Lakshmī

Śrī Lakshmī is the eternal consort (wife) of Bhagavān Vishṇu. She is the devī of wealth, beauty and all that is auspicious. She arose from the Kshīrasāgara, the ocean of milk, during the great Samudra-manthana (the churning of the ocean). She chose Vishṇu as her husband by her own will. She sits forever on his chest, where the Kaustubha gem also rests.

Emergence from the ocean

During the Samudra-manthana, Bhagavān Śiva drank the dreadful Hālāhala poison. The other wonderful gifts of the churning had also arisen. Then Lakshmī herself came out of the Kshīrasāgara.

She arose full of splendour. All the devas who looked at her were at once filled with Śrī, which means prosperity and light. These came into them just by seeing her. Every deva wanted her for himself. But Lakshmī used her own will, as in a svayaṃvara (a ceremony where a bride chooses her husband) of the highest kind. She chose Vishṇu, went straight to him and took her place at his side. From this event she has the name Kshīrasāgara-sambhavā, “she who arose from the ocean of milk”.

Soon after Lakshmī came out, Dhanvantarī arose, carrying the pot of amṛta (the nectar of immortality). Dhanvantarī is Vishṇu in another form. The asuras then tried to seize the amṛta. Vishṇu took the form of Mohinī, and so the nectar was kept for the devas. The devas’ victory in that fight cannot be separated from the grace of Lakshmī, who had already joined the side of Vishṇu.

The Agni Purāṇa tells this in Chapter 3.

Her form in images

The Agni Purāṇa describes the form of Lakshmī in its fiftieth chapter. That chapter gives the lakshaṇas (marks) for installing images. In her right hand she holds a kamala (lotus flower). In her left hand she holds a bilva fruit (māreḍu).

As Vaishṇavī-śakti, the power that belongs to Vishṇu, she has four arms:

  • The upper right hand holds the cakra.
  • The upper left hand holds the Pāñcajanya śaṅkha (conch).
  • The lower right hand holds the lotus garland (māla).
  • The lower left hand holds the gadā (mace) and a kamala.

Pratishṭhā and worship

The sixty-second chapter of the Agni Purāṇa is told by Hayagrīva. It gives the full rites of Lakshmī-pratishṭhā, the consecration and installation of the mūrti of Śrī Lakshmī. Hayagrīva says that he will describe the installation of Lakshmī first, before that of all other devas and devīs. This shows how high her place is.

The rite begins with a maṇḍapa (a pavilion). Eight kalaśas (water pots) stand in the eight directions around the bhadra-pīṭha, the seat where Lakshmī will be installed. The mūrti is anointed with ājya (clarified butter) and bathed with the mūla-mantra. Then comes the pañcagavya snapana, a bath with the five sacred products of the cow.

The eyes of the mūrti are opened while the priest recites the Śrī-sūkta verse:

Hiraṇyavarṇāṃ hariṇīm…

The priest offers the devī honey, ghee and sugar with the mantra:

Tāṃ ma āvaha

Each of the eight kalaśas is then used in turn to bathe the mūrti, each with its own Śrī-sūkta ṛk (verse). The eastern kalaśa is used with:

Āśvapūrvām…

The southern kalaśa is used with:

Kāṃ so’smitām…

The western kalaśa is used with:

Cakrāṃ prabhāsām…

The northern kalaśa is used with:

Ādityavarṇe…

The same is done for each of the other four directions.

After the bath of the directions, the priest offers gandha (fragrant sandal paste) with:

Ārdrāṃ pushkariṇīm…

A garland of flowers is placed with the matching verse. All the other upacāras (offerings) are made, the full sixteen-fold pūjā. Then Lakshmī is laid to rest on a śayyā (couch) while the proper mantra is recited.

The Śrī-sūkta is recited all through the rite for sannidhīkaraṇa, which means calling the real presence of the devī. The Lakshmī bīja (seed syllable) Śrīṃ is used for cic-chakti-vinyāsa. Then the devī is worshipped once more.

