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Apparently Brahma was condemned by his sons for lusting after Saraswati, but how after that did Brahma end up marrying Saraswati?

Most of the main mahapuranas only call her consort of brahma, but there is no mention of marriage. Please mention about mentions of matrimonial alliance between the two.

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  • Refer similar question here: hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/24151/… which was duplicate of hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/598/…
    – Just_Do_It
    Mar 8, 2018 at 16:09
  • @Just_Do_It actually they are not similar, I'm asking for scriptures which claim that saraswati and Brahma are married couple, while other questions are asking if he commited incest, I know about the story of Brahma lusting after saraswati. Mar 8, 2018 at 16:12
  • You should not edit the question so that the meaning is changed and answers are invalidated. Questions should not be updated based on the answers you get. Jun 19, 2018 at 18:07
  • @Sarvabhauma ok. I'll create a new question deleting this one then. Jun 19, 2018 at 18:10

2 Answers 2

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Which scripture mention about marriage between brahma and saraswati?

Lord Brahma married to Devi Saraswati is described in below verse of Chapter Three of Matsya Purana.

एवमुक्तास्ततः सर्वे ससृजुर्विविधाः प्रजाः।
गतेषु तेषु सृष्ट्यर्थं प्रणामावनतामिमाम् ।
उपयेमे स विश्वात्मा शतरूपामनिन्दिताम् ।। Matsya Purana 3.42 ।।

At this command of the father , the sons resorted to several types of creations. After the departure of the mind-born sons of Brahma ,after offering their salutation to the father , then the lord married Satarupa who had been lying over his feet.


Apparently Brahma was condemned by his sons for lusting after saraswati, but how after that did Brahma end up marrying saraswati?

It's said in the Matsya purana that Devi Saraswati was born from limbs of Lord Brahma , and their union is also conceived both visible and invisible. It's also said that Saraswati is bound to be there ,wherever Brahma will be and Brahma will be their where Saraswati will be . They are inseparable from beginning . And Gayatri can not leave the compny of Brahma. So according to scripture itself the union of Brahma and Saraswati has two meaning one is Vyavaharika (visible ) and Other is divine (invisible). i.e. symbolic.

The answer is given in Matsya Purana -chapter 4 - Story of Saraswati.

अन्यच्च सर्ववेदानामधिष्ठाता चतुर्मुखः।
गायत्री ब्रह्मणस्तद्वदङ्गभूता निगद्यते।। 4.7।।
अमूर्तं मूर्तिमद्वापि मिथुनं तत्प्रचक्षते।
विरिञ्चिर्यत्र भगवांस्तत्र देवी सरस्वती।।
भारती यत्र यत्रैव तत्र तत्र प्रजापतिः।। 4.8 ।।

The other reason is that as Brahma happens to be creator of vedas .Similarly Gayatri in the form of Satarupa is said to have born of the limbs of Brahma , therefore this union is conceived as visible and invisible .Alas whenever there is Brahma ,Saraswati is bound to be there. And whenever there is Saraswati , Brahma must be there.


यथा तपो न रहितश्छायया दृश्यते क्वचित्।
गायत्री ब्रह्मणः पार्श्वं तथैव न विमुञ्चति।। 4.9 ।।

As the sunshine cannot be separated from the sun ,similarly Gayatri cannot leave the company of Brahma.

Matsya Purana also gives us advice that the activities of Gods proper or Improper do not generate any good or bad fruits. i.e. their Karmas do not affect them as our karmas.

कार्य्याकार्ये न देवानां शुभाशुभफलप्रदे। यस्मात्तस्मान्न राजेन्द्र! तद्विचारो नृणां शुभः।। 4.6 ।।

O great king ,since the activities of (irrespective of their being ) proper or improper , do not yield good or bad fruits ,therefore it would not be proper for the humans to think about them.


Conclusion - So considering these above points that Brahma and Saraswati are bound to be at same place i.e. they are inseparable , and can not leave each other . And are always in union , Brahmas marriage with Saraswati proved to be valid and that is the reason why Lord Brahma married Devi Saraswati.


Symbolic Meaning of their marriage - The divine couple of Brahma and Saraswati represent the mind, knowledge and intellect. They are both often depicted with the Lotus flower which symbolises knowledge and supreme reality.


NOTE- -Gayatri , Satarupa , are another names of Devi Saraswati herself.

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  • Why did the Gods/rishis that condemned brahma accepted his marriage to saraswati? Mar 8, 2018 at 20:26
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    I think the Lord is manu and satarupa here is wife of manu, not Brahma, bhagvatam also mentions marriage between satarupa and manu SB 3.12.54 yas tu tatra pumān so ’bhūn  manuḥ svāyambhuvaḥ svarāṭ strī yāsīc chatarūpākhyā  mahiṣy asya mahātmanaḥ Translation: Out of them, the one who had the male form became known as the Manu named Svāyambhuva, and the woman became known as Śatarūpā, the queen of the great soul Manu none of the any other scripture mention marriage between Brahma and saraswati. Mar 12, 2018 at 4:55
  • Yes ,But Matsya Purana is saying that , see verse 30 -Chapter 3 , please click the first link in my answer the verse is there. Mar 12, 2018 at 6:00
  • You have Matsya Purana pdf Jun 15, 2020 at 2:43
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The Devi Puran Book 9 Chapter 6 gives us the story of how the three gods received their consorts. Apparently Lakshmi, Saraswati and Ganga were all living happily with Lord Vishnu in the beginning till the following incident disturbed their domestic harmony:

16-21. Nârâyana said :-- Hear, O Nârada! I will now describe that incident, the hearing of which removes all the sins. Laksmî, Sarasvatî and Gangâ, the three wives of Hari and all equally loved, remain always close to Hari. One day Gangâ cast side-long glances frequently towards Nârâyana and was eagerly looking at Him, with smile on Her lips. Seeing this, the Lord Nârâyana, startled and looked at Gangâ and smiled also. Laksmî saw that, but she did not take any offence. But Sarasvatî became very angry.

Lord Vishnu perhaps realizing that he should best remain out of a the argument left the place and then started the curses and counter curses. Saraswati tried to attack Ganga but Lakshmi intervened so she got cursed by the former to turn into a river. Seeing this Ganga gets angry and curses Saraswati:

39-44. Thus saying, Gangâ became ready to curse Sarasvatî and addressing Laksmî, said :-- “O Dear Padme! As that woman has cursed you to become a river, so I too curse her, that she, too, be turned into a river and she would go to the abode of men, the sinners, to the world and take their heaps of sins.”

Hearing this curse of Gangâ, Sarasvatî gave her curse, “You, too, will have to descend into the Bhurloka (the world) as a river, taking all the sins of the sinners.”

By the end of the argument the three goddesses have managed to get cursed by each other. When all the action is over Lord Vishnu returns and tells them that they would all have to be born as rivers on earth as a consequence of their curses. Based on their behaviour, he also decides to let only Lakshmi remain with him and send the other two to SHiva and Brahma:

O Bharatî! Let you go also and incarnate in part in Bhârata under the curse of Gangâ. O Good-natured One! Now go in full Amsas to Brahmâ and become His wife. Let Gangâ go also in Her fullness to S'iva. Let Padmâ remain with Me. Padmâ is of a peaceful nature, void of anger, devoted to Me and of a Sâttvika nature.

Perhaps this is how Lord Brahma ends up marrying Saraswati.

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