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Jai
Mata di - Lakshmi |
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In Hinduism, Lakshmi or Laxmi (Sanskrit:
??????? lak?mi) is the goddess of wealth, light and fortune, as
well as (secondarily) luck, beauty and fertility. Representations
of Lakshmi (or Shri) are found in Jain and Buddhist monuments, in
addition to Hindu temples.
In Puranic Hinduism Lakshmi is the Mother of the Universe and Vishnu's
Shakti. Lakshmi is married to Vishnu, and also married his incarnations
Rama (in her incarnation as Sita), Krishna (as Rukmini) and Venkateshwara
(as Padmavati.) Lakshmi has a son named Kama.
Goddess Lakshmi's origins are not found in the Vedas, but with
the evolution of a more classical Hinduism.
In Hindu mythology
The birth of goddess Lakshmi, is related to an ancient story. Durvasa
the short-tempered sage once presented Indra, the king of the gods
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 short tempered he was, 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 of which
they had become 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, to obtain the
nectar of immortality. The gods then went to Lord Vishnu, to seek
his assistance, who took the Avatar Kurma (Tortoise) and supported
the Mandarachal mountain as a churning rod, whereas the king of
the serpents, Vasuki became the churning rope. The gods and the
demons (under the leadership of the pious and wise King Mahabali)
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). Hence she is
also called as the daughter of the sea and since the moon also appeared
from the ocean during the churning, the moon is also called to be
her brother.
Goddess Lakshmi is incorrectly connected only with money, popular
public perception is that she is the goddess of money. This however
is incorrect, as the holy goddess is also the goddess of prosperity,
of divinity and purity. She is also the goddess of Brahma-vidya
(divine knowledge) and one of her name is "Vidya" - which
literally means knowledge. She is the goddess to whom we ask for
happiness in family, friends, marriage, children, food and wealth,
beauty and health. Hence she is a very popular goddess who is worshipped
by every Hindu. As she is the goddess of prosperity, she is also
called as Dharidranashini (destroyer of poverty) and Dharidradvamshini
(one who opposes poverty).
Names of Lakshmi
Lakshmi is also known to very closely associated with the Lotus.
Her many names are connected to the flower such as
Padmapriya
One who likes lotus,
Padmamaladhara devi
One who wears a garland of lotuses,
Padmamukhim
One who is as beautiful as a lotus,
Padmakshi
One whose eyes are as beautiful as a lotus.
Padmahastam
One who holds a lotus
Padmasundari
One who is as beautiful as a lotus
Iconography
Physically, goddess Lakshmi is described as a fair lady, with four
arms, seated on a lotus, dressed in fine garments and precious jewels.
She has a benign countenance, is in her full youth and yet has a
motherly appearance.
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.
Hindu gods and goddesses, typically sit or stand upon a lotus,
which suggests their spiritual authority. To be seated upon or to
be otherwise associated with the lotus suggests that the being in
question: god, human being-has transcended the limitations of the
finite world (the mud of existence, as it were) and floats freely
in a sphere of purity and spirituality. Shri-Lakshmi thus suggests
more than the fertilizing powers of moist soil and the mysterious
powers of growth. She suggests a perfection or state of refinement
that transcends the material world. She is associated not only with
the royal authority but with also spiritual authority, and she combines
royal and priestly powers in her presence. The lotus, and the goddess
Lakshmi by association, represents the fully developed blossoming
of organic life.
Goddess Lakshmi's traditionally accepted vehicle, the owl (Ulooka
in Sanskrit), is a bird that sleeps through the day and prowls through
the night. In a humorous vein it is said that owing to its lethargic
and dull nature the goddess takes it for a ride! She is the handmaiden
of those who know how to control it; how to make best use of her
resources, like the Lord Vishnu. But those who blindly worship her
are verily the owls or Ulookas.
Celebration in Hindu Society
Hindus worship Lakshmi the most on Diwali, the festival of lights.
According to tradition people would put small candles outside their
homes on Diwali and hope Lakshmi will come to bless them.
The prefix Sri (also spelt 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) Adi Lakshmi [Wealth a priori]
2) Dhanya Lakshmi [Granary Wealth]
3) Dhairya Lakshmi [Wealth of Courage]
4) Gaja Lakshmi [Wealth of Animals]
5) Santana Lakshmi [Wealth of Progeny]
6) Vijaya Lakshmi [Wealth of Victory]
7) Vidya Lakshmi [Wealth of Knowledge]
8) Dhana Lakshmi [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 aquire 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 leaves places which are unclean or where the people are lazy.
In Uttaranchal, 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. |