their own ways, put forth the concept of independence for women in terms of education and the way women challenge social structures that surround them but limit their choice on physical appearance as well as their decision-making capacity. The beautiful woman will always be the most feminine and fair-skinned by South Asian standards, and this notion has a lot to do with the representation of goddesses in Hinduism via paintings and sculptures. Saraswati’s representation specifically applies to the women in each film, and their portrayal says a lot about her influence on popular culture. The invocation of the qualities of an educated female deity may have influenced the culture surrounding the “worldliness” of South Asian and Indian women in a more accepting direction, however, there is still a long way to go with changing the perception of beauty and femininity in South Asian culture and reconciling “otherworldliness” to women’s daily lives.
 |
| Pooja in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham |
 |
| Dimpy in Heropanti |
Bibliography
Eck, Diane. “Darshan of the Image.” India International Center Quarterly 13, No. 1(1986): 43-53.
Mohan, Urmila. “Clothing as a Technology of Enchantment: Gaze and Glaze in Hindu Garments.” Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 12, No. 1(2017): 225-244.
Guha Thakurta, Tapati. “Women as 'Calendar Art' Icons: Emergence of Pictorial Stereotype in Colonial India.” Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. xxvi, No. 43, 26 October 1991.
Comments
Post a Comment