Saraswats and God: The Continuation of a 6,000 Year Old Journey

The Saraswat community is considered to be one of the oldest and most distinguished communities in the world, credited with major contributions to the development of Vedic civilization in India. However, there are questions about the community and the origins of their faith and practices that need to be answered. Who were their ancestors? How did their ancestors begin to conceptualise the idea of a God? What were their contributions to the development of Vedic scriptures? How did they develop the practice of Shiva and Devi worship? When did they begin worshipping Goddess Sarasvati? How did they adopt image worshipping of family deities? When did a segment of the community adopt Vaishnavism? How did they begin and continue the tradition of kuladevatas, maths, and Swamjis? How is this community continuing its religious practices developed over thousands of years? This book is an attempt to provide these much-sought answers. History, migrations, and settlements of Saraswats over the past 6,000 years are explored, their intellectual and physical efforts to seek God and the resulting accomplishments are highlighted, and the development and progression of their religious practices are summarized. The material covered in the book will help the readers to appreciate the important role played by the ancestors of Saraswats in the development of the Vedic civilization, the efforts of the community in preserving and protecting the Vedic culture, and the continued commitment of the present-day Saraswats to keep their community thriving.