The Reincarnation of Saraswati

The loud music pulled me right off my porch at lunch where I was sitting with the plants. I followed it to the men's hostel and arrived in the middle of a ceremony where a large handful of students and professors were standing in front of the garlanded statue of Saraswati (the Goddess of Knowledge and Learning). We were all (I was the only conspicuous foreigner) given some rice in our hand and then proceeded to her statue, one at a time, to offer it either at her feet or on her feet (I choose her feet). I gently poured it on her feet and silently gave thanks for her presence and the opportunity to be included in the passing on of this ancient wisdom. She was then ceremoniously lifted up by some of the students and carried out to a waiting pickup truck where she was carefully and gently deposited. Some of the students told me that she would be driven to the sea, and then taken out in the ocean and deposited in the water. She is made of plaster of paris and will slowly dissolve as she melts back into the sea. Another one will replace her, I am told, with a new ceremony.
But for now, she sat in the back of this pickup truck, waiting for her cold disintegration with a great deal of grace and patience. I could only guess what she might have been thinking as she watched these young students dancing with joy and abandon to the live music.
I was curious about her story so looked on the internet for information about her. Here is a one of the short stories about Saraswati:

Saraswati Saves the World from Shiva’s Third Eye and the Beast of Doom

Shiva was woken from his meditations and looked around to discover a world on the brink of corruption and being unsalvageable. Shiva decided it was time to wipe the slate clean. Shiva, the destroyer, opened his world destroying third eye attempting to destroy the three worlds.. Out came a terrible fire that threatened all existence.
There was panic everywhere. Only Saraswati remained calm. “Shiva’s fire burns only that which is impure and corrupt.”
She took the form of a river and with her pure waters picked up the dreaded fire from Shiva’s third eye. Within the folds of her water she carried the fire far away from the earth to the bottom of the sea where it transformed into a fire breathing mare called Badavagni – the beast of doom.
“So long as the world is pure and man wise, this terrible creature will remain on the bottom of the sea. When wisdom is abandoned and man corrupts the world, Badavagni will emerge and destroy the universe,” foretold the wise goddess.

... and from an Ayurvedic point of view (as Dr.Dawidi has said) it is the fire that has to be controlled... Brilliant.