Goddess Lakshmi, wife of Lord Vishnu is recognised as the “ The Goddess who Accords strength to Gods ”. In relation to Vaishnavism, Lord Vishnu is treated as the Supreme God. These are the lesser known facts of Goddess Lakshmi, get to know if you are not aware of them.
Goddess Lakshmi Facts – Unknown
- Significance of Goddess ‘Lakshmi’ name?
- Lakshmi’s bond with Lotus
- Multitude names of Lakshmi
- What are used for her rituals
- Lakshmi puja during full-moon days
- Goddess Lakshmi’s Vahanas
- Lakshmi worshipped greatly in the month of October
- Eight manifestations of Lakshmi
- Her 16 forms of worldly wealth
- Nothing exists in this world without Lakshmi
- Vaishnavite saint Aandaal, an incarnation of Goddess Mahalakshmi
- Blessings of Lakshmi during Diwali festival
- Importance of ‘Sri’ in ‘Sri Lakshmi’
- Conch is not blown during Diwali in Uttarakhand
- Lakshmi is the patron Goddess of Kolhapur city, Maharashtra
- Lakshmi showers wealth on full moon day in Autumn
- Goddess Lakshmi’s Posture speaks a lot
- Interesting story in the Lakshmi puran
- Gaja Lakshmi puja, a popular festival in Odisha state
- Innumerable shlokas of Lakshmi
- Agastya Lakshmi Stotra, another popular prayer of Lakshmi
- It is not bizarre but a manifestation of Lakshmi
- Incarnations of Goddess Lakshmi
- Goddess Lakshmi visits only clean homes
- Why Goddess Lakshmi is called Padma
- Origin and Marriage of Goddess Lakshmi
- Why Lakshmi went away from Gods
- Come back of Goddess Lakshmi
- Diwali Celebrated Worshiping Lakshmi And Sita
- Four hands of Lakshmi represent what?
Lakshmi is derived from its primitive form ‘LakS’ in Sanskrit. LakS means “ to observe or perceive”. This is similar to the meaning of the word ‘Laksya’, Objective or Aim. Goddess Lakshmi has different names which we will see in further facts.
Among many epithets of Goddess Lakshmi, Lotus flower is tightly coupled with her.
Padma : Lotus dweller
Padmapriya : One who likes lotus flowers
Padma Mukhi : One whose face is as beautiful as a lotus
Kamala : Lotus dweller
Padmasundari : One whose face is as beautiful as a lotus
Padmakshi : One whose eyes are as beautiful as a lotus
Padma Maladhara Devi: One who wears a garland of lotuses
As mentioned earlier, she has got several names such as Aishwarya, Kalyani, Rujula, Vaishnavi, Narayani, Bhargavi, Jalaja, Lalima, Kamalika, Sridevi, Samruddhi, Shreya, Chakrika, Manushri, Nandika, Sujatha, Chanchala and Madhavi. In relation to Sri Mahalakshmi Ashtakam, She is also called as Jaganmatha, which means “Mother of the Universe”.
Betel leaves, Sandalwood, Sweets and various fruits, Vermillion, Rice, Lotus flowers and coconuts are used while performing rituals to Goddess Lakshmi.
Adoration of Goddess Lakshmi puja on full moon days or thursdays have a special importance. On this day a series of poems known as Panchali are sung by women. The poems explain about the glories of Lakshmi.
Lakshmi is known for wealth and prosperity. Lakshmi is seen as showering coins of prosperity. Goddess Lakshmi is flanked by white owl and elephant which represents royal power and intelligence respectively. Her facial expression in pictures always reflects showing calmness, love and serenity. The lotus flower flanked by Lakshmi represents the productive improvement of organic life, as the world is rejuvenated with newborns on a lotus growing out of the Lord Vishnu’s umbilicus.
Usually Hindus worship and observe Goddess Lakshmi everyday, especially business people. But a special attention is given in the month of October for performing main rituals to Goddess Lakshmi. During the festival of Diwali, Hindus keep their houses clean, decorate doors with flowers and mango leaves, perform Lakshmi puja or Mahalakshmi vratham welcoming Goddess Lakshmi to visit their home and bless them showering wealth and prosperity by chanting her 108 names, singing devotional songs and intoning prayers etc.
MahaLakshmi or Adi Lakshmi, Gaja Lakshmi, Vijaya Lakshmi, Dhairya Lakshmi, Dhanya Lakshmi, Vidya Lakshmi, Dhana Lakshmi and Santana Lakshmi are the eight forms of Goddess Lakshmi and represents the powers of her. She is also popularly called as ‘Ashta Lakshmi’ for her eight manifestations. Each form has got meaning in it, let’s have a look at them.
- Maha Lakshmi or Adi Lakshmi
Meaning of ‘Adi’ is eternal. Adi Lakshmi represents the eternal nature of Goddess Lakshmi.
- Gaja Lakshmi
Meaning of ‘Gaja’ is elephant. Gaja Lakshmi helped Lord Indra in regaining his kingdom hidden in the depth of the ocean.
