LAKSHMI, HINDUISM
The Goddess of Wealth and Good Fortune
In the trinity of supreme divinity that is the Tridevi – literally, three goddesses – Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity. As the wife of the Hindu god Vishnu, she is the supreme goddess in Vaishnavism, the largest Hindu sect. Lakshmi assists Vishnu to create, protect, and transform the universe. In the goddess-oriented tradition of Shaktism, the third largest sect in Hinduism, Lakshmi is venerated as the prosperity aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi.
In Indian art, Lakshmi is depicted as an elegantly dressed woman with a golden complexion sitting or standing in the lotus position, upon a lotus throne, while holding a lotus in her hand. This (virtuous, proper, moral life), (pleasure, sensuality, emotional fulfillment), (material prosperity, income security, means of life), and (emancipation, enlightenment, liberation). However, in some Hindu texts, Lakshmi is described as having eight or eighteen hands, and as sitting on a lion, a tiger, or the winged god Garuda. In the Hindu epics such as the , Lakshmi personifies wealth, happiness, loveliness, grace, charm, and splendour.
