D I V A L I   S P E C I A L

From darkness to light
By  Satish K. Kapoor

ALL existence is the manifestation of Shakti or the primal energy and shoots forth from it as rays from the sun. The endless play of the divine, characterised by the acts of creation, preservation and dissolution of the universe, is accomplished through his triune forms — Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva — which have a feminine aspect to them. The realisation that energy and being are one and the same is the summum bonum of supreme knowledge. Just as Mahasaraswati is the creative power of Brahma and Mahakali that of Rudra so is Lakshmi, the energising aspect of Lord Vishnu.

Lakshmi, the goddess with lotuses in her hands, the material world in her cosmic womb and the kinetic power in her being is worshipped on Divali, the festival symbolising the triumph of light over darkness, of knowledge over nescience and of truth over falsehood.

The Rig Veda alludes to the existence of Lakshmi through such expressions as darshan shri, shriye, ashvini and sushriyam. Even though these words are used here to denote beauty and prosperity, they also seem to suggest the existence of a deity. The Shri Sukta of the Rig Veda, forming as it were, an appendage to the fifth Mandal of the Shakal Samhita seems to refer to her existence by giving her as many as 70 names. It needs to be mentioned here that Shri is the oldest and the most popular name of Lakshmi.

In the Taittiriya Samhita of the Yajur Veda, Lakshmi is mentioned as Aditi; and in the Atharva Veda as the embodiment of women both fortunate and unfortunate. While the Rig Veda dilates upon the nature and qualities of Shri, the Atharva Veda lists her among the bhavanatmaka devatas like Saraswati and Kama.

In the epic literature, Lakshmi appears in all her regalia to fascinate her devotees. Maharishi Valmiki describes her as a young woman having four hands and curved hair adorning precious jewels and scintillating costume and wearing a crown. In the Mahabharata, Lakshmi appears both as the spouse of Lord Vishnu (Vishnu-priya) and as the glory of monarchs (Rajyalakshmi). In her former form she remains glued to the left side of the Lord, and in the latter she imparts strength and renown to the valiant. As Vishnu-priya, she is the supreme embodiment of chastity and righteousness but as Rajyalakshmi she is capricious and leaves a person when he trespasses the laws of dharma.

From the Puranic literature, one gets the impression that Lakshmi is as much dear to Lord Vishnu as Uma is to Lord Shiva. Says the Vishnu Purana: "As Vishnu is omnipresent so is she. If he is the meaning she is the voice; if he is justice she is prudence; if he is enlightenment she is intellect; if he is the creator, she is the creation; if he is a yajna she is the offering; if he is the lamp, she is the light.

So intense is Lakshmi’s love for her Lord that she followed him in all his incarnations on the earth, sometimes as the lotus, sometimes as Radha or as Rukmini and sometimes as Sita. Lotus is the goddess Lakshmi’s earthly representation; hence her names Vasudha and Vasundhara. Just as the bilva tree is dear to Lord Shiva, tulsi to Lord Vishnu, mango blossoms to Kama and marigold to Ganesha, so is lotus to Lakshmi. Lotus is the emblem of the human heart, a symbol of detachment and a perfect example of beauty and symmetry. Lakshmi, who is regarded as an auspicious deity, cannot find a better association than this.

In the Shri Sukta, Lakshmi appears as being seated on a lotus leaf or encamped on a number of lotuses. She has her origin from a lotus and has a great fascination for the celebrated plant. Her face is as radiant as that of a lotus flower. Her eyes are broad like a fully-blossomed lotus. She is lotus-thighed like a yogi in meditation and wears the rosary of lotus flowers.

There is no end to hypothetical versions about the origin of the deity. In the Shatpatha Brahmana, she emerges from the very being of Prajapati, of course as a charming and powerful woman. It was from her that Agni got her food, Soma, Varuna and Mitra their kingdom, Indira his power, Brihaspati, his divine glory, Pusha his prosperity and Tvashta her bewitching figure.

The Vishnu Purana describes Lakshmi as the daughter of the sage Bhrigu and his wife, Khyati. In the Ramayana she springs from the froth of the ocean; and in the Devi Bhagavata from the ocean of milk (kshirasagar). The Brahmavaivrata Purana refers to her eight forms with quite different roots. Mahalakshmi sprang from the heaven of Vishnu; Svarga Lakshmi from Lord Indra’s paradise; Radha and Saurabha Lakshmi from the cow’s world, Goloka; Rajya Lakshmi from the earth and nether regions; Griha Lakshmi from home; Dakshina Lakshmi from a Yajna and Chandra Lakshmi from the orb of the moon.

Lakshmi is believed to give prosperity, protect the granary and bless the barren women in matters of progeny. She is called Vriddhi because she helps in growth; and matrirupa because she takes care of devotees like mother. But she also has a fierce aspect to her. At time, she rides a horse or even a lion and carries a trishula, shankha and chakra to overawe the enemies of virtue. According to a legend, she exterminated the demon Kolasura.

Lakshmi has been portrayed through images in stone, wood, metal, paper and clay. One may well identify Shri Ma Devata at Bharhut or the goddess Kamalaya at Sanehi with Lakshmi. Excavations at some ancient sites have yielded terracotta seals which bear her figure. She appears on the coins issued by the Kausambhi, Ujjaiyani and Gupta rulers, and in all the three inscriptions of a 10th century king Vakpati Munja of Malwa. The Gajalakshmi figure of the goddess is quite common, and the most popular form of it is where the four-armed deity is depicted "with two elephants pouring water over her head with raised trunks". In one of the Gahadavala inscriptions beginning with an invocation to Shri, one comes across a brief dialogue between Lakshmi and Vishnu which alludes to her increasing importance. Even as early as 529 BC, the king Samkshobha constructed a shrine in honour of Goddess Pishtapuri who is said to have incarnated from Lakshmi.

