सरस्वती

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit सरस्वती (sarasvatī). Doublet of सरसई (sarsaī) and सरसूती (sarsūtī).

Pronunciation

(Delhi) IPA^(key): /sə.ɾəs.ʋə.t̪iː/, [sɐ.ɾɐs.ʋɐ.t̪iː]

Proper noun

सरस्वती • (sarasvatī) f (Urdu spelling سرسوتی)

1. (Hinduism) Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and speech
2. (geography) Sarasvati, a legendary river mentioned in the Rigveda

Declension

Declension of सरस्वती (sg-only fem ī-stem)

	singular
direct	सरस्वती sarasvatī
oblique	सरस्वती sarasvatī
vocative	सरस्वती sarasvatī

Synonyms

• सरसूती (sarsūtī)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• সৰস্বতী (Assamese script)
• ᬲᬭᬲ᭄ᬯᬢᬷ (Balinese script)
• সরস্বতী (Bengali script)
• 𑰭𑰨𑰭𑰿𑰪𑰝𑰱 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀲𑀭𑀲𑁆𑀯𑀢𑀻 (Brahmi script)
• သရသွတီ (Burmese script)
• સરસ્વતી (Gujarati script)
• ਸਰਸ੍ਵਤੀ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌸𑌰𑌸𑍍𑌵𑌤𑍀 (Grantha script)
• ꦱꦫꦱ꧀ꦮꦠꦷ (Javanese script)
• 𑂮𑂩𑂮𑂹𑂫𑂞𑂲 (Kaithi script)
• ಸರಸ್ವತೀ (Kannada script)
• សរស្វតី (Khmer script)
• ສຣສ຺ວຕີ (Lao script)
• സരസ്വതീ (Malayalam script)
• ᠰᠠᡵᠠᠰ᠌ᠣᠸᠠᢠᡳᡳ (Manchu script)
• 𑘭𑘨𑘭𑘿𑘪𑘝𑘲 (Modi script)
• ᠰᠠᠷᠠᠰᢦᢐᠢᠢ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧍𑧈𑧍𑧠𑧊𑦽𑧓 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐳𑐬𑐳𑑂𑐰𑐟𑐷 (Newa script)
• ସରସ୍ଵତୀ (Odia script)
• ꢱꢬꢱ꣄ꢮꢡꢷ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆱𑆫𑆱𑇀𑆮𑆠𑆵 (Sharada script)
• 𑖭𑖨𑖭𑖿𑖪𑖝𑖱 (Siddham script)
• සරස‍්වතී (Sinhalese script)
• 𑪁𑩼𑪁 𑪙𑩾𑩫𑩑𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚨𑚤𑚨𑚶𑚦𑚙𑚯 (Takri script)
• ஸரஸ்வதீ (Tamil script)
• సరస్వతీ (Telugu script)
• สรสฺวตี (Thai script)
• ས་ར་སྭ་ཏཱི (Tibetan script)
• 𑒮𑒩𑒮𑓂𑒫𑒞𑒲 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨰𑨫𑨰𑩇𑨭𑨙𑨁𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *SáraswatiH, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *SáraswatiH, from Proto-Indo-European *sélos. Equivalent to सरस् (sáras, “pond”) +‎ -वती (-vatī, “-ful”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬑𐬬𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬍 (haraxvaⁱtī), a region described to be rich in rivers, Old Persian 𐏃𐎼𐎢𐎺𐎫 (h-r-u-v-t /⁠harauvati⁠/), the Helmand river system.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /sɐ́.ɾɐs.ʋɐ.tiː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /s̪ɐˈɾɐs̪.ʋɐ.t̪iː/

Proper noun

सरस्वती • (sárasvatī) stem, f

1. (Hinduism) Saraswati, the goddess of eloquence and learning
2. (history, geography) the Saraswati river, of which only a small stream remains as the Ghaggar River
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 7.95.1:

     प्र क्षोद॑सा॒ धाय॑सा सस्र ए॒षा सर॑स्वती ध॒रुण॒माय॑सी॒ पूः ।
     प्र॒बाब॑धाना र॒थ्ये॑व याति॒ विश्वा॑ अ॒पो म॑हि॒ना सिन्धु॑र॒न्याः ॥

     prá kṣódasā dhā́yasā sasra eṣā́ sárasvatī dharúṇamā́yasī pū́ḥ.
     prabā́badhānā rathyèva yāti víśvā apó mahinā́ síndhuranyā́ḥ.

