Lakshmi

For other uses, see Lakshmi (disambiguation).
"Shridevi" redirects here. For the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese goddess of rice, see Dewi Sri. For the Indian actress, see Sridevi.

"Mahalakshmi", "Dhanalakshmi", and "Sri Lakshmi" redirect here. For Mahalakshmi, see Mahalakshmi (disambiguation). For Dhanalakshmi, see Dhanalakshmi (disambiguation). For the actress, see Sri Lakshmi (actress).
"Bhargavi" redirects here. For other uses, see Bhargavi (disambiguation).
This article is about Lakshmi. Not to be confused with Lakshman.

Lakshmi
Mother Goddess
Goddess of Wealth, Prosperity, Fortune, Fertility, Royal Power, Abundance and Beauty[1][2] Supreme Goddess in Vaishnavism[3]
Member of Tridevi and Pancha Prakriti
Sri Gaja Lakshmi by Raja Ravi Varma (1896)
Other names
  • Sri
  • Bhargavi
  • Kamala
  • Padma
  • Narayani
  • Vaishnavi
Devanagariलक्ष्मी
Affiliation
AbodeVaikuntha, Manidvipa
Mantra
  • ॐ श्रीं महालक्ष्म्यै नमः। (Om̐ Śrīm̐ Mahālakṣmyai Namaḥ)
  • ॐ श्रीं श्रियें नमः। (Om̐ Śrī Sriyem̐ Namaḥ)
Symbols
TreeTulasi
DayFriday
Mount
Festivals
Genealogy
SiblingsAlakshmi
ConsortVishnu[7]
Children

Lakshmi (/ˈlʌkʃmi/;[8][nb 1] Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी, IAST: Lakṣmī, sometimes spelled Laxmi, lit. 'she who leads to one's goal'), also known as Shri (Sanskrit: श्री, IAST: Śrī, lit. 'Noble'),[10] is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, royal power and abundance.[11][12] She along with Parvati and Sarasvati, forms the trinity called the Tridevi.[13][14]

Lakshmi has been a central figure in Hindu tradition since pre-Buddhist times (1500 to 500 BCE) and remains one of the most widely worshipped goddesses in the Hindu pantheon. Although she does not appear in the earliest Vedic literature, the personification of the term shri—auspiciousness, glory, and high rank, often associated with kingship—eventually led to the development of Sri-Lakshmi as a goddess in later Vedic texts, particularly the Shri Suktam.[11] Her importance grew significantly during the late epic period (around 400 CE), when she became particularly associated with the preserver god Vishnu as his consort. In this role, Lakshmi is seen as the ideal Hindu wife, exemplifying loyalty and devotion to her husband.[11] Whenever Vishnu descended on the earth as an avatar, Lakshmi accompanied him as consort, for example, as Sita and Radha or Rukmini as consorts of Vishnu's avatars Rama and Krishna, respectively.[10][15][16]

Lakshmi holds a prominent place in the Vishnu-centric sect Vaishnavism, where she is not only regarded as the consort of Vishnu, the Supreme Being, but also as his divine energy (shakti).[11] she is also the Supreme Goddess in the sect and assists Vishnu to create, protect, and transform the universe.[7][15][17][18] She is an especially prominent figure in Sri Vaishnavism tradition, in which devotion to Lakshmi is deemed to be crucial to reach Vishnu.[19] Within the goddess-oriented Shaktism, Lakshmi is venerated as the prosperity aspect of the Supreme goddess.[20][15] The eight prominent manifestations of Lakshmi, the Ashtalakshmi, symbolise the eight sources of wealth.[21]

Lakshmi is depicted in Indian art as an elegantly dressed, prosperity-showering golden-coloured woman standing or sitting in the padmasana position upon a lotus throne, while holding a lotus in her hand, symbolising fortune, self-knowledge, and spiritual liberation.[22][23] Her iconography shows her with four hands, which represent the four aspects of human life important to Hindu culture: dharma, kama, artha, and moksha.[24][25] She is often accompanied by two elephants, as seen in the Gaja-Lakshmi images, symbolising both fertility and royal authority. Archaeological discoveries and ancient coins suggest the recognition and reverence for Lakshmi existing by the 1st millennium BCE.[26][27] Lakshmi's iconography and statues have also been found in Hindu temples throughout Southeast Asia, estimated to be from the second half of the 1st millennium CE.[28][29] The day of Lakshmi Puja during Navaratri, and the festivals of Deepavali and Sharad Purnima (Kojagiri Purnima) are celebrated in her honour.[30]