The geometrical form of Lakshmi is the Shri Yantra believed to be a chart of "the evolution of the cosmic scheme." It symbolises the macrocosm the microcosm and the Divine reality behind them. It has nine enclosures: the outermost, called bhupura has a square form and it stands for the earth element; the next two, circular in form, containing 16 and eight lotus petals, respectively, represent the water element; the next four enclosures are stellate figures made up of interlacing triangles and stand for the fire element; the eight one forming a single triangle represents the air element. The dot in the centre of them all represents the akasha or the space element.

Here reside both the masculine and the feminine aspects of divinity in eternal union.

Each triangle in the Shri Yantra, represents an aspect of Shakti which is first invoked by concentrating on the great seed point in the middle and then turned into an instrument of psychic power. The Bijakshra, first syllable of a mantra is shrim, and its repetition along with related sacred utterances is fruitful for spiritual progress and material gain.

Lakshmi, the Adya Shakti, is sometime compared with Pallas, one of the four brightest asteroids. But she is much more than this, she is the source and the support of existence. Her several incarnations show the will of the Divine to transform the social milieu at different periods of time. As the goddess of prosperity she resides where truth, charity, valour and dharma prevail.

With devotion for Lakshmi
by Preeti Bhutani

DIVALI, the glorious festival of lamps, is the day when Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, is worshipped so that she may bestow on her devotees prosperity, abundant crops and good fortune in the coming year.

On this day, merchants and traders worship their account books as it is their belief that wealth arises due to goddess Lakshmi’s blessings alone.

Shri-Sukta in Vedic literature, which is a part of an appendix to Rigveda, depicts goddess Lakshmi as moist and fertile, perceptible through odour and abundant in harvest. She is associated with growth and fecundity of rich soil.

Her association with agricultural fertility becomes clear during the time of Divali. During this time the farmers are ready to harvest the crops, so they invoke the blessings of both Lakshmi, the goddess of bounty and fertility, and Bali, the spirit of vegetation. In South India and Orissa, cowdung is worshipped because goddess Lakshmi has been known to reside in cowdung.

In earlier Vedic texts the goddess appears as Sri, which suggests beauty, glory and ruling power of kings.

Her idols are rare but pictures are found in almost all Indian homes. She is radiant like gold and illustrious like the moon, has long lustrous hair and from her palms streams of gold coins fall into water at her feet. She is seated on the lotus which itself is a symbol of fertility and the entire cosmic creation. Secondly, it is a symbol of purity and spiritual perfection. Thus Lakshmi combines both royal and spiritual powers in her presence.

On Divali day new silver coins and gold jewellery are worshipped as Lakshmi. Divali puja ceremony includes anointing the puja room with the images of tiny feet like inverted commas with a silver coin in between. These are goddess Lakshmi’s auspicious footprints which always lead inside towards the storeroom, towards the trunks and boxes where the family’s wealth is stored.

Goddess Lakshmi did not arise out of a parent but rose out during the churning of milk ocean by the gods and demons seeking the elixir of mortality (amrit).

In later Hindu texts, goddess Lakshmi is associated with many male deities like Bali, Soma, Dharma, Indra. She is Chanchala, the restless one, and co-habits with only those who are blessed with good fortune and promote her further. In fact her reputation of fickleness changed only when she got married to the powerful god Vishnu.

Indian women are constantly looked upon as Ghar ki Lakshmi, which implies that the women must have the qualities of a model Hindu wife, passive, submissive, obedient and static. But the true Lakshmi is anything but this. From the creator of resources and the ever mobile one, she is transformed slowly into an obedient wife who is the model of righteous conduct and correct social observance. Her submissive position becomes clear in Badami paintings where she sits on the ground but her lord reclines on a high stool.

In Panchatantra school lord Vishnu delegates the central role of creation of the universe to Lakshmi and goes to sleep. Lakshmi becomes the Shakti of Vishnu — the dispenser of grace and bestower of liberation of souls. Although in Vaishnava school Lakshmi does not play the central cosmological role, she acts as mediating presence between the devotee and lord Vishnu. She also resorts to distracting lord Vishnu from his intention of punishing a devotee by enticing him with her beauty.

She may thus embody divine compassion but also acts as a jealous wife when lord Vishnu goes off with another consort, and she in anger breaks his vehicle and locks him out of their home.

Goddess Lakshmi stays with only those who can retain her. She, the goddess of wealth and fertility, has no children and, therefore, does not look favourably at inheritance of wealth.

On Divali day, goddess Lakshmi is worshipped with Kubera, the lord of Yakshas, who is the possessor and guardian of earth’s treasures. After performing the worship of goddess Lakshmi, the expulsion of Akashmi, the female spirit associated with bad luck and poverty, is done by lighting lamps and beating winnowing baskets, pans and drums.

In North India images of Ganesha and Lakshmi are revered during Divali puja. The associating of Lakshmi and elephant headed Ganesha is continuation of Gaja-Lakshmi images where white elephants shower her with water. Ganesha is also a Yaksha type of figure associated with wealth, good luck and new beginnings.

During this time the ghosts of the dead return. Bali, a demon, comes out from the underworld for three days. People illuminate their houses with the belief that the lighting of lamps would make Lakshmi stable in their homes. Profligate spending and boisterous gambling are advised because those who indulge in it please goddess Lakshmi.

She imbues creatures with lustre and well-being and, therefore, who can be the presiding deity of this festival of lights, but Sri Lakshmi?

This is an article taken from the archives. It was originally published in 1998.