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 Lakshmi
is the Goddess of wealth and prosperity, both material
and spiritual. The word ''Lakshmi'' is derived from the
Sanskrit word Laksme, meaning "goal." Lakshmi, therefore,
represents the goal of life, which includes worldly as
well as spiritual prosperity. In Hindu mythology, Goddess
Lakshmi, also called Shri, is the divine spouse of Lord
Vishnu and the Goddess of wealth and fortune.
In the vedas, she called Sri. Goddes Lakshmi
indicates prosperity.
Worhip of Lakshmi indicates an appreciation of prosperity
and a sense of responsibility towards it. Depicted
an extremely beautiful woman, Lakshmi stands on a lotus.
She has lotuses in various stages
of bloom in her two hands. And even wears a lotus garland.
Lakshmi normally appears on one of three vehicles. In
her enlightened aspect, sattvic guna, she accompanies
Vishnu on Garuda. In her materialistic aspect, raja guna,
she appears with two elephants on either side of her.
The owl depicts the pernicious aspect of wealth. Though
its considered a bird of ill omen and a symbol of darkness,
the owl also symbolizes wisdom and intelligence because
of its ability to presage events. The four arms represent
the four directions in space and thus symbolize omnipresence
and omnipotence of the Goddess. The red color syinbolizes
activity. The golden lining (embroidery) on Her red dress
denotes prosperity. The idea conveyed here is that the
Goddess is always busy distributing wealth and prosperity
to the devotees. The lotus seat,
which Lakshmi is standing upon, signifies that while living
in this world, one should enjoy its wealth, but not become
obsessed with it. Such a living is analogous to a lotus
that grows in water but is not wetted by water.
Since the right side of the body symbolizes activity,
a lotus in the back right hand conveys the idea that one
must perform all duties in the world in accordance with
dharma. This leads to moksha (liberation), which is symbolized
by a lotus in the back left hand of Lakshmi. The golden
coins falling on the ground from the front left hand of
Lakshmi illustrate that She provides wealth and prosperity
to Her devotees. Her front right hand is shown bestowing
blessings upon the devotees. To go hand in hand with Lord
Vishnu's act of maintenance and protection, Goddesses
Lakshmi is the possessor of every form of wealth. She
is the possessor of great beauty and is depicted in standing
as well as in the seated postures. She is however always
seen on a lotus. In her hands she holds two lotuses.
In the avatarams of Lord Vishnu,
Lakshmi also took varous forms to accompany
him - Sita with Rama,
Rukmini with Krishna.
Ashta Lakshmi are her eight forms which are the commonly
worshipped aspects. In each form, she bestows one form
of wealth to her devotees. There are numerous poojas and
festivals which are performed to invoke her blessings.
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