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Lakshmi is the Goddess of wealth and
prosperity, both material and spiritual. The word ''Lakshmi'' is derived
from the Sanskrit word Laksme, meaning "goal." Lakshmi, therefore,
represents the goal of life, which includes worldly as well as spiritual
prosperity. In Hindu mythology, Goddess Lakshmi, also called Shri, is
the divine spouse of Lord Vishnu and provides Him with wealth for the
maintenance and preservation of the creation.
In Her images and pictures, Lakshmi is depicted in a female form with
four arms and four hands. She wears red clothes with a golden lining and
is standing on a lotus. She has golden coins and lotuses in her hands.
Two elephants (some pictures show four) are shown next to the Goddess.
This symbolism conveys the following spiritual theme:
The four arms represent the four directions in space and thus
symbolize omnipresence and omnipotence of the Goddess. The red
color syinbolizes activity. The golden lining (embroidery) on
Her red dress denotes prosperity. The idea conveyed here is that
the Goddess is always busy distributing wealth and prosperity to
the devotees. The lotus seat, which Lakshmi is standing upon,
signifies that while living in this world, one should enjoy its
wealth, but not become obsessed with it. Such a living is
analogous to a lotus that grows in water but is not wetted by
water.
The four hands represent the four ends of human life: dharma
(righteousness), kama (genuine desires), artha (wealth), and
moksha (liberation from birth and death). The front hands
represent the activity in the physical world and the back hands
indicate the spiritual activities that lead to spiritual
perfection.
Since the right side of the body symbolizes activity, a lotus
in the back right hand conveys the idea that one must perform
all duties in the world in accordance with dharma. This leads to
moksha (liberation), which is symbolized by a lotus in the back
left hand of Lakshmi. The golden coins falling on the ground
from the front left hand of Lakshmi illustrate that She provides
wealth and prosperity to Her devotees. Her front right hand is
shown bestowing blessings upon the devotees.
The two elephants standing next to the Goddess symbolize the
name and fame associated with worldly wealth. The idea conveyed
here is that a true devotee should not earn wealth merely to
acquire name and fame or only to satisfy his own material
desires, but should share it with others in order to bring
happiness to others in addition to himself.
Some pictures show four elephants spraying water from golden
vessels onto Goddess Lakshmi. The four elephants represent the
four ends of human life as discussed above. The spraying of
water denotes activity. The golden vessels denote wisdom and
purity. The four elephants spraying water from the golden
vessels on the Goddess illustrate the theme that continuous
self-effort, in accordance with one's dharma and govemed by
wisdom and purity, leads to both material and spiritual
prosperity.
Goddess Lakshmi is regularly worshipped in home shrines and temples
by Her devotees. A special worship is offered to Her annually on the
auspicious day of Diwali, with religious rituals and colorful ceremonies
specifically devoted to Her.
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