Goddess Lakshmi

The word Shri means radiance, beauty, prosperity and auspiciousness, and it is so closely tied to Lakshmi that it is placed before names and on documents as a blessing. In the Vedic period, Shri and Lakshmi were invoked for abundance; the Shri Sukta, a hymn preserved among the supplementary hymns (khila) of the Rigveda, calls on Agni Jataveda to bring the golden goddess Lakshmi who never departs.

In the epics and Puranas Lakshmi becomes the inseparable consort of Vishnu. Wherever he descends, she descends too: as Sita with Rama, as Rukmini with Krishna, and as Padmavati with Venkateshwara at Tirumala. She dwells on his chest, marked by the Srivatsa.

Lakshmi is the goddess of all kinds of wellbeing. The tradition of the Ashta Lakshmi, eight forms of Lakshmi, makes this clear: Adi Lakshmi (the primordial), Dhana Lakshmi (wealth), Dhanya Lakshmi (grain), Gaja Lakshmi (animal wealth and royal power), Santana Lakshmi (children), Dhairya or Veera Lakshmi (courage), Vijaya Lakshmi (victory) and Vidya Lakshmi (knowledge). Lists vary somewhat between regions. She is also called Kamala and Padma (lotus), Narayani, Haripriya (beloved of Hari) and Indira.

Lakshmi is usually shown as a beautiful woman with four arms, dressed in red and gold, seated or standing on a lotus. The details carry meaning.

Born from the ocean. The best-known account of her origin is the churning of the ocean of milk, told in the Vishnu Purana, the Bhagavata Purana and the Mahabharata. When the devas and asuras churned the ocean for amrita, many treasures rose from it, and among them Lakshmi appeared, seated on a lotus and holding a lotus. The gods praised her, the elephants of the directions bathed her with water from golden pots, and she garlanded Vishnu as her eternal husband. This is why she is called Jaladhija, born of the ocean, and Kshirasagara-kanya, daughter of the milk ocean.

Why Lakshmi left heaven. The Vishnu Purana tells that when Indra disrespected a garland given by the sage Durvasa, Durvasa cursed him to lose his fortune, and Shri withdrew from the three worlds. The gods grew weak and the asuras prevailed, which led to the churning of the ocean through which she returned. The story teaches that prosperity departs where there is arrogance and disrespect.

The Devi Mahatmya. In the Shakta tradition, Mahalakshmi is the form of the Goddess who slays Mahishasura in the middle episode of the Devi Mahatmya, and the gods salute 'the Goddess who dwells in all beings as Lakshmi'.

Padmavati of Tirumala. South Indian tradition tells how Vishnu came to earth as Srinivasa (Venkateshwara) in search of Lakshmi and married Padmavati, daughter of King Akasha Raja. Her temple at Tiruchanur is visited by pilgrims before or after Tirumala.

Lakshmi is the consort of Vishnu and lives with him in Vaikuntha. In South Indian temples she appears as Sridevi beside Bhudevi, the Earth goddess, on either side of Vishnu. In some Puranic accounts she is the daughter of the sage Bhrigu (hence Bhargavi), and in others she is born from the ocean. Her vahana is the owl Uluka, and she is often attended by two elephants. In Bengal she is worshipped as one of Durga's daughters, alongside Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya, in the Durga Puja tableau.

Friday (Shukravar) is Lakshmi's day, and many women keep a Friday vrat for her. Tradition holds that she enters homes that are clean, bright and peaceful, so households sweep, wash the doorway, draw rangoli and light lamps at dusk. Her footprints are drawn leading into the home at Diwali.

She is offered lotus and red flowers, kumkum, haldi, rice (akshata), coins, cowrie shells, kheer and white sweets, and a ghee lamp is kept burning. Red, pink and gold are her colours. The Shri Sukta is recited in Vedic worship, and the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam and Kanakadhara Stotram are popular hymns. A widely used mantra is 'Om Shrim Mahalakshmyai Namah', with 'Shrim' as her seed syllable. Lakshmi is traditionally worshipped together with Ganesha, so that prosperity comes free of obstacles and with wisdom.

Diwali is Lakshmi's great festival. Lakshmi Puja is performed on the new-moon night (Amavasya) of Kartika in the amanta calendar (October-November), with lamps lit throughout the home. Merchants worship their new account books (chopda puja or bahi-khata puja) and pray with Ganesha for a prosperous year. Dhanteras, two days earlier, is an auspicious day for buying gold, silver or utensils.

In Bengal, Odisha and Assam, Kojagari Lakshmi Puja is performed on Sharad Purnima, when, according to belief, Lakshmi goes about asking 'ko jagarti?', who is awake? In Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, married women keep Varalakshmi Vratam on the Friday before the full moon of Shravana. In Maharashtra and Odisha, the Thursdays of Margashirsha are devoted to Lakshmi. Many Hindus also honour her during Navaratri, when in some traditions the middle three days belong to Lakshmi.

The Mahalakshmi temple at Kolhapur in Maharashtra, where she is lovingly called Ambabai, is counted among the Shakti Peethas. The Mahalaxmi temple in Mumbai is among the city's most visited shrines. The Padmavathi Ammavari temple at Tiruchanur near Tirupati is visited by pilgrims to Tirumala, and the Ashtalakshmi temple in Besant Nagar, Chennai, enshrines all eight forms. At Srirangam she is worshipped as Ranganayaki Thayar in her own shrine. Many Lakshmi-Narayan temples, such as the Birla Mandir in Delhi, worship her together with Vishnu.

In Sri Vaishnavism, the tradition of Ramanuja, the very name of the sampradaya honours her. Sri is understood as the compassionate mediator (purushakara) who intercedes with Narayana on behalf of the soul, so devotees approach the Lord through her. The Pancharatra text Lakshmi Tantra presents her as the Lord's own power through which he creates and acts.

In the Shakta tradition, Mahalakshmi is one of the three great forms of the Devi, with Mahakali and Mahasarasvati, in the Devi Mahatmya. Hindu thought treats artha, wealth, as a legitimate goal of life when it is earned and used according to dharma, and Lakshmi's worship reflects this balance: she is honoured with gratitude, cleanliness and generosity, and her grace is said to stay where there is righteousness and harmony.