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 Who is this beautiful Goddess Lakshmi?
Lakshmi is the spiritual mother, the Goddess of Divine wealth, beauty,
light and splendor. She is the wife of Vishnu, and is a bountiful
provider who brings good fortune and luck of a material and spiritual
nature, including physical well-being and spiritual abundance and
knowledge.
Lakshmi is shown as a beautiful woman
with four hands. Her four hands represent the four ends of human life:
dharma (our path of righteousness), kama (our desires), artha (our
wealth) and moksha (our liberation from the cycle of birth and death).
Her arms are open and giving.
Lakshmi is seen usually sitting or
standing on a beautiful pink lotus flower and in on or two of her hands
she is holding a lotus bud which stands for beauty, purity and
fertility.
From one or two of her other hands flow
gold coins - this is the symbol of wealth. Her red and gold wardrobe
symbolize activity and prosperity.
Lakshmi aids Vishnu in the preservation
of the three worlds. She is the mother who gives her children
everything they need to prosper materially, physically and spiritually.
Two elephants are often shown standing
next to the goddess and spraying water, meaning that our dedicated
efforts in accordance with our dharma and governed by wisdom and
purity, leads to both material and spiritual prosperity.
One powerful mantra for meditating on
Lakshmi is Om Sri Maha Lakshmyei Namah. You will learn many more
mantras and stories for Lakshmi by attending the weekend workshop with
Namadeva this June in Maple Ridge.
Resources:
www.hinduism.about.com
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