The illustrious Yagnavalkya was the disciple of Sage Vaishampayana who taught Yajur Veda and as there were arguments between them about certain interpretations of the Veda, the Guru got furious and demanded that what all was taught should be vomitted in the form of digested food. As the vomit came out, some of the co-pupils of Yagnavalkya took the forms of ‘Tittiris’ (partridges) and picked up the ‘Ucchishtha’ and the remains turned out to be the Taittireya Samhita and the Yajur Veda came to be known as Krishna Yajurveda. The disillusioned pupil Yagnavalkya decided not to take up a human Guru and prayed to Surya Deva to accept him as his Guru. Pleased by Yagnavalkya’s penance, Surya descended in the form of a horse and disclosed a new form of Veda immortalised as Shukla Yajurveda or Vayajasaneya (‘Vaji’ being a horse) from his manes, as distinguished from Krishna Yajur Veda, not known to Vaishampayana too; the Shukla Yajur has the rhythm of a horse gallop! Surya directed Yagnavalkya to worship Saraswati to improve memory and the ‘Stuti’was as follows:
Yaagnyavalkya vu vaacha:
Krupaam kuru Jaganmaatarmevam hatatejasam,
Gurushaapaat smritibhrashtam Vidyaa heenamcha duhkhitam/
Jaanam dehi smritam dehi Vidyaam Vidyaabhidevatey,
Pratibhaam Kavitaam dehi Shaktim sishya prabhodhineem/
Grandhakartutwa shaktim cha susishya supratishthitam,
Pratibhaam Satsabhaayaam cha Vichaara kshamataam Shubham/
Luptam sarvam Daivavashaatraveebhutam punah kuru,
Yathaankuram bhasmani chakaroti Devataa punah/
Brahma swarupaa paramaa Jyoteerupaa Sanaatani/
Sarva Vidyaadhi Devi yaa tasmai Vaanyai namo namah/
Yayaa vinaa Jagat sarvam shaswajjeevanmritam sadaa,
Jnanaadhi Devi yaa tasyai Saraswatyai Namo namah/
Yayaa vinaa Jagat Sarvam Mookamunmukttavat sadaa,
Vaagadhish –tthatru Devi yaa tasyai Vaanyai namo namah/
Himachandana kundendu kumudaam bhoja sannibhaa,
Varnaadhi Devi yaa tasyai chaakshuraayai Namo namah/
Visarga bindu maatraanaam yadadhish -thaana meva cha,
Ityam twam geeyasey sadbhir bhaaratyai tey Namo namah/
Ya yaa vinaacha Samkhyaataa Samkhyaam kartum na shakyatey,
Kaala samkhyaa swarupaa yaa Devi Vyaakhyaadhishthaatru Devataa,
Bhrama Siddhaanta rupaa yaa tasyai Devyai Namo namah/
Smriti Shakti Jnaana Shakti Buddhi Shakti Swarupini/
Pratibha kalpanaa shaktiryaacha tasmai namo namah,
Santkumaro Brahmaanam jnaanam prapacchha yatra vai/
Babhuva jadavat sopi siddhaantam katrumakshamah,
Tadaajagaama Bhagavaanaatmaa Shri Krishna Ishwarah/
Uvaacha sa cha taam stohi Vaaneemishtaam Prajaapatey,
Sa cha tushtaava twaam Brahmaachaajnayaa Paramaatmanah/
Chakaara twadprasaadena tadaa siddhaanta muktamam,
Yadaapyantam prapacchha Jnaanamekam Vasundharaa/
Babhuva mukavat sopi Siddhaantam katrumakshamah,
Tadaa twaam sa cha tushtaava samtrastah Kashyapaajnayaa/
Tatschakaara Siddhaantam nirmalam bhrama bhanjanam,
Vyaasam Puraana sutram cha prapaccha Vaalmeekam yadaa/
Mounibhutah sa sasmaara twaameva Jagadambikaam,
Tadaa chakaara Siddhaantam twadvarena Muneeswarah/
Sampraapya nirmalam Jnaanam Pramaada dhwamsa kaaranam,
Puraana sutram strutwaacha Vyaasah Krishnakalodbhavah/
Twaam sishevey cha dadhyow cha shatavarsham cha Puskarey,
Tadaa Tatvo varam praapya Satkaveendro babhuva ha/
Tadaa Vedavibhaagam cha Puraanamcha chakaara sah,
Yadaa Mahendrah prapacchha Tatwajnaanam Sadaa Shivam/
Kshanam tatwaameva samchintya tasmai jnaanam dadow vibhuh,
Prapacchha Shabda Shaastram cha Mahendrascha Brihaspatim/
Diyam Varsha Sahasramcha sa twaam dadhyouscha Pushkarey,
Tadaa Twavatto varam praapya Divya varsha sahasrakam/
Vuvaacha Shabda shaastram cha tadardhyam cha Sureshwaram,
Adhyaapitaascha ye sishyaa airadheetam Muneeshwareyh/
Tey cha twaam Parisamchitya pravartantey Sureswareem,
Twam samstutaa pujitaa cha Muneerindrai Manu Maanavaih/
Daityendraischa Suraischaapi Brahmavishnushivaadibhih,
Jadeebhutah Sahasraasyah Panchavaktraschaturmukhah/
Yaam stotum kimaham stoumi taamakaasyena Maanavah,
Iktyuktwaa Yaagnavalkascha bhaktinamraatma kandharah/
Pranamaam niraahaaro ruroda cha muhurmuhuh,
Tadaa Jyotihswarupaa saa tena drushtaapyuvaacha tam/
Sukaveendro bhavetyuktwaa Vaikuntham cha jagaamah,
Yaagnyavalka kritam Vaaneestotrameytatu yah pathet/
Sa Kaveendro Mahaavaagmi Brihaspatisamo bhavet,
