Who is Lakshmi?

The Puranas (Vishnu Purana)

The Vishnu Purana tells that at the churning of the ocean, “seated on a full-blown lotus, and holding a water-lily in her hand, the goddess Śrí, radiant with beauty, rose from the waves”. It adds that as Vishnu comes down in different forms, “so does his coadjutrix Śrí”: when he was Rama she was Sita, and when he was Krishna she became Rukmini.

Sources for this reading

• The Vishnu Purana, a system of Hindu mythology and tradition, translated by H. H. Wilson (London: John Murray, 1840) (book 1, chapter 9: p. 76 (leaf n174) for the rising; p. 80 (leaf n178) for Sri with each avatar; quoted verbatim and checked on the page images)
• W. J. Wilkins, Hindu Mythology, Vedic and Puranic (Calcutta: Thacker, Spink, 1882). Wilkins died 1902. Summarised in our words: Lakshmi is regarded as the goddess of love, beauty and prosperity, and “in pictures she is painted as a lady of a bright golden colour, seated on a lotus, with two arms”. (“Lakshmi”, p. 111 (leaf n130))

Sri Vaishnava (Ramanuja)

The Sri Vaishnava tradition takes its name from her. Govindacharya's note on Ramanuja's opening prayer describes Sri as the Lord's consort and his power, united with him for ever, who acts as mediator between souls and the Lord. It adds that the Lord stands for justice and Sri for mercy. Devotees approach Vishnu through her.

Sources for this reading

• Sri Bhagavad-Gita with Sri Ramanujacharya's Visishtadvaita commentary, translated by A. Govindacharya (Madras, 1898) (Ramanuja's proem, translator's note 1 on Sri, p. 6 (leaf n22); read on the page image and summarised in our words, not quoted (the translator's death year is not on record))

Household worship and festivals

In many homes Lakshmi is worshipped at dusk on the new moon of Diwali, often with Ganesha, with new account books and coins; Dhanteras, two days earlier, opens the festival. Bengali families keep their own Lakshmi Puja on Kojagari Purnima, the autumn full moon, when tradition says she asks who is awake. Practice differs by region and family.

Sources for this reading

• Festival guides “Diwali”, “Dhanteras” and “Sharad Purnima” in this library, with the Pujadeep calendar rules lakshmi-puja, dhanteras and kojagara-puja.

The Bhagavad Gita (the text)

In the Gita's chapter on the divine glories, Krishna names, among things spoken of in the feminine, “fame, fortune, speech, memory, intellect, courage, forgiveness” (10.34, Telang). Fortune here is shri, Lakshmi's own name, and the chapter adds that whatever is glorious or prosperous comes from a fragment of his splendour (10.41).

Sources for this reading

• Bhagavad Gita, 10.34
• Bhagavad Gita, 10.41

Sources

• The Vishnu Purana, a system of Hindu mythology and tradition, translated by H. H. Wilson (London: John Murray, 1840) (book 1, chapter 9)
• Children's story “The churning of the ocean” in this library; Learn page who-is-vishnu.

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