Next comes a fire yajña in the kuṇḍa (fire pit) on the maṇḍapa. The offerings are one thousand or one hundred lotus flowers or karavīra blossoms, always with the Śrī-sūkta mantras. All the pūjā materials, from the very start, are offered with the Śrī-sūkta. When the pratishṭhā is done, the ācārya (teacher), the brahma-ṛtvik (the chief priest) and all the brāhmaṇas are honoured with gifts of land, gold, cloth and cows.

The phala (fruit) of Lakshmī-pratishṭhā is great. A person who installs all the devas and devīs in this way gains rājya (kingship), svarga and every auspicious result.

The Agni Purāṇa gives this in Chapter 62.

The Śrī Stotra in the Agni Purāṇa

Chapter 237 of the Agni Purāṇa belongs to the Rājadharma section. In it, Pushkara tells Paraśurāma the Śrī Stotra. This is a stotra (hymn of praise) that Indra himself sang to Bhagavatī Śrī Lakshmī so that he could keep the prosperity of his kingdom (rājya-lakshmī). Before a king goes to vigraha (war), he should recite this stotra, because kingship rests on the grace of Śrī.

The stotra names Śrī as all the sacred kinds of knowledge: yajña-vidyā, ātma-vidyā, ānvīkshakī, trayī, vārtā and daṇḍanīti. It names her as all the powers of the cosmos. She is the śakti of bhukti (worldly enjoyment) and of mukti (liberation) together.

When Bhagavatī Śrī granted Indra’s prayer, she said:

“Those who recite this stotra and those who listen to it — I shall grant them bhukti and mukti as a boon.”

The main names of Śrī in this stotra are:

  • Samudra-sambhavā, she who arose from the ocean
  • Vikasita-kamala-netrā, she with fully opened lotus eyes
  • Vishṇu-vakshaḥ-sthitā, she who lives on Vishṇu’s chest
  • Loka-pāvanī, the purifier of all worlds
  • Muktirūpā-dātrī, the giver of liberation in her very form
  • Saumyā, the gentle and auspicious one
  • Sarva-pāvanī, the one who purifies all
  • Nirmalā, the spotless one
  • Padmākshī, she with lotus eyes
  • Vishṇu-vallabhā, she who is dear to Vishṇu

Lakshmī pūjā in the Agni Purāṇa

Chapter 308 of the Agni Purāṇa is called “Lakshmyādi-Pūjā”. It sits in the fourth section of the Agni Purāṇa, among the Śākta tantra-vidyās. It gives a longer Śrī-pūjā rite. It adds the mantra, homa and maṇḍala details for daily or special worship of Śrī. The Lakshmī-pratishṭhā of Chapter 62 is done once, at installation.

The Lakshmyādi pūjā

The title “Lakshmyādi” means “beginning with Lakshmī”. Śrī Lakshmī is the chief devī of this pūjā, and she is worshipped with a group of devīs who go with her. They show the different sides of Lakshmī’s śakti in the world:

  • Śrī stands for prosperity.
  • Bhū is the earth-devī and the power of abundance.
  • Nīlā is the śakti of divine grace.

Together they are the three consorts of Vishṇu, and together they show the whole śakti of Bhagavān Vishṇu.

The maṇḍala of this pūjā is the ashṭa-daḷa-kamala (the eight-petalled lotus). Lakshmī is installed in the centre. Bhū-devī and Nīlā-devī are installed at the proper petals. The Śrī-sūkta from the Ṛg Veda stays the main mantra text all through the pūjā, as in the pratishṭhā of Chapter 62.

Mantras

The bīja Śrīṃ is used for cic-chakti-vinyāsa. The bīja Hrīṃ is used for the homa. The aṅga-nyāsa (placing of mantras on the limbs) uses the eight forms of Lakshmī as the devīs of the limbs. They are Ādi-Lakshmī, Dhana-Lakshmī, Dhānya-Lakshmī, Gaja-Lakshmī, Santāna-Lakshmī, Vīra-Lakshmī, Vijaya-Lakshmī and Vidyā-Lakshmī. Each is placed at one limb (aṅga) of the worshipper’s body.

Homa offerings and their results

The homa of Chapter 308 uses these offerings:

  • Kamala (lotus flowers) are the main offering. They bring Lakshmī’s lasting presence in the home.
  • Ghee and pāyasa bring prosperity, health and children.
  • Karavīra flowers join the worshipper to a home in Vaikuṇṭha.
  • Sugar and honey bring saubhāgya (good fortune) and sweetness in relationships.

