THE ETERNAL CONSORTS OF THE LORD - 1. Lakṣmī/ Lakshmi

THE ETERNAL CONSORTS OF THE LORD

1. Lakṣmī

The power (śakti) of Vishnu is represented as the power of multiplicity, or the Goddess of Fortune called Lakṣmī (”she-of- the-hundred-thousands”), she is also known as Śrī (“the- beautiful-one”).

As the consort of Vishnu she appears with Him in every one of His incarnations. She is the Immaculate mediatrix of all Grace and is the embodiment of Compassion and Forgiveness on an absolute level.

She is the preserving energy, and on the material plane this takes the form of resources and wealth. Without wealth there can be no undertaking of religious activities like yajñas, or any charity. Sickness, decay, disease all follow after poverty. Lakṣmī is therefore the power or śakti inherent in wealth.

Lakṣmī is known as cañcala (the-fickle-one) and does not remain long in one place, but in iconography she is depicted as always rendering service by massaging the feet of the Lord, she is totally under His control and He uses her for the welfare of all beings.

Lakṣmī is depicted in three aspects and in each one her vehicle differs:

In sattva guṇa; she accompanies Mahā Viṣṇu upon Garuda.
In rajo guṇa: rides alone upon an elephant or sits upon a lotus.
In Tamo guṇa: rides alone upon the owl Ūluka.

The owl symbolizes wisdom and intelligence, because of its ability to see in the dark, and to allegedly presage events in the future. When Lakṣmī rides upon Ūluka the people are blinded by wealth, they forget the true purpose of wealth and destroy themselves with it.

Both Lakṣmī and Śukra (Venus) are the offspring of Bhṛgu and are therefore siblings. Śukra is the preceptor of the Daityas who the elder brothers of the gods and are in fact the “anti-gods” — their philosophy is rank materialism. Similarly the Divine Mother Lakṣmī is thus co-opted by materialists to achieve their selfish goals.

Aṣṭa-Lakṣmī — The 8 Forms of Lakṣmī

According to Aṣṭa-Lakṣmī Stotram Lakṣmī takes 8 primary forms:—

1. Ādi-Lakṣmī —“Primeval Lakṣmī” or Mahā Lakṣmī, lit “The Great Lakṣmī”: an ancient form of Lakshmi and incarnation of Lakṣmī as daughter of sage Bhrigu.

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Four-armed, carries a lotus and a white flag, other two arms in Abhayā mudra and Varadā mudra.

2. Dhana-Lakṣmī —“Wealth Lakṣmī” presiding over all forms of resources, wealth and prosperity.

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Six-armed, garbed in red garments, carries cakra(discus), śaṅkha(conch), Amrita kumbha(a pitcher containing Amrita –nectar of immortality), bow-arrow, a lotus and showing Abhayā mudra with gold coins falling from it.

3. Dhairya-Lakṣmī —“Grain Lakṣmī” presiding over all forms of agricultural activities and produce.

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Eight-armed, garbed in green garments, carries two lotuses, gadā(mace), paddy crop, sugarcane, bananas, other two hands in Abhayā mudra and Varadā mudra.

4. Gaja-Lakṣmī —“Elephant Lakshmi”:

Giver of animal wealth like cattle and elephants also giver of power of royalty. According to Hindu mythology, Gaja Lakshmi restored the wealth and power lost by Indra(king of gods) when she rose from the churning of the ocean.

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Four-armed, in red garments, carries two lotuses, other two arms in abhaya and varada mudras, flanked by two elephants bathing her with water pots.

5. Santāna Lakṣmī —“Progeny Lakṣmī”: Bestower of offspring.

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Six-armed, carries two kalashas (water pitcher with mango leaves and a coconut on it), sword, shield, a child on her lap, a hand in Abhayā mudra and the other holding the child. The child holds a lotus.

6. Vīra-Lakṣmī —“Valorous Lakṣmī ” or Dhairya-Lakṣmī, “Courage Lakṣmī”: Bestower of valour in battles and courage and strength for overcoming difficulties in life.

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Eight-armed, garbed in red garments, carries cakra, śaṅkha, bow, arrow, triśūla(or sword), gold bar or book, other two hands in Abhayā and Varadā mudras.

7. Vijaya-Lakṣmī —“Victorious Lakṣmī” or Jaya-Lakṣmī: Giver of victory, not only in battles but also over conquering hurdles in the pursuit of success.

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Eight-armed, garbed in red garments, carries cakra, śaṅkha, sword, shield, lotus, pāśa, other two hands in Abhayā and Varadā mudras.

8. Vidyā-Lakṣmī —“Knowledge Lakṣmī” presiding over the knowledge of arts and sciences.

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Four-armed, garbed in white holding 2 lotuses and showing the Varadā and Abhayā mudras.

In some Aṣṭa-Lakṣmī lists, other forms of Lakṣmī are included:—

Aiśvarya-Lakṣmī — “Prosperity Lakshmi”: Goddess of riches

Saubhāgya-Lakṣmī — “Giver of good Fortune”: Giver of prosperity in general.

Rājya-Lakṣmī — “Royal Lakshmi”: "She who blesses rulers (with secular power)"

Vara-Lakṣmī — “Generous Lakshmi”: "The lady who bestows Beautiful Boons".

Finally, it would be worth to mention – the tradition of Aṣṭa-Lakṣmī veneration is relatively recent one –

it started around the 1970s, a leading Sri Vaishnava theologian, Śrī U. Ve. Vidvan Mukkur Śrinivasavaradacariyar Svamikal, published a poem called Aṣṭa Lakshmi Stotram dedicated to the eight Lakṣmīs.

Although these attributes of wealth bestowed by the Aṣṭa Lakṣmī or Śrī can be found in traditional literature, the emergence of these eight Aṣṭa Lakṣmī goddesses in precisely this combination is still considered new as far it can be traced.

Since then, however, this form of Śrī has gained a significant popularity among devotees, there are now several temples dedicated to Aṣṭa-Lakṣmī in India and USA.