| Lakshmi - The Beautiful Goddess of Prosperity and | | | | particularly beautiful version in the temple of Angkor |
| Light. | | | | Wat in Cambodia. Like many myths, it has a meaning. |
| If you're struggling to find an unusual and interesting | | | | The churning represents the search for self - the |
| present for a friend, perhaps as a wedding, house | | | | gods and demons the positive and negative aspects |
| warming or birthday gift, how about a beautiful | | | | of personality while the ocean of milk represents the |
| woman? No, I'm not suggesting a leap into the slave | | | | mind, and the amrit the ultimate goal. |
| trade, rather an exploration of symbols and | | | | Legend aside, many Lakshmi sculptures are very |
| mythology. There can be no better gift than one | | | | beautiful. A lovely woman, standing on a lotus flower, |
| which promises health, wealth, beauty and while it | | | | with coins falling from her fingers bestows wealth on |
| might take an entire pantheon of Greek or Roman | | | | those around her. When Lakshmi is alone she has |
| gods to cover all those promises, you can do it with | | | | four arms (in common with many Hindu deities) Two |
| just one goddess statue, a Lakshmi sculpture of the | | | | grant wealth to her devotees while the other two |
| Hindu goddess of light. | | | | hold lotus flowers. Her arms symbolize the four aims |
| A Lakshmi statue is full of symbolism. The figure is of | | | | of life, righteousness, desire, wealth and liberation |
| a beautiful woman, seated or standing on a lotus | | | | from the cycles of death and birth. Lakshmi grants |
| flower. According to legend, Indra, the King of the | | | | good fortune, but not to those who are lazy or |
| Hindu guardian angels, was given a garland of flowers | | | | immoral, hence the lotus. The lotus flower blooms |
| which he put on the trunk of the elephant he was | | | | from muddy water, but remains untainted. As a |
| riding. Unfortunately the elephant didn't like the | | | | result the lotus is regarded as a powerful symbol of |
| flowers and threw them off, insulting the sage who | | | | purity. |
| had given Indra the garland. The sage had given the | | | | Lakshmi has many aspects. In one she is another |
| flowers as an offering and filled the garland with | | | | aspect of the divine feminine, the mother of the |
| good fortune. | | | | entire universe, but she is also the wife of Vishnu a |
| As a result the sage cursed Indra and all the gods | | | | major Hindu god usually easy to recognize by his blue |
| with weakness. There were many battles between | | | | color. When shown with him Lakshmi has only two |
| gods and demons which resulted in victory for the | | | | arms and fulfills a different function. Lakshmi |
| demons, so the gods turned to Vishnu, the protector | | | | intervenes on behalf of his worshippers, interpreting |
| of the universe, for help. Vishnu suggested diplomacy. | | | | their requests to her husband. |
| Gods and demons formed an alliance and embarked | | | | Lakshmi is primarily a domestic goddess. Lakshmi |
| on a joint project, to churn the ocean of milk for | | | | statues can be found in many Hindu homes, she is |
| amrit, the drink which grants immortality. The churning | | | | worshipped in all Hindu regions but her special time is |
| was very productive, herbs were thrown into the | | | | the festival of Diwali, the festival of lights. There is |
| ocean and fourteen treasures were forthcoming, one | | | | no fixed date for Diawali which is calculated by the |
| of which was Lakshmi, the beautiful goddess of good | | | | phase of the moon, but it usually in late October (as |
| fortune and sister of Chandra, the moon. As soon as | | | | in 2011) or early November (as in 2010). This is the |
| Vishnu saw her, he took her as his consort. | | | | time of Lakshmi's birthday, when people hope she will |
| How does the story end? As you would imagine. | | | | come to visit them, bringing wealth prosperity and |
| Eventually the ocean gave up the nectar and the | | | | beauty. Because of this association with prosperity, |
| gods and demons fought to possess it. Again the | | | | Diwali has become a major time of shopping and gift |
| demons won and the gods turned to Vishnu. This | | | | giving in India, much as Christmas is in the USA. |
| time he intervened directly, took the form of a | | | | An understanding of the symbolism behind a gift or |
| woman and distracted the demons, stole the amrit | | | | work of art always increases the enjoyment of it, |
| and gave it to the gods. | | | | but with or without knowledge of Lakshmi, her birth |
| The story is told again and again in Hindu literature | | | | and her role, goddess statues are still very beautiful |
| and in the carvings on temple walls, there is a | | | | and make a thoughtful addition to any home. |