Lakshmi

(“good fortune,” “prosperity”) Hindu
goddess and wife of the god Vishnu.
According to tradition, Lakshmi is created
when the ocean of milk is churned to
yield the nectar of immortality. Just as
butter is the refined essence of milk, so
Lakshmi is the refined essence of the
primordial ocean, representing all the
best things that come from it. Lakshmi is
associated with wealth, good fortune,
and prosperity, and is considered the
embodiment of all these things. Images
of Lakshmi usually depict her with the
lotus and the elephant, both of which
are associated with good fortune. Many
images show gold coins falling from her
hands, symbolizing wealth.
These potent associations make
Lakshmi an extremely important force
in Hindu life. Lakshmi exercises her
power by her mere presence—when she
comes, she brings prosperity and good
fortune; when she leaves, these benefits
leave with her. Given Lakshmi’s power,
people are understandably eager to
please her, especially since she has the
reputation for being capricious and fickle
in her relationships with human
beings—a reputation that reflects a realistic appraisal of life’s vicissitudes.
Lakshmi’s capriciousness and her reputation for being somewhat spiteful make
people extremely careful in their dealings with her, to avoid insulting her,
even if unintentionally.
Lakshmi’s primary annual festival is
Diwali, when she is believed to roam the
earth. People spend the days before
Diwali cleaning, repairing, and whitewashing their homes, making them
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Lakshmi
Thirteenth-century sculpture of the goddess
Lakshmi. She is considered the embodiment of
wealth, prosperity, and fortune.
suitable for welcoming the goddess. On
the evening of Diwali, people open all
their doors and windows (to facilitate
her entry) and place lights on their windowsills and balcony ledges to invite her
in. Gambling is a common practice during Diwali. Gambling is usually condemned as a pernicious habit, but
during Diwali it reaffirms the connection between money and Lakshmi—
here in her guise as Lady Luck.
Despite her capricious relationships
with human beings, Lakshmi is considered to be the model wife, particularly in
her devotion and subordination to her
husband. When Lakshmi and Vishnu
appear together, she is significantly
smaller, signifying her subordinate status. Another common image of the couple shows Lakshmi massaging Vishnu’s
feet, and thus her wifely subordination.
Lakshmi is not only the model for
human wives but is also believed to be
incarnate in each of them. Married
women are believed to embody the
good fortune of the household. It is generally accepted that households in
which they are not honored will never
be prosperous. For more information on
Lakshmi and all the goddesses of
Hinduism, see David R. Kinsley, Hindu
Goddesses, 1986. See also Tortoise
avatar and ocean, churning of the.