The Goddess of Fortune, Laksmi

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OM spiritual travellers

 

Here some symbolic looks at Laksmi:

 

"The power of the all-pervading Preserver, Vishnu, is

represented as the power of multiplicity or goddess of fortune,

She-of-the-Hundred-Thousands (Laksmi). She is also the

goddess of beauty and is then known as Sri.

 

Both 'Laksmi' and 'Sri' are found in the Vedas in the sense of

'fortune'. But Fortune is depicted as a major goddess only in the

epics. The Taittiriya Samhita makes Fortune and Beauty the two

wives of the solar-principle (Aditya). The Satapatha Brahmana

describes Beauty as born from the lord-of-progeny (Prajapati).

Beauty is also the mother of Lust (Kama). When the ocean was

churned by the gods and the antigods, she sprang from the

waves, a lotus in her hand. She is also represented seated on a

lotus floating on the ocean of milk. The Visnu Purana says that

Fortune was the first born as a daughter of the

Crack-of-the-Ritual-Fire (Bhrgu) united to the Hymns-of-Praise

(Khyati). Fortune is thus the fruit of the ritual-sacrifice (yajna).

 

As the consort of Visnu Fortune appears with him in every one of

his descents (avatara) or incarnations. 'She appeared as the

Lotus-Lady (Padma or Kamala) when the Remover-of-Sorrow

(Hari) was born as a dwarf. She was the Earth (Dharani) when

he was Rama of the Ax." (Visnu Purana 1.9.143.[487]. So as to

be the consort of Rama, Fortune appeared from a furrow made

by the plow in the Earth. She was called Furrow (Sita). She was

then said to represent the lustful aspect of Visnu, the power of

delight inherent in Fortune.

 

According to the Agastya Samhita, Siva, the lord of sleep,

performed great austerities to obtain the vision of Rama, the

Charming, the delight of the Earth. Rama told him, "If you wish to

know my inner nature, you should worship my transcendent

power-of-delight (ahladini-sakti). Without her, I stand nowhere.

 

"O Giver-of-Peace (Sambhu), you should ever worship my

transcendent power of delight. As the Charming (Rama), I am

dependent upon her. Without her I could noot for an instant

remain in existence; she is my innermost life." (Agastya Samhita

[488].

 

Then Siva worshipped the goddess, and she appeared before

him. Praising her, he said:

 

"I bow to the lotus feet of the daughter of Videha, whose

youthfulness and grace attract the minds of the yogis. She

destroys the three kinds of pain [spiritual, mental,physical]. The

sages, the swans of knowledge, ever wait upon her. She is the

store of pollen from which the bee of intellect drinks." (Agasty

Samhita [489]

 

When Visnu appeared as Krsna, Fortune became Rukmini. She

will appear as the goddess of destruction when he comes as

Kalki at the end of the ages. She is the goddess Beyond-Reach

(Durga)

 

Other names of Fortune are the Jewel (Hira), the Powerful-One

(Indira), the Ocean-born (Jaladhi-ja), the Fickle One (Cancala or

Lola), the Mother-of-the-World (Loka-matra).

 

Laksmi is sometimes represented with four arms, but more

usually with two. She holds a lotus. She has no temples but is

worshiped in every home on all important occasions. The day

dedicated to her worship is observed all over India.

 

The Gods of India: Hindu Polytheism by Alain Danielou.

 

 

Some people are able to relate to the Goddess in an abstract

way, others relate in more concrete, symbolic ways.

 

Paths are many, Truth is One

 

Jaya Maa

 

Omprem