Author: R. Mahalakshmi
Publisher: Penguin
Year: 2009
Language: English
Pages: 171
ISBN/UPC (if available): 9780143068167
Description
Lakshmi is the goddess of all that is good—wealth (dhana), beauty (saundarya) and happiness (sukha). As Vishnu’s consort and in her incarnations as Sita and Rukmini, she represents the ideal of femininity in Hinduism. She is also Shri, the goddess of fertility and grain, and Mahalakshmi, the amalgam of the goddesses Kali, Lakshmi and Sarasvati.
She is benevolent and generous, yet it takes surprisingly little to offend her. And when she leaves, her place is taken by Alakshmi, all that Lakshmi is not—poverty, pestilence and ill fortune. Lakshmi is the goddess of all that is good—wealth (dhana), beauty (saundarya) and happiness (sukha).
As Vishnu’s consort and in her incarnations as Sita and Rukmini, she represents the ideal of femininity in Hinduism. She is also Shri, the goddess of fertility and grain, and Mahalakshmi, the amalgam of the goddesses Kali, Lakshmi and Sarasvati. She is benevolent and generous, yet it takes surprisingly little to offend her. And when she leaves, her place is taken by Alakshmi, all that Lakshmi is not—poverty, pestilence and ill fortune.
How did this popular and accessible goddess come to represent these qualities? R. Mahalakshmi presents an evocative picture of the mythical and historical development of the goddess Lakshmi. Using a range of sources, from ancient texts to sculptures and everyday religious customs and prayers, this fascinating and deeply-insightful book sheds new light not only on the figure of Lakshmi, but also on the fundamental tenets of Hinduism as it is practised today.
Contents
1. Introduction: The Embodiment of Wealth and Beauty
2. Lakshmi, Daughter of the Ocean, Wife of Vishnu
3. Shri Lakshmi and Other Deities
4. Symbols of Lakshmi
5. The Iconography of Lakshmi
6. Lakshmi Festivals and Worship
7. The Ashta Lakshmi Stotran and the Kanakadhara Stotram
8. Epilogue
9. Notes
10. Bibiography
11. Acknowledgements