Yoga Mythology: Lakshmi

Questions Answered Here

1. What are the primary qualities associated with Goddess Lakshmi?
2. What other qualities does she represent?
3. Where does Lakshmi reside?
4. Describe the popular story of her re-birth.
5. Describe her appearance and its symbolism.
6. What yoga practices might you utilize to support a focus on Goddess Lakshmi?

Goddess of Prosperity & Abundance

Qualities

Some of the qualities that Lakshmi is associated with include:

• Abundance
• Prosperity
• Worldly & Spiritual Success
• Harmony
• Happiness
• Beauty
• Love
• Good Luck & Fortune
• Kindness

Key Points

• Associated with abundance and prosperity, Lakshmi is known for bestowing both worldly and spiritual blessings.
• She is the consort and active energy of Lord Vishnu (The Preserver).
• She is said to reside in the Anahata (Heart) Chakra.
• She is also known as Shri or Padma.
• A popular story tells of her re-birth with the Churning of the Milky Ocean.
• It is said that she will not support those displaying laziness or trying exploit her in selfishness.

Going Deeper

MOST SOUGHT-AFTER

Of all the Goddesses in the yoga tradition, Lakshmi, the Goddess of love and good fortune, is perhaps the most sought-after throughout the world. She is called upon for harmony in relationships, wealth, beauty, power, fame, royalty, recognition, and regal grace. That is Lakshmi’s domain and yet she is so much more. She is the divine inner spark, the radiant power of grace, and the ocean of abundance within every single person. One of the most concise ways to describe Lakshmi is in Sanskrit: bhukti-mukti pradayini, or “she who bestows both worldly success and spiritual liberation.” – Sianna Sherman 

DYNAMIC ENERGY OF LORD VISHNU

Mata Lakshmi is the dynamic energy of Lord Vishnu. She bestows one with wealth, prosperity, luxury and abundance. She is believed to relieve all sorrows caused by dearth of money. She is worshiped by different names: Padma, Kamala, Vishnupriya, Kalyani, Vaishnavi, etc. She is shown as having four hands representing the four goals of a man’s life: Dharma (Righteousness and Duty), Artha (Wealth and Prosperity), Kama (Worldly Desires) and Moksha (Salvation). She carries a lotus in her hand signifying beauty and consciousness. Her palms are always open; sometimes coins are seen pouring from them signifying she is the giver of wealth and prosperity. – Vedic Rishi 

DOES NOT SUPPORT LAZINESS OR SELFISHNESS

Lakshmi is the goddess of light, beauty, good fortune and wealth. Being the consort of Vishnu, the preserving principle, Lakshmi also signifies love and grace. Lakshmi often expresses her devotion to Vishnu by massaging his feet as he lies on the coils of the snake Shesha. While Lakshmi is generally worshiped to achieve success, she does not reside long with anyone who is lazy or desires her only as wealth. – Sanatan Society 

WITHOUT HER, WE’RE IMPOVERISHED

All the goddesses confer power. Shakti, after all, is power. The fierce goddesses offer us the power to fight our battles—the inner ones and the outer ones. The wisdom goddesses give us inspiration and insight and the skill of speech. Lakshmi and her queenly sister goddess Tripura Sundari embody the skills of success—worldly and spiritual. They also carry the inner qualities that make life lovely: love, harmony, kindness. When we have Lakshmi, the old mythic texts tell us, we have everything, inner and outer, for a beautiful life. Without her? Well, without her we’re impoverished, both inwardly and outwardly. Without her, the world is a desert. – Sally Kempton

SHRI: CUSHION REPRESENTING KUNDALINI SHAKTI

The oldest references simply refer to Lakshmi as Shri (Shree). In early Vedic hymns, Shri is she who bestows capability, power, and skillful means that manifest as beauty, luster, glory and high rank. The later writings such as the Lakshmi Tantra refer to Shri as the ruling power, dominion, and majesty of kings and queens. In some texts, Shri is referred to as a cushion upon which the royal ones sit. Those who are schooled in Eastern mysticism will recognize immediately that this cushion represents the kundalini shakti residing at the base of the spine in us all. In this context, to sit upon her cushion means to rest upon the power that she can and will provide, if only we know how to invoke or activate it. – Thomas Ashley-Farrand

THE CHURNING OF THE MILKY OCEAN

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. It also tells of the rebirth of Lakshmi. [In an act of arrogance,] Indra, the warrior god… upset Lakshmi, who left the world of the gods and entered into the Milky Ocean. Without her, the gods were no longer blessed with success or fortune. The world became darker, people became greedy, and no offerings were made to the gods. The gods began to lose their power and the asuras (demons) took control. Indra asked Vishnu what should be done. He told Indra that the gods would need to churn the Milky Ocean to regain Lakshmi and her blessings… The story of the Churning of the Ocean tells of how the gods worked together to churn the ocean. [Most versions of this story include both the gods and demons working together to churn the ocean.] They churned for many years, but it was 1,000 years before anything rose to the surface. Finally, the treasures began to rise to the surface. Among them, a beautiful woman standing on a lotus flower. This was Lakshmi, who had returned to the world. With her presence, the gods eventually defeated the demons and chased them out of the world. This story highlights the good fortune and success that Lakshmi bestows upon those who work hard and seek help sincerely. It also demonstrates that during times of success, one must never become complacent or arrogant, as success has a way of getting away from people.
– BBC.co.UK 

GODDESS OF THE HOUSEHOLD

For most Hindu families today, Lakshmi is the goddess of the household. The scriptures describe her as the goddess of prosperity, splendor, luminosity and fortune. Her auspicious nature and reputation for granting fertility, good fortune, wealth and well-being attract devotees in every Indian village… Lakshmi is also commonly associated with kings, and in this connection is known as Raja Lakshmi, or royal opulence… She never leaves Vishnu. It is therefore said that no one trying to exploit her for selfish ends will ever succeed. – Krishna Dharma

A FAVORITE OF WOMEN

Goddess Lakshmi means Good Luck to Hindus. The word ‘Lakshmi’ is derived from the Sanskrit word “Laksya,” meaning “aim” or “goal”… Lakshmi is the household goddess of most Hindu families, and a favorite of women. Although she is worshiped daily, the festive month of October is Lakshmi’s special month. Lakshmi Puja is celebrated on the full moon night of Kojagari Purnima. – hinduism.about.comshmi