The daśāṃśa rule governs the homa. One tenth of all the japa done in the pūjā is offered as oblations. The ghee that remains is shared as prasāda.

Phala

Chapter 308 declares these results of the Lakshmyādi pūjā:

  • Lasting prosperity (dhana-lakshmī) in the home of the worshipper
  • Freedom from the fear of poverty (dāridrya-bhaya-nivāraṇa)
  • Plenty of grain and cattle (dhānya and go-samṛddhi)
  • Victory in all that one starts (vijaya)
  • The direct presence (sannidhi) of the devī in the home and heart of the worshipper

Lakshmī in the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa

Her origin from Kṛshṇa’s manas

The Brahma Khaṇḍa of the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa (Chapter 3) gives an account of Lakshmī’s origin that goes with the Samudra-manthana account of the Agni Purāṇa. It says that Mahālakshmī arose from Kṛshṇa’s manas (mind, the heart of the cosmos) at the start of sṛshṭi. This makes her the love-energy of the Parabrahman, the very love of the cosmic Purusha made visible. In the scheme of the five Prakṛtis, Lakshmī is the Prakṛti of Nārāyaṇa. She is the śakti that cannot be separated from his prāṇa-svarūpa (the form of his life breath).

Her gift of kānti in the Upabarhana revival

In the joint revival of Upabarhana, Lakshmī’s gift was kānti, divine radiance and beauty. It completed the revival, together with the prāṇas from Vishṇu, jñāna (knowledge) from Śiva, dharma-jñāna from Dharma, sight from Sūrya and vāk (speech) from Sarasvatī. The Brahma Khaṇḍa of the Brahma Vaivarta Mahā Purāṇa tells this.

Lakshmī in the Prakṛti Khaṇḍa

The second form of Mūla Prakṛti

Chapter 1 of the Prakṛti Khaṇḍa names Mahālakshmī as the second of the five chief forms (pañca-prakṛtis) of Mūla Prakṛti, after Rādhā. She is śuddha-sattva-mayī, made wholly of pure sattva. She is the home and source of all wealth (sakala-aiśvarya-svarūpiṇī). As the second Prakṛti she is the Śakti of Nārāyaṇa himself. She cannot be parted from his prāṇa-svarūpa, as warmth cannot be parted from fire.

Her birth at the Rāsa-maṇḍala

Chapter 35 of the Prakṛti Khaṇḍa tells in detail of Mahālakshmī’s birth at the very start of sṛshṭi. At the beginning of creation, at the Rāsa-maṇḍala in Goloka, Bhagavān Kṛshṇa brought two great powers out of his own body. Rādhā came from his right side. Mahālakshmī came from his left side. So Rādhā is the beloved Śakti on the right, and Mahālakshmī is the Śakti of wealth on the left.

Kṛshṇa then gave Mahālakshmī to the four-armed Nārāyaṇa (catur-bhujaḥ Nārāyaṇa), who had come from Kṛshṇa’s own right side. So the union of Nārāyaṇa and Lakshmī was set up by Kṛshṇa himself at the dawn of creation.

Nārāyaṇa worshipped her first. Then Brahmā worshipped her, then Śiva, and last Manu. This is the order in which the blessings of Mahālakshmī pass down through the order of the cosmos.

Her manifestations

Chapter 35 lists the forms in which Mahālakshmī is present in the cosmos, as her vibhūtis (glories):

  • Svargalakshmī, the prosperity and light of the worlds of the devas
  • Rājalakshmī, the kingship and good fortune that live in kings
  • Gṛhalakshmī, the grace, peace and plenty of righteous homes
  • Surabhī, the divine mother of all cows, Mahālakshmī’s presence among cattle
  • Dakshiṇā, the devī of the ritual gift, Mahālakshmī as the śakti of yajña-dāna (gifts at the yajña)
  • Kshīrābdhi-kanyā, Mahālakshmī born again from the Kshīrābdhi, the ocean of milk, in the Samudra-manthana

These forms show that Mahālakshmī is not only the devī of one person’s wealth. She is the śakti of good fortune, plenty and grace at every level of the cosmos, from the kingship of the devas to the wellbeing of one home.