     This Sarasvatī, firm as a city made of metal, flows rapidly with all sustaining water, sweeping away in it might all other waters, as a charioteer clears the road.

Declension

Feminine ī-stem declension of सरस्वती (sárasvatī)
	Singular
Nominative	सरस्वती sárasvatī
Vocative	सरस्वति sárasvati
Accusative	सरस्वतीम् sárasvatīm
Instrumental	सरस्वत्या sárasvatyā
Dative	सरस्वत्यै sárasvatyai
Ablative	सरस्वत्याः / सरस्वत्यै¹ sárasvatyāḥ / sárasvatyai¹
Genitive	सरस्वत्याः / सरस्वत्यै¹ sárasvatyāḥ / sárasvatyai¹
Locative	सरस्वत्याम् sárasvatyām
Notes	¹Brāhmaṇas

Noun

सरस्वती • (sárasvatī) stem, f

1. any river
2. speech or the power of speech, eloquence, learning wisdom
3. a celestial or oracular voice
4. cow
5. excellent woman
6. name of a region abounding in pools and lakes
7. name of a well-known small river (held very sacred by the Hindus; identified with the modern Sursooty)
8. name of various rivers (especially of rivers which in sacredness are equal to Saraswati and which are three according to Atharvaveda vi, 101, and seven according to Mahabharata ix, 2188)
9. various plants, including
   1. Cardiospermum halicacabum
   2. Aegle marmelos
   3. Ruta graveolens
10. name of a two-year-old girl representing दुर्गा (durgā) at her festival
11. name of a poetess
12. name of various other women
13. name of one of the ten mendicant orders traced back to शंकराचार्य (śaṃkarācārya) (whose members add the word sarasvatī to their names)

Declension

Feminine ī-stem declension of सरस्वती (sárasvatī)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	सरस्वती sárasvatī	सरस्वत्यौ / सरस्वती¹ sárasvatyau / sárasvatī¹	सरस्वत्यः / सरस्वतीः¹ sárasvatyaḥ / sárasvatīḥ¹
Vocative	सरस्वति sárasvati	सरस्वत्यौ / सरस्वती¹ sárasvatyau / sárasvatī¹	सरस्वत्यः / सरस्वतीः¹ sárasvatyaḥ / sárasvatīḥ¹
Accusative	सरस्वतीम् sárasvatīm	सरस्वत्यौ / सरस्वती¹ sárasvatyau / sárasvatī¹	सरस्वतीः sárasvatīḥ
Instrumental	सरस्वत्या sárasvatyā	सरस्वतीभ्याम् sárasvatībhyām	सरस्वतीभिः sárasvatībhiḥ
Dative	सरस्वत्यै sárasvatyai	सरस्वतीभ्याम् sárasvatībhyām	सरस्वतीभ्यः sárasvatībhyaḥ
Ablative	सरस्वत्याः / सरस्वत्यै² sárasvatyāḥ / sárasvatyai²	सरस्वतीभ्याम् sárasvatībhyām	सरस्वतीभ्यः sárasvatībhyaḥ
Genitive	सरस्वत्याः / सरस्वत्यै² sárasvatyāḥ / sárasvatyai²	सरस्वत्योः sárasvatyoḥ	सरस्वतीनाम् sárasvatīnām
Locative	सरस्वत्याम् sárasvatyām	सरस्वत्योः sárasvatyoḥ	सरस्वतीषु sárasvatīṣu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀲𑀭𑀲𑁆𑀲𑀈 (sarassaī)
• Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀲𑀭𑀲𑁆𑀲𑀤𑀻 (sarassadī)
  • Hindi: सरसई (sarsaī)
  • Urdu: سَرسائی (sarsā'ī)
• → Assamese: সৰস্বতী (xorossoti)
• → Burmese: သူရဿတီ (sura.ssa.ti)
• → English: Saraswati
• → Hindustani:

  Hindi: सरस्वती (sarasvatī)

  Urdu: سرسوتی (Sarasvatī, Sarsūtī)

• → Japanese: 弁才天 (Benzaiten)
• → Kannada: ಸರಸ್ವತೀ (sarasvatī)
• → Telugu: సరస్వతి (sarasvati)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “सरस्वती”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1182, columns 2-3.