Meaning of ‘Vijaya’ is victory. Vijaya Lakshmi personifies fearlessness, victory and courage in everything one does.
Meaning of ‘Dhairya’ is patience. Dhairya Lakshmi helps in giving strength and courage to her worshippers in their difficult times.
‘Dhanya’ refers to food grains. People who worship Dhanya Lakshmi will always have her support and blessings in not facing any kind of food problems.
- Vidya Lakshmi‘Vidya’ is related to education and knowledge. One who lacks knowledge, skills and education must worship Vidya Lakshmi to obtain them.
‘Dhana’ represents wealth in the form of gold or money. By performing rituals and worshiping Dhana Lakshmi, one can acquire wealth and become rich.
Santana refers to children. Goddess Santana Lakshmi is the bestower of children. A married couple facing children problem will be freed from the problem if worshipped and perform main rituals to Santhana Lakshmi.
Goddess Maha Lakshmi governs actually more than 16 forms of materialistic wealth apart from gnana and asta siddhis. But these are the prominent ones – Strength, Victory, Fame, Gold, Happiness, grains, Beauty, Ethics, good health, Intelligence, Valor, Fame, Bliss, High Thinking, Morality, and Long Life.
The forms of Ashta Lakshmi vary in their functionalities from one yuga to another yuga( meaning four ages of life of the world) and hence we find no commonness in them in the sacred texts of Hinduism. Goddess Maha Lakshmi is the basement of the entire spectrum of the world, and nothing survives in this world without her involvement. Without Goddess’s elegance there will be no air to breathe, nothing to eat, no descendants in continuation etc. In fact, Goddess Lakshmi is less wealth supporter and more of supremacy.
The most popular vaishnavite saint named Aandal was born some 5050 years ago in a village called Srivilliputhur in Tamil Nadu state is an avatar(incarnation) of Maha Lakshmi herself. Among her several forms the most popular ones are Bhudevi, Sridevi and Neeladevi. Sridevi depicts moveable assets and Bhudevi depicts immovable assets.
Goddess Lakshmi is greatly worshipped during Diwali festival, especially Hindus. Diwali is also referred as the ‘festival of lights’. According to Hinduism, it is believed that if you lit lamps in front of the homes and perform sacred rituals to Goddess Lakshmi then you will be blessed with wealth and prosperity.
The prefix Sri in ‘Sri Lakshmi’ decipher ‘‘one who takes delight in’’. Hence, Sri Lakshmi ways out to be the wealth of any form. So anything that is to be moneyed and prosperous gets the felicitous prefix or suffix Lakshmi, like Shanti Sri, meaning wealth of peace and Sri Rajya Lakshmi, meaning wealth of empire.
During the Diwali festival time in Uttarakhand, people won’t blow the conch ( also called shanka) after performing the main rituals and worshiping the Goddess Lakshmi. The reason being the conch also comes out from the ocean just like the Goddess Lakshmi herself.
Goddess Lakshmi, popularly known as Karaveera Nivasini Mahalakshmi is considered as the Patron Goddess of Kolhapur city of Maharashtra state.
In Bengal state, people worship Goddess Lakshmi during autumn time when the moon is visible in its complete form. According to Hindu belief, it is thought-out that goddess will bestow wealth on this night. Goddess Lakshmi flanked by white owl comes into contact with the world and eliminates the poverty, anger, laziness in the people, stagnation etc and grants life-sustaining strength along with wealth and prosperity.
Goddess Lakshmi is observed in a red costume, which symbolizes unstoppable activity or sometimes also depicted in golden apparel, symbolizing fulfillment. Goddess’s complexion is golden personifying a boon-giver. She is observed in golden ornaments. She shows the gyan mudra or the abhaya mudra with her right hand holding a container in her left arm and holds a paddy can-like thing with her left hand.
In the Lakshmi Purana, there is an interesting story which is told like this. Once a devotee of Goddess Lakshmi named Shreeya worshipped her wholeheartedly and impressed by her devotion, goddess Lakshmi came out of her permanent abode, a temple in Jagannatha temple’s campus and visited the house of Shreeya. When Lakshmi’s elder brother came to know about this he defiled her and didn’t allow to come back to the temple. Lakshmi got depressed and went to her father, Saagara. All the wealth in the temple vanished because of her absence. Then Jagannatha and Balabhadra came out of the temple in the costume of a brahmin beggar in search of food. Eventually, they reached the place of Lakshmi. Both have apologised for their mistake and finally all went to the temple.
In Odisha state, people celebrate Gaja Lakshmi puja during Sharad Purnima time i.e., the full-moon day time in the month of Ashwina(Sept-Oct). This festival is the most famous one in Odisha. Gaja Lakshmi is worshiped for one day and in some places 7 to 10 days. Especially people involved in the business perform great rituals by installing beautiful idols of her. This festival implants a spirit of sanctity and holiness.
