yā kundēndu tuṣārahāra dhavalā yā śubhra vastrāvr̥tā |
yā vīṇāvaradaṇḍa maṇḍitakarā yā śvētapadmāsanā ||
yā brahmācyuta śaṅkara prabhrr̥tibhiḥ dēvai: Sadā pūjitā|
sā māṁ pātu sarasvatī bhagavatī niḥśēṣa jāḍyāpahā ||
Every principle in creation is seen as a diety. The Goddess of the word is called Saraswati, literally meaning the flow. It is the flow of energy as consciousness also called the word.
If we name the source of the word as God, the word is always with HIM as HIMSELF. In the beginning, there was the word. The word was with God and the word was God.
The eternal presence is called eternity and from IT emergence flows forth. Every emergence has its duration, just like every idea its duration. Therefore, time is co-born with the word. Time does not exist where there is no idea, no emergence. In pure existence, without awareness, time does not exist. Time is not manifested where the word is not manifested, but time and word exist eternally within eternity. They are manifest and unmanifest.
The purpose of studying the word is to realize its scope, its constructive or destructive effect upon us, so that we may learn to become constructive and as far as possible cease to be destructive. We can be very destructive in our speeches, we can spread conflict, hate and have differences through speech, and the damaging capacity of the word is as strong as its harmonious effect. It has the power of integrating us into the whole or of disintegrating us into bits and pieces. What we call the science of yoga is also a process of integration. We cannot speak as we like and then say I am practicing yoga while we are still regularly disintegrating.
The word exists in a variety of modes. United with God, the word remains integrated and enables God to hold the whole creation. Accordingly, our life can be kept within our hold if we know how to work with the word. It is manifested within the unmanifest state. When the word is in the unmanifest state, we are said to be integrated. When no idea emerges from us, we are in a deep state of meditation.