Sarasvati, Riverine Goddess of Knowledge: From the Manuscript-Carrying Vina-Player to the Weapon-Wielding Defender of the Dharma

This is a fascinating depiction of the transformation of the Indian riverine goddess from the manuscript-carrying vīnā-player to the Buddhist weapon-wielding defender of the Dharma. Drawing on Sanskrit and Chinese textual sources, as well as Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist art historical representations, this book traces the conceptual and iconographic development of the riverine goddess of knowledge Sarasvatī from sometime after 1750 B.C.E. to the seventh century C.E.