Following are the most popular shlokas/prayers to memorize and worship goddess Lakshmi:
Sri Lakshmi Sahasranama Sthotram
Sri Lakshmi Stuti
Sri Mahalakshmi Ashtakam
Sri Kanakadhara Sthotram
Sri Lakshmi Shloka
Well-known Lakshmi Gayatri shloka, which is an extract from Sri Sukta is here
“ Om Mahalakshmichae Vidmahe sri Vishnupathinichae Dhi-Mahi
Tanno Lakshmi Prachodayat “
Among many prayers of Goddess Lakshmi, the most popular prayer is “Agastya Lakshmi Stotra”. Goddess Lakshmi is not only the grants wealth but also well-known as Goddess of good fortune. It is believed that, when devotees worship Goddess Lakshmi with God Narayana then they will be blessed with prosperity, peace and wealth. Devotees worship in forms like Lakshmi Narasimha, Lakshmi Narayana, Sita Rama, Vittal Rukmini and Radha Krishna.
In India, it is conventional that when a person’s feet touches the currency note(which is treated as the manifestation of Goddess Lakshmi) unknowingly then he/she picks the currency note and touches to eyes or forehead as an apology to Goddess. It is the same case when a person’s foot touches another person’s any body part or leg. This is repeated for any written material and books but these are treated as the manifestations of Goddess Saraswati.
It is known that Goddess Lakshmi’s husband Lord vishnu incarnated in different forms such as Rama avatar and Krishna avatar. Goddess Lakshmi also incarnated as his partner in different forms such as Seeta(being wife of Lord Rama) and Radha(being lover of Lord Sri Krishna), even Satyabhama and Rukmini are treated as incarnations of Lakshmi.
According to the sacred Hindu texts, it Is also believed that Goddess Lakshmi visits only those homes that clean and tidy. The homes which are unclean and untidy the people in the home may face the darshan of ‘Alakshmi’ which means wealth will be vanished from home.
When Gods and Demons churned foam of the milky ocean to bring out the Amritha, along with many precious things, Goddess Lakshmi also emerged with lotus in her hand and hence from then she is referred as ‘Padma’.
In relation to the above point, during the churning process of milky ocean, Gods saw Lakshmi emerged who was so beautiful and started falling in love instantly, even Lord Shiva tried to marry her but as he already taken the moon which came out of the milky ocean before. And this fortune that Goddess Lakshmi will be partner of Lord Vishnu’s incarnations, ultimately Lord Vishnu asked her to marry and it happened as it was to.
It is known that Goddess Lakshmi stands as ‘The Strength of Gods’. In a situation, Goddess Lakshmi left the Gods, as they turned out to be too arrogant. After the success of Gods over the demons in the churning game, The King of Gods, Lord Indra has thrown away the flowers that were given by a sage, observing all this typical behaviour of the Gods, Goddess Lakshmi went back to the Milky ocean and stayed for about 1000 years. The fact being all these success was because of the blessings and presence of Goddess Lakshmi.
After Lakshmi went to the Milky ocean for that many years, Gods lost all their power, wealth, and luck played a bad game with them and demons started taking control over their power and reign. Then after realizing that all this is happening because of the absence Of Lakshmi, Gods again started churning out the Milky ocean to find Goddess Lakshmi and finally found her and took her maintaining a proper behaviour.
Hindus not only celebrate and worship Goddess Lakshmi during Diwali festival but is also celebrated on the occasion of Goddess Sita come back from the demon Ravana. Sita was under the control of demon-king Ravana for long time waiting for her rescue, at the end of Epic battle of Ramayana, Sita came back to the house, for which Hindus believe that this occasion represents the conversion of darkness curtailed with lights which is popularly celebrated as Diwali festival., the festival of lights.
It is noticeable that Goddess Lakshmi is seen in different forms, Lakshmi with four hands is one among them which has a special significance. The four hands in the below image represents – wealth, righteousness, liberation and wealth.
Also Read :
Top 10 Sai Baba Mantras for Job, Success, Marriage, Progeny, Happiness
Top 10 Astonishing Sai Baba Miracles That Will Make You Speechless
Om Jai Lakshmi Mata Bhajan
Bajrang Baan – Hanumanji Mantra
Sri Mahalakshmi Ashtakam
Hanuman Chalisa in English with Meaning MP3, Video, PDF Download
Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Life and Teachings
OM Chanting Benefits – Powerful Om Mantra Chanting
Satyavadi Raja Harishchandra Story – The Truthful King
Achieve Success In Your Life With The Maha Kali Mantra
Weapons of Indian Gods and their Significance
Ganesh Chathurthi – History behind celebration
Maha Shivarathri – Why do people fast?
Shri Krishna Janmashtami – History and Celebrations
‘SERP’ Conditions in Historical Epics like Ramayana & Mahabharata
Sai Inspires – Collection of Inspiring Shirdi Sai Baba Sayings
Actual Truth Behind Trayastrimsati Koti (33 Crore Gods) In Hinduism
The Disappearing Temple of Gujarat – Stambheshwar Mahadev