The Hindu goddess of light, beauty,
good fortune and wealth
Lakshmi was the daughter of
the sage Bhrigu and took refuge in the ocean of milk when the
gods were sent into exile. Lakshmi was reborn during the Churning
of the Ocean. As soon as the gods saw Lakshmi, they all fell
in love with her beauty. Shiva
claimed Lakshmi as his wife, but since he had already taken
the Moon, her hand was given to Vishnu,
whom Lakshmi herself preferred.
Lakshmi was reborn as his consort each time when
Vishnu incarnated. For example, Lakshmi was Sita to Ram,
Radha and later Rukmini to Krishna.
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 worshipped to achieve success, she
does not reside long with anyone who is lazy or desires Her
only as wealth.
