- For South Indian actress, see Laxmi (actress)
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This article contains Indic text.
Without rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes or other symbols instead of Indic
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| Lakshmi |
Image of Goddess Lakshmi |
| Devanagari: |
लक्ष्मी |
| Affiliation: |
Devi |
| Consort: |
Vishnu |
| Mount: |
Ulooka |
|
Lakshmi or Mahalaxmi (Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी lakṣmī) is the Hindu goddess of wealth, fortune, love and beauty, the lotus flower and fertility.
Representations of Lakshmi (or Shri) are found in Jain and Buddhist monuments, in addition to Hindu temples. Generally thought of as the
personification of material fortune and prosperity, she is somewhat analogous to the Greco-Roman Aphrodite or Venus, as she also
represents eroticism and is similarly thought to have originally "borne of the sea" in her most famous myth, as did those love
goddesses.
She is the consort of Vishnu and married his incarnations Rama
(in her incarnation as Sita), Krishna (as Rukmini) and Venkateshwara (as Alamelu).
In addition to Rukmini, however, she was also thought to have incarnated as the milkmaid Radha, Krishna's youthful lover prior to
his marriage to Rukmini. In Vaishnava traditions, She is believed to be the Mother Goddess and the Shakti of Narayan.
Goddess Laksmi is the deity of wealth, affluence an ruling power. In astrology Venus represents Lakshmi, Durga, Santoshi Ma
and Shiva-Parvati. Venus rules over Taurus and Libra signs. Venus in odd signs represents Lord Shiva. Venus in even signs
represents Lakshmi, Annapurna Parvati, Vaishnavi Durga, Santoshi Ma etc. When Venus owns Lagna, 5th, 9th and 10th house and when
Venus occupies Lagna, 5th, 9th, 10th and 12th house worship of Laxmi may give immense prosperity.
Legends
The appearance of goddess Lakshmi is related to an ancient story. Durvasa the short-tempered
sage once presented Indra, the king of the gods (devas)
with a garland of flowers which would never wilt. Indra gave this garland to his elephant Airavata. Sage Durvasa saw the elephant trampling the divine garland and cursed Indra, for he had shown
disrespect to the sage. The sage cursed Indra that he and all the gods would lose their power because it had made them so proud
and vain. Due to the curse, the demons vanquished the gods out of the heavens.
The defeated gods then went to seek refuge to the Creator Lord Brahma who asked them to churn
the ocean of milk, Ksheersagar, to obtain the nectar of immortality. The gods then went to
Lord Vishnu, to seek his assistance. Lord Vishnu took the Avatar Kurma (Tortoise) and supported the Manthara Parvata (mountain) as a churning rod, while the king of the serpents,
Vasuki, became the churning rope. The gods and the demons (under the leadership of the pious and
wise King Bali Chakravarti) both helped each other in churning the ocean of milk.
Amongst the host of divine gifts which appeared from the ocean, goddess Lakshmi appeared and then chose Shri Vishnu as her
consort, as only He had the power to control Maya (illusion). Because of this, Lakshmi
is also called the daughter of the sea; since the moon also appeared from the ocean during the churning, the moon is called her
brother. Alakshmi, the goddess of misfortune, is Lakshmi's older sister. She is said to have
also arisen from the sea of milk.[1] [2]
According to the Vishnu Purana, Lakshmi is the daughter of Bhrigu and Khyaati and resided in Swarga but due to the curse of
Durvasa, she left Swarga and made Ksheersagara her home. The reappearance of Lakshmi after
Samudra manthan and her marriage to Vishnu thereafter,
remain the same. Laxmi is the power and Maya of Lord Vishnu. In some places She is seen in two
forms, Bhudevi and Sridevi, both either side of Vishnu. Bhudevi is the fertility form in
which She is Mother Earth. Sridevi is the wealth and knowledge of Her which is seen with Narayan. Most people are mistaken that they are separate beings although they are one, Laxmi.
Epithets
Vishnu with Lakshmi (
Lakshminarayana) at
Halebidu
Lakshmi has many names. She is known to be very closely associated with the Lotus, and her many epithets are connected to the
flower, such as:
- Padma: lotus dweller.
- Kamala: lotus dweller.
