Lakshmi

Lakshmi or Laxmi (Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी lakṣmī) is the Hindu goddess of wealth, light, wisdom and fortune, and secondarily of luck, beauty, courage 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 consort to Vishnu, and also married his incarnations Rama (in her incarnation as Sita), Krishna (as Rukmini) and Venkateshwara (as Alamelu).

 Hindu Legend
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 as 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 it had made them 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. Lord Vishnu took the Avatar Kurma (Tortoise) and supported the Manthara Parvata (mountain) as a churning rod, while the king of the serpents, Vasuki, became the churning rope. The gods and the demons (under the leadership of the pious and wise King Bali Chakravarti) 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). Because of this, Lakshmi is also called the daughter of the sea; since the moon also appeared from the ocean during the churning, the moon is called her brother.

Popular perception is that Goddess Lakshmi is the goddess of money. This, however, is only partially correct: the holy goddess is also the goddess of prosperity, divinity and purity. She is also the goddess of Brahma-vidya (divine knowledge) and one of her names is "Vidya" - which literally means knowledge. She is also associated with happiness amongst family and friends, marriage, children, food, wealth, beauty and health, thus making her a very popular goddess worshipped by every Hindu. As the goddess of prosperity, she also bears the epithets Dharidranashini (destroyer of poverty) and Dharidradvamshini (one who opposes poverty).


Epithets
Lakshmi has been given many names. She is known to be very closely associated with the Lotus, and her many epithets are connected to the flower, such as:

Padma: lotus dweller.
Kamala: lotus dweller.
Padmapriya: One who likes lotuses
Padmamaladhara devi: One who wears a garland of lotuses
Padmamukhi: 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
Her other names include:

Bhargavi: One who is the incarnation of the daughter of Sage Bhrigu
Sridevi: Goddess of wealth
Chanchala: One who is fickle and does not stay at one place
Bhumi Devi: Earth goddess
Indira: Beautiful goddess
Rama devi: Wife of Vishnu
Jalaja: Born from sea.
Aiswarya: Wealthy.

Iconography

Sculpture of LakshmiPhysically, 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. In the form of Bhudevi or Mother Earth, she supports life and nature. In the form of Sridevi, she is with the Supreme Lord and is the Goddess of beauty. Bhudevi and Sridevi are mistaken of being separate Goddesses, but they are only one, Laxmi. As being the wife of Vishnu or Narayan, she is also known as Narayani. As the Divine Mother of the Universe, she is worshiped for her motherly feelings and power.

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 could be attained only by 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.