Goddess Lakshmi Mata

Maa Lakshmi, the Goddess of fortune, wealth, and prosperity is the consort and Shakti of Lord Vishnu. Lakshmi Mata sits on a lotus and is embellished with adorning gold ornaments. She is a mistress of wealth that takes away misfortune and poverty and brings joy to human. A whimsical and maternal Goddess stands to bless and grant her devotees. Devi Lakshmi is the Goddess of health and beauty too. The Devi is also called as Thirumagal or Shri as she stands to depict six divine qualities or Gunas.

Origin of Goddess Lakshmi:

In Hindu mythology, Goddess Lakshmi is believed to be the daughter of Sage Bhrigu. Once sage Durvasa gifted Indra a garland of flowers that can never wilt. Later, Indra presented the garland to Airavata, his elephant. When Durvasa saw the elephant wearing the divine garland, he cursed Indra and all other Gods that they would lose their power. Because of the curse of sage Durvasa, the demons conquered heaven. Finding nowhere to go, the Gods took refuge to Lord Brahma. When asked by Gods, Brahma, told them to churn Ksheersagar, the ocean of milk in order to find amrit to gain immortality.

Lord Vishnu helped them by taking avatar of Kurma and supported the Manthra Mountain as a churning rod. Vasuki, the King of Serpents became a churning rope to help the Gods. Both demons and Gods participated in churning the ocean of milk. Many treasures came out from the ocean and Devi Lakshmi was one of them. She chose Lord Vishnu as her consort as he is the only one who had the power to control Maya. That is why, Goddess Lakshmi is also known as daughter of sea.

Goddess Lakshmi Mata

Goddess Lakshmi in the Image:

- Goddess Lakshmi is illustrated as a charming woman with four hands.
- She sits or stands on a lotus and holds a lotus bud, which signifies purity, beauty, and fertility.
- The four hands of Devi portray the four ends of human life: kama, dharma, moksha, and artha.
- Bountiful of gold coins flow from her hands, which mean that whoever worships the Goddess with immense faith would be blessed with wealth, health, and fame.
- Represented wearing a gold embroidered red saree symbolizes prosperity and activity.
- One can also see two elephants standing by her side that signifies that incessant efforts followed by dharma lead to spiritual and material prosperity.


Different Names of Goddess Lakshmi

- She is named Prakruti, which means natural world
- Vikruti, which signifies many-sided nature
- Vidya meaning knowledge
- Sarvabhootahitaprada, which means provider of universal facts
- Shraddha meaning devotion
- Vibhuti signifying prosperity
- Paramatmika which means omnipresent
- Surabhi stands for celestial creature
- Padmalaya signifies sitting on lotus
- Shuchi stands for personification of purity