- Padmapriya: One who likes lotuses
- Padmamaladhara devi: One who wears a garland of lotuses
- Padmamukhi: One whose face is as beautiful as a lotus
- Padmakshi: One whose eyes are as beautiful as a lotus
- Padmahasta: One who holds a lotus
- Padmasundari: One who is as beautiful as a lotus
Her other names include:
- Bhargavi: One who is the incarnation of the daughter of Sage Bhrigu
- Sridevi: Goddess of wealth
- Chanchala: One who is fickle and does not stay at one place
- Bhumi Devi: Earth goddess
- Indira: Beautiful goddess
- Rama devi/Vaishnavi: Wife of Vishnu
- Jalaja: Born from sea.
- Aiswarya: Wealthy.
- Roma: Wife of lord Hari
Iconography
Physically, goddess Lakshmi is described as a fair lady, with four arms, seated on a lotus, dressed in fine garments and
precious jewels. Her expression is always calm and loving. The most striking feature of the iconography of Lakshmi is her
persistent association with the lotus. The meaning of the lotus in relation to Shri-Lakshmi refers to purity and spiritual power.
Rooted in the mud but blossoming above the water, completely uncontaminated by the mud, the lotus represents spiritual perfection
and authority. Furthermore, the lotus seat is a common motif in Hindu iconography.
Goddess Lakshmi's traditionally accepted vehicle, the owl (Ulooka in Sanskrit), is a bird that sleeps through the day and
prowls through the night.
Celebration in Hindu society
Hindus worship Lakshmi the most on Diwali, the festival of lights. According to tradition
people would put small oil lamps outside their homes on Diwali and hope Lakshmi will come to bless them.
The prefix Sri (also spelled as Shri, pronounced as shree) renders as 'one who takes delight in Sri' Lakshmi, meaning wealth,
wealth of any kind. Primarily eight kinds of wealth are established, associated with goddess Lakshmi. They are:
| 1) |
आदि लक्ष्मी |
Ādi Lakṣmī |
[The main goddess] |
|
| 2) |
धान्य लक्ष्मी |
Dhānya Lakṣmī |
[Granary wealth] |
|
| 3) |
धैर्य लक्ष्मी |
Dhairya Lakṣmī |
[Wealth of courage] |
|
| 4) |
गज लक्ष्मी |
Gaja Lakṣmī |
[Elephants, symbols of wealth] |
|
| 5) |
सन्तान लक्ष्मी |
Santāna Lakṣmī |
[Wealth of progeny] |
|
| 6) |
विजय लक्ष्मी |
Vijaya Lakṣmī |
[Wealth of victory] |
|
| 7) |
विद्या लक्ष्मी |
Vidyā Lakṣmī |
[Wealth of knowledge] |
|
| 8) |
धन लक्ष्मी |
Dhana Lakṣmī |
[Monetary wealth] |
|
Any thing that need be affluent gets the auspicious prefix or suffix 'Lakshmi', or 'Sri' like
Rajya Lakshmi (Wealth of Empire), Shanti Sri (Wealth of Peace), etc. In modern India, common
titles standing in for the English Mr. and Mrs. are Shri (also Sri or Shree) and Shrimati (also Srimati or Shreemati), as in "Sri
Gupta" or "Srimati Mangeshkar".
Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped by those who wish to acquire or to preserve wealth. It is believed that Lakshmi (wealth) goes
only to those houses which are clean and where the people are hardworking. She does not visit the places which are unclean/dirty
or where the people are lazy.
In Uttarakhand, after the worship of the goddess on Diwali night, the Shankh or Conch is not blown. This is because the shank is also from the ocean like the
goddess herself, so it is given a day of rest.
Laxmi is the patron goddess of Kolhapur city, Maharashtra.
Worship
Two of the most famous prayers for worshipping Ma Lakshmi are: Sri Lakshmi Stuti By
Indra and Sri Sukta. There is another famous prayer pronounced by the great sage
Agasti: Agasti Lakshmi Strota
Temples
- Ashta Lakshmi Temples, Chennai and Hyderabad.
See also
References
- ^ Pattanaik, Devdutt. Lakshmi: The Goddess of Wealth and Fortune-An
Introduction. Vakils Feffer & Simons Ltd, 2003 (ISBN 8187111585)
- ^ Pattanaik, Devdutt. Lakshmi: Or how my Kaamwali came to be named
so?. Vakils Feffer & Simons Ltd, 2005 (ISBN 81871343385)
Further reading
- Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions (ISBN 81-208-0379-5) by David
Kinsley
- Lakshmi Puja and Thousand Names (ISBN 1-887472-84-3) by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
External links
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