  1. ^
    • Journal of Historical Research, Volumes 28-30. Department of History, Ranchi University. 1991. p. 3. Lord Visnu is the refuge of the world and Goddess Lakshmi is the energy behind the Universe.
    • Amulya Mohapatra; Bijaya Mohapatra (1 January 1993). Hinduism: Analytical Study. Mittal Publications. p. 26. ISBN 978-81-7099-388-9. Sri or Laxmi is the goddess of wealth and fortune , power and beauty.
    • Bulbul Sharma (2010). The Book of Devi. Penguin Books India. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-14-306766-5. Sri or Lakshmi, as depicted in the sacred texts, is the goddess of wealth and fortune, royal power and beauty.
    • Stephen Knapp (2012). Hindu Gods & Goddesses. Jaico Publishing House. p. 132. ISBN 978-81-8495-366-4. Goddess Lakshmi is the consort and shakti, or potency, of Lord Vishnu. Lakshmi, or Sri when she is especially known as the goddess of beauty (though sometimes considered to be separate entities), is the goddess of fortune, wealth, power, and loveliness.
    • David Kinsley (1 January 1989). The Goddesses' Mirror: Visions of the Divine from East and West. SUNY Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-88706-836-2.
    • David Monaghan; Ariane Hudelet; John Wiltshire (10 January 2014). The Cinematic Jane Austen: Essays on the Filmic Sensibility of the Novels. McFarland & Company. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-7864-5322-1. In Hindu mythology, Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, power and beauty.
    • Kaushal Kishore Sharma (1988). Rabindranath Tagore's Aesthetics. Abhinav Publications. p. 26. ISBN 978-81-7017-237-6. Lakshmi, our Goddess of wealth, represents not only beauty and power but also the spirit of goodness.
  2. ^ lakṣmī Archived 20 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Monier-Williams' Sanskrit–English Dictionary, University of Washington Archives
  3. ^ Lakshmi Tantra, Volumes -13. Motilal Banarasidas Publishers. 2007. p. 70. ISBN 978-81-208-1735-7.
  4. ^ "Translating the secrets of Makara Sankranti". Times of India. 14 January 2021.
  5. ^ https://www.rudraksha-ratna.com/articles/margashirsha-thursday?srsltid=AfmBOorF_TEakNWzn5rOrkyPMgnTMQorurk20fZnLlYTlz438iA-REU_
  6. ^ Debroy, Bibek (2005). The History of Puranas. Bharatiya Kala Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-8090-062-4.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference anandrao167 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Lakshmi". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Lakshmi". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  10. ^ a b Coulter, Charles Russell; Turner, Patricia (4 July 2013). Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-96390-3.
  11. ^ a b c d Kinsley, David (1998). Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978-81-208-0394-7.
  12. ^ James G. Lochtefeld (15 December 2001). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Volume 1. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8.
  13. ^ Mark W. Muesse. The Hindu Traditions: A Concise Introduction. Fortress Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-4514-1400-4.
  14. ^ Kishore, B. R. (2001). Hinduism. Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd. p. 87. ISBN 978-81-7182-073-3.
  15. ^ a b c Williams, George M. (2003). Handbook of Hindu Mythology. ABC-CLIO, Inc. pp. 196–8. ISBN 1-85109-650-7.
  16. ^ Monaghan, Patricia (31 December 2010). Goddesses in World Culture. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-35465-6.
  17. ^ Sashi Bhusan Dasgupta (2004). Evolution of Mother Worship in India. Advaita Ashrama (A Publication House of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math). p. 20. ISBN 978-81-7505-886-6.
  18. ^ Isaeva 1993, p. 252.
  19. ^ Carman, John Braisted; Vasudha Narayanan (1989). The Tamil Veda : Piḷḷān's interpretation of the Tiruvāymol̲i. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-09305-0. OCLC 18624684.
  20. ^ Upendra Nath Dhal (1978). Goddess Laksmi: Origin and Development. Oriental Publishers & Distributors. p. 109. Goddess Lakşmī is stated as the genetrix of the world; she maintains them as a mother ought to do . So she is often called as the Mātā.
  21. ^ James G. Lochtefeld (15 December 2001). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Volume 1. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8.
  22. ^ James G. Lochtefeld (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M. The Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 385–386. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  23. ^ Heinrich Robert Zimmer (2015). Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization. Princeton University Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-4008-6684-7. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  24. ^ Rhodes, Constantina. 2011. Invoking Lakshmi: The Goddess of Wealth in Song and Ceremony. State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-1-4384-3320-2. pp. 29–47, 220–52.
  25. ^ "Divali – THE SYMBOLISM OF LAKSHMI." Trinidad and Tobago: National Library and Information System Authority. 2009. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014.
  26. ^ Cite error: The named reference usingh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  27. ^ Cite error: The named reference ashav was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  28. ^ Roveda, Vitorio. 2004. "The Archaeology of Khmer Images." Aséanie 13(13):11–46.
  29. ^ Jones, Soumya (Fall 2007). "O goddess where art thou?: Reexamining the Female Divine Presence in Khmer art" (PDF). SEAP Bulletin: 28–31. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 November 2014.
  30. ^ Jones, Constance (2011). J. G. Melton (ed.). Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations. pp. 253–254, 798. ISBN 978-1-59884-205-0.


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