 |
 |
|
 |
 |
LAKSHMI
Indra said, "I offer my obeisances unto the lotus-born mother
of all beings, unto Sri, having full-blown lotus-like eyes, and reposing
in the bosom of Vishnu."
Vishnu Purana 7.9.116-138
Inside the mandir hall, there is a murti of the goddess Lakshmi. She is the consort of Vishnu, the preserver God, and the embodiment of grace and good fortune. Lakshmi is the goddess of success and the bestower of wealth on her devotees. Lakshmi is also known as Padma because she was born on the lotus flower. Another name for Lakshmi is Sri which means prosperity and good fortune.
According to the Puranas, she is the daughter of Bhrgu and Khyti or Daksa and Prasuti.
The myth known as Samudramanthan or the churning of the ocean details the
birth of this benevolent goddess. The deities and demons decided to co-operate
to churn the ocean in order to obtain its treasures. The deity Laskhmi emerged on a lotus
as the ocean's most divine gift and became the consort of Vishnu.
The lotus on which Lakshmi stands symbolises fertility and life which is rooted in and
draws strength from primordial waters. Some interpret the lotus as symbolising
cosmic creation. More broadly Lakshmi's birth symbolises the evolution of man
from a water habitant to a land dweller.
Lakshmi is Vishnu's most faithful companion and is a model, faithful wife.
Lakshmi's incarnations appear as the partners of her husband's incarnations, the avatars.
Lakshmi is often depicted washing Vishnu's feet while he reclines on the many-headed
serpent Sesha.
The four-armed Lakshmi murti stands on a lotus plinth. Her four hands represent the four ends of human life: dharma or righteousness, kama or desires, artha or wealth, and moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
Lakshmi holds two long-stemmed lotuses in her raised hands.
Her lower right hand is in the abhaya
mudra position which indicates her divinity and is a gesture of reassurance
and protection to the devotee. Her lower left hand is in the lolahasta mudra
gesture, hanging gracefully to the side of her body.
Lakshmi is the main deity worshipped during the main Hindu festival of Divali.
Devotees perform pujas and light clay lamps to dispel misfortune and to invite
the goddess Lakshmi into their homes to bring wealth and prosperity. Lakshmi is a
household goddess and her images are often found above the doors of houses to bring good luck to the house dwellers.
Lakshmi is one of the most widely venerated goddesses for she is the bestower of fertility;
fortune; success and grace.
Mantra
Om Hrim Shrim Lakshmibhyo Namah
Sloka
Mahadevyai Cha Vidmahe
Vishnu Patnyaicha Dhimahi
Taano Lakshmihiprachodayat
Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi
Translation:
Let that Mahalakshmi be invoked on Whom I meditate upon,
Who is the consort of Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Mother.
Let peace prevail everywhere.