I was curious as to the description of Benzaiten in this article. In this article, it states that Benzaiten is "a vengeful goddess of love". However, the article for the goddess, Benzaiten, on wikipedia states that "Her Sanskrit name is "Sarasvatî Devî", which means "flowing water", and so Benzaiten is the goddess of everything that flows: water, words (and knowledge, by extension), speech, eloquence, and music."
I believe, from what I've been taught from my parents, that the latter description is true. I was lead to believe that Benzaiten is the goddess of knowledge, beauty, art (especially music). However, because she is female, she is prone to jealously, and therefore it is forbidden for couples to visit temples that are dedicated to her, or the relationship is doomed. Shu ster (talk) 19:14, 5 January 2009 (UTC)Reply
Blogger Ulara Nakagawa wrote this report about a female elephant received from Thailand as a gift to the Japanese people in 1949. The elephant, Hanako, has been kept on display at the zoo, alone in a concrete enclosure. The report, describing her health, behavioral, and possibly additional problems related to her immediate environment, has sparked action by people concerned for animal welfare. They aim to prompt the zoo to provide Hanako with more comfortable and stimulating surroundings. -- Deborahjay (talk) 13:09, 6 December 2015 (UTC)Reply
