Lakshmi

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Lakshmi or Mahalakshmi (pronunciation: [ləkʂ.miː]; Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी ) 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. Analogous to the Greek Aphrodite and Roman Venus - who also originated from the oceans - she is generally thought of as the personification of material fortune, beauty and prosperity. As wherever Lakshmi is, there also is Vishnu; Lakshmi is endemic to Vaishnavism.

She is the consort of Vishnu and married or romanced his incarnations Rama (in her incarnation as Sita) and Krishna (as Rukmini and the milkmaid Radha).

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 (asura) vanquished the devas and drove them 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' (amrita) 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 Nāga, Vasuki, became the churning rope. The deva and the asuras (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 or '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' (chandra) is called her brother. Alakshmi, the goddess of misfortune, is Lakshmi's older sister. She is said to have also arisen from the Ocean of Milk.

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. Lakshmi is the power and Maya of Lord Vishnu. This is consonant with the basic philosophy of "Sri Vaishnavism" which honours Sri (Lakshmi) as the "Iswarigm sarva bhootanam" i.e. the Supreme goddess and not just the goddess of wealth. 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, Lakshmi.

Mahalakshmi

Mahalakshmi is the presiding Goddess of the Middle episode of Devi Mahatmya. Here she is depicted as Devi in her universal form as Shakti. The manifestation of the Devi to kill Mahishasura is formed by the effulgences of all the gods. The Goddess is described as eighteen armed bearing string of beads, battle axe, maze, arrow, thunderbolt, lotus, bow, water-pot, cudgel, lance, sword, shield, conch, bell, wine-cup, trident, noose and the discuss sudarsana. She has a complexion of coral and is seated on a lotus. She is known as Ashta Dasa Bhuja Mahalakshmi.

Dasa Maha Vidya Kamalatmika

Mahavidya Kamalatmika, one of the Dasa Mahavidyas has the same iconography as Lakshmi. But here she is considered the ultimate reality.

Epithets

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:

Rama,

Indira,

Manushri,

Chakrika,

Kamalika,

Lalima,

Nandika,

Rujula

Out of these names, the two most popular names are Rama and Indira.

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.

Ashta Lakshmi

Ashta Lakshmi (Sanskrit: अष्टलक्ष्मी,, lit. "eight Lakshmis") are a group of eight secondary manifestations of the goddess Lakshmi, who preside over eight sources of wealth and thus represent the powers of Shri-Lakshmi. They are:

1)	आदि लक्ष्मी	Ādi Lakṣmī	[The First manifestation of Lakshmi]
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 continuity, progeny]
6)	विजय लक्ष्मी	Vijaya Lakṣmī	[Wealth of victory]
7)	विद्या लक्ष्मी	Vidyā Lakṣmī	[Wealth of knowledge and education]
8)	धन लक्ष्मी	Dhana Lakṣmī	[Monetary wealth]

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.

In Bengal, Lakshmi is worshiped during a night in Autumn when the moon is full, the brightest night of the year. It is believed that she showers wealth on this night.She, along with her mount, the great white owl, descends to earth and takes away the darkness of poverty, stagnation, anger, and laziness from our lives.

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. 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 the Sri Vaishnava philosophy however, Sri (Lakshmi) is honored as the "Iswarigm sarva bhootanam" i.e. the Supreme goddess and not just the goddess of wealth. This is an important distinction between Sri Vaishnavism and other materialistic philosophies.

In Uttarakhand, after the worship of the goddess on Diwali night, the Shankha or Conch is not blown. This is because the shankha is also from the ocean like the goddess herself, so it is given a day of rest.

Karaveera Nivasini Mahalakshmi 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 Stotra. Although Mother Lakshmi is worshipped as the Goddess of fortune, when she is worshipped with Narayana not only wealth but also peace and prosperity never leave the home of the worshipper. They can be worshipped in various forms such as LakshmiNarayana, LakshmiNarasimha, Sita Ram, Radha Krishna, VithalRakhumai(VithhalRukmini).