Laxmi is the consort of the god Vishnu. She is one of the most popular goddesses of Hindu mythology and is known as the goddess of wealth, knowledge and purity. Hindus believe that those who worship Laxmi sincerely, not in greed, are blessed with fortune and success. It is said that Lakshmi resides in places of hard work, virtue and bravery, but leaves whenever these qualities are not apparent any more.

Worshipping Lakshmi
As she bestows harmony and success, many Hindus worship Lakshmi at home as well as in the temple. It is said that Friday is the most auspicious day.

Lakshmi is particularly worshipped during Diwali. Diwali is the celebration of the conquering of light over dark, but its origins come from the epic story of Lord Rama over the demon Ramavana. As the three heroes, Rama, his brother Lakshman and Sita (an incarnation of Lakshmi) came home, people lit candles to guide their way in the dark. In honour of this, on the second day of Diwali people light candles in their homes to guide Lakshmi to their homes, in the hope that she will bestow good fortune on their home for the coming year. She will only come into homes that are clean, however, as she hates lazy people and unclean places.

After worshipping Lakshmi, many Hindus will gamble and spend profusely, believing that Lakshmi has bestowed good fortune upon them.

Two days before Diwali, a festival called Dhantares is celebrated to seek the blessings of Lakshmi. During this time, which is thought to be auspicious, Hindus buy gold and silver and start new business ventures.

The birth of Lakshmi

One of the most compelling stories in Hindu mythology is that of the Churning of the Milky Ocean. It is the story of the gods versus the demons and their fight to gain immortality, and also tells of the rebirth of Lakshmi.

A wise sage named Durvasa was walking along a path with a garland of Santanaka flowers in his hand. Within these flowers resided Lakshmi. It was due to her residence in them that Indra, the warrior god, continued to rule the three worlds (earth, the in-between world and the godly world).

Durvasa saw Indra riding upon an elephant on the path and presented the garland to him. As with many stories in the mythology, there is some difference of opinion, but most versions agree that Indra did not realise the true importance of the flowers and behaved in an arrogant manner. He put the garland around the head of his elephant but the elephant objected to the smell and it fell to the floor.

Durvasa, who was well known for his short temper, grew angry and cursed Indra for his arrogance, saying that Lakshmi would disappear from his kingdom and with her, wealth and success. Indra attempted to apologise, but Durvasa would not be appeased.

Lakshmi therefore left Indra and retired into what is known as the Milky Ocean, which is located in the godly world.

During this time, because her blessings left the three worlds, people became more and more greedy and no penance was offered. The gods began to lose their power and the asuras (demons) took control.

Indra asked for the help of Brahma, who in turn asked Vishnu what should be done. It was Vishnu who came up with the plan of churning the ocean to regain Lakshmi and also the Amrita, which would give the gods the immortality they needed to defeat the asuras.

As the ocean was churned, a beautiful woman appeared standing on a lotus flower, holding the same type of flower in her hand. This was Lakshmi and she chose Vishnu, as the strongest god, as her partner.

Her incarnations

Although she had been linked with other demons and gods, from the time of the Churning, Lakshmi has always incarnated as the consorts of Vishnu's own incarnations. When Vishnu incarnated as Lord Rama, she was Sita. When he incarnated as Lord Krishna, she was his Rukmini.

Lakshmi is commonly portrayed as a beautiful woman with four arms, standing on a lotus flower. There are usually one or two elephants behind her, spraying water. She is often portrayed with Vishnu, as her role as spouse is one of her most important characteristics. She is often represented sitting beneath Vishnu, massaging his feet.