Mahaa murkhascha durmedhaa varshamekam yadaa pathet/
Sa panditascha medhaavi Sukavischa bhaved dhruvam/
( Jaganmaata! May you show me mercy as my glow was lost due to my Guru’s curse and eventually my memory power was lost too! I am extremely disheartened as I was misled in my ‘Vidya’. I beseech you Devi to grant me Jnaana, smriti (memory), Vidya (knowledge), Pratishtha (Distinction), Kavitwa Shakti (Power of Poetry), capacity to convince pupils and capability to produce excellent writings of Grandhas. Side by side, provide me competent ‘sishyas’. Mother! Kindly bestow on me the ability to shine in the congregations of learned personalities with my thoughts and expression. Unfortunately, the fund of my knowledge evaporated and I request you to revive and reinforce it in a new and exceptional form. Let my Gyan be refurbished just as a seed hidden in a heap of ash is germinated fast and strong. My sincere obeisances to you Brahma Swarupa, Parama Devi, Jyoti Rupa, Sanatani and the Adhishthaari of all Vidyaas. Vaani! This world is as futile and lifeless as a dumb and mad entity without your benign blessings. Without you as the ‘Akshara Rupa’ or the Personification of ‘Aksharas’ or the Alphabets that build up the Great Palace of Literature and Expressions, who is worshipped with Chandana, Hima, Kunda, Chandrama, Kumuda and white lotus, this life is dissipated existence. You are the ‘Adhishthaana Devata’ or the Reigning Deity of ‘Visarga’, ‘Bindu’ and ‘Maatra’ indicative of a half-word, a nil-word and a measure of a word which constitute the rudiments of a Great Piece of Writing or Speech! You are the basis of ‘Sankhya’ and ‘Ganita’ or the numbers and measuring units without which there could be no counting or accounting and the quantification and evaluation. Devi! You are the embodiment of Smriti Shakti (Power of Memory), Jnaana Shakti (Power of Knowledge), Buddhi Shakti (Power of Mind) and ‘Kalpana Shakti’ (Power of Imagination or Thoughts). You are the Ruler of Tongue, Mind, Thought, Speech and any thing to do with brains. When Sanaka Kumaras desired to establish ‘Bhrama’ (Improbables) and ‘Siddhantas’ (Theories and hypotheses), Brahma himself faltered and approached Shri Krishna when the latter asked Prajapati to implore and with your active involvement ‘Siddhantas’ came into existence! When once Prithvi asked Ananta Deva to reveal the secret of Jnaana, Sesha Deva failed to define the Siddhanta and prompted Sage Kashyapa to commend Saraswati and that was how in response to the Sage the wrong principles about Jnaana were demolished and the Siddhantaas were enunciated. When Veda Vyaasa asked Maharshi Valmiki about ‘Purana Sutras’, the latter cut a sorry figure and urged Vaani to establish the Sutras for a year at Pushkara Kshetra and by her grace Valmiki explained the same in poetic form and thus Vyasa became a Poet of unparalelled excellence not only to script Puranas but also divisioned Vedas! When Indra asked Brihaspati about the Principles of ‘Shabda Shastra’, the latter meditated for long time and was finally blessed by Devi Saraswati and in turn produced several experts in the Discipline of Shabda, besides Indra. Many Manus, Munis and Manavas were able to worship and secure proficiency in several skills. Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Devatas and Danavas were of no exception to extol your Virtues. Mata Saraswati! When thousand faced Sesha Deva, the Pancha mukha Shankara, the Trimukha Brahma were all engaged in deep meditations to Devi, of which siginificance would be a human being in doing so? Thus Muni Yagnavalkya was exhausted in pleading Devi Saraswati when his shoulders were dropped and eyes were profusely streaming with water. Then a huge fund of Illumination appeared and Devi Saraswati blessed the Muni that he would be a highly renowned Poet whose fame and name would be immortalised. Those who read or recite the above Saraswati Stutis with sincerity would reap the powers of Jnaana, Smriti and Buddhi. Even if a ‘murkha’ (stupid) or a ‘durbuddhi’ (evil-minded) reads or recites the Stotra for a year, the person concerned would certainly acquire qualities of an intelligent and erudite scholar and Poet of standing.