Lakshmī in the Sarasvatī Upākhyāna

Chapter 6 of the Prakṛti Khaṇḍa tells the Sarasvatī Upākhyāna (the account of Sarasvatī). It is a quarrel among the three wives of Nārāyaṇa in Vaikuṇṭha. Gaṅgā and Nārāyaṇa exchanged loving glances, and Sarasvatī became jealous. She could not turn her anger on Gaṅgā directly, so she turned on Lakshmī and gave her a śāpa (a curse):

“Be born as the Tulasī plant in the world of humans, and also as the river Padmāvatī.”

Nārāyaṇa settled the quarrel. He made sure that Lakshmī would come down only in her aṃśa-rūpa, a partial form. Her true divine form stayed in Vaikuṇṭha, while a part of her became the Tulasī plant on earth. This is the Purāṇic account of how Tulasī began, as a descent of a part of Lakshmī. So every Tulasī plant is a dwelling of Śrī herself. It is also why Tulasī is the dearest offering to Bhagavān Vishṇu: in her essence Tulasī is the Śakti of his eternal consort.

The marriage of Lakshmī and Nārāyaṇa

The Vāsudeva Māhātmya gives the fullest account of the marriage of Śrī and Nārāyaṇa after the Samudra-manthana. The main points follow.

Her rising and recognition. Śrī rose from the churned ocean, brighter than all beings. Every sura and asura wanted her, yet none could come near her light. The Ocean (Samudra) came forward and said, “This is my daughter”, and took her on his lap. He asked Brahmā to whom he should give her. Brahmā answered that Śrī had no husband other than Nārāyaṇa Vāsudeva, the Supreme Brahman:

“She is the mother of both me and Śiva. She is the mother of all the Devas and all the worlds. She has no other husband than Nārāyaṇa.”

The ablution. Tvashṭā built the wedding hall. The eight elephants of the directions raised golden pitchers and poured over Śrī the waters of the seas of the four quarters. The elephants are Airāvata, Puṇḍarīka, Vāmana, Kumuda, Añjana, Pushpadanta, Sarvabhauma and Supratīka. The great rivers came in bodily form with their waters. The Vedas, in bodily form, recited mantras. The Gandharvas sang and the apsarās danced.

The gifts. Every great being brought gifts for Śrī:

  • The Moon gave a nose ornament and jewelled hair ornaments.
  • Brahmā gave a lotus.
  • Sarasvatī gave a pearl necklace.
  • The Nāgas, led by Śesha, gave earrings set with the best jewels.
  • Durgā gave collyrium and saffron.
  • Sāvitrī gave a forehead ornament.
  • Śacī gave a box for betel.
  • Spring gave a garland of flowers.
  • Śaṃkara gave a necklace.
  • Varuṇa gave the Vaijayantī garland.
  • Kubera gave a mirror set with jewels.
  • Agni gave a priceless bodice.
  • Yama gave an auspicious umbrella.

The ceremony. Brahmā lit the sacred fire and gave Śrī in marriage to Acyuta. Bhagavān Vishṇu then walked around the fire with Śrī. After that, each group of divine beings sang its own stotra. The words of Śaṃkara matter most. He said that all the Śāstras were born from Vāsudeva alone in the Ādi-Kalpa, and that they sing his glory alone. These are the Three Vedas, Sāṃkhya, Vedānta, Yoga, Purāṇa, Pañcarātra and Dharmaśāstra.

Śrī on Vishṇu’s chest. When all had praised her, Bhagavān Vishṇu spoke to Śrī: “O auspicious lady, give a kind look to these devas.” With one glance she blessed the three worlds, and they at once became rich as before. Bhagavān Vishṇu then offered his chest as her place. Standing there, she filled the three worlds with her wealth. She brought back dharma, prosperity and order to all creation.

Sources

  • Agni Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 3, 50, 62, 237, 308
  • Brahma Vaivarta Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Chapters 3, 15–18
  • Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Prakṛti Khaṇḍa, Chapters 1, 6, 35
  • Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Vāsudeva Māhātmya, Chapters 12–15