When worshipped in a temple (separate temples for Lakshmi are rather rare) she is shown seated on a lotus throne, with four hands holding Padma, Sankha, Amrtakalasa (pot of ambrosia) and Bilva fruit. While in the company of Vishnu, she is shown with two hands only. Her colour is variously described as dark, pink, golden yellow or white. Very often elephants are shown on either side, emptying pitchers of water over her, the pitchers being presented by celestial maidens. She is also adorned with a lotus garland. It is because of this, perhaps, that she is named as Padma or Kamala. In Lakshmi’s iconography, she is usually described as enchantingly beautiful and sitting or standing on an open eight petaled lotus flower on a lake, and holding lotuses in each of her two hands. In Buddhist sects of Tibet, Nepal and Southeast Asia, goddess Vasudhara mirrors the characteristics and attributes of Hindu goddess Lakshmi, with minor iconographic differences. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments. Her four hands signify her power to grant the four Purusharthas (ends of human life), Dharma (righteousness), Artha (wealth), Kama (pleasures of the flesh), and Moksha (beatitude). She does not visit the places which are unclean/dirty or where the people are lazy. It is believed that Lakshmi (wealth) goes only to those houses which are clean and where the people are hardworking. Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped by those who wish to acquire or to preserve wealth. Lakshmi is one of the mother goddesses and is addressed as “mata” (mother) instead of just “Devi” (goddess). Worship of a mother goddess has been a part of Indian tradition since its earliest times. She is the goddess of prosperity, wealth, purity, generosity, and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. The word ‘Lakshmi’ is derived from the Sanskrit word “Laksya”, meaning ‘aim’ or ‘goal’, and she is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, both material and spiritual. Goddess Lakshmi means Good Luck to Hindus. He represents all that is masculine, and she, all that is feminine. She is as inseparable from Vishnu as speech from meaning or knowledge from intellect, or good deeds from righteous-ness. When he appeared as Vamana, Rama and Krishna, she appeared as Padma (or Kamala), Sita and Rukmani. She, being the consort of Vishnu, is born as his spouse whenever he incarnates. She was later born out of the ocean of milk at the time of its churning. In her first incarnation, according to the Puranas, she was the daughter of the sage Bhrigu and his wife Khyati. ‘Shri’ or ‘Lakshmi’, as depicted in the Vedas, is the goddess of wealth and fortune, power and beauty. Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati are frequently conceptualized as distinct in most of India, but in states such as Odisha and West Bengal, they are regionally considered to be forms of Goddess Durga.Goddess Lakshmi – Hindu Goddesses and Deities In eastern India, She is seen as a form of one goddess Devi, the Supreme power Devi is also called Shakti or Durga. She is also variously regarded as the wife of Dharma, the mother of Kama, the sister or mother of Vidhatr and Dhatr, the wife of Dattatreya, one of the nine Saktis of Lord Vishnu, a manifestation of Prakrti as identified with Dakshayani in Bharatasrama, and as Sita, the wife of Rama.
She is mentioned once in Rig Veda, but the context recommends that the word does not mean “goddess of fortune and wealth,” rather it means “sign of auspicious fortune or kindred mark.” Her name is derived from Sanskrit root words for knowing the goal and understanding the objective.Īccording to another legend, the Goddess emerges during the creation of the Universe, floating over the water on the expanded petals of a lotus flower.