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Lakshmi
Cleanliness
is next to Godliness after all.
After
a hard day’s work when man enters the portals of his
home, chaos, misery, wants, poverty and disease are the
last things he would want to see. A wife whose smile
beams with kindness, comfort and contentment is the most
sought after sight that a man seeks. Even a humble home
with modest means can transform into an abode of peace
and serenity, in the hands of an able woman. A hassle
free existence, clean surroundings with abundance of the
simple pleasures of life is what truly makes a house a
home!
When
the universe was created, life was created too. What is
a life? A body that clothes the soul; an energy that
enables life to create itself! However, for this energy
to be sustained, some form of preservation is required.
A living organism thrives on food that gives it energy
to perform certain functions. Similarly, the soul also
needs something to feed on and that alone is
spirituality.
Vishnu
in the Hindu pantheon represents the power of
maintenance. Taking this concept to a family setup, once
a family unit is established by virtue of a marriage and
once children enter the scene, maintenance of this unit
becomes imperative. One can’t live with fresh air and
water! Wealth needs to be created to sustain life.
Mahavishnu embodies ‘Uttamapurusha’ or the
complete man, whose primary duty is to fend for his wife
and family by striving to create wealth. When an active
force works outside, another nurturing force is needed
to keep body and soul intact. The worship of Lakshmi the
feminine force becomes self-explanatory.
Who
is Lakshmi?
The
common man knows her as Vishnu’s consort, the Goddess
of wealth. But there’s more to her than what meets the
eye! In South India, the prospective in-laws, when
satisfied with the endearing personality of their
daughter-in-law, express their happiness by exclaiming,
“The bride is Mahalakshmi personified. She looks
radiant like Mahalakshmi herself!”
And
true to this exclamation, Mahalakshmi is portrayed as a
beautiful woman with a benevolent smile, radiating hope!
Seated on a lotus, she sometimes is depicted with two
elephants on her sides, with their trunks raised, as
though paying homage to her!
The
lotus is a symbol of purity and integrity and
undoubtedly is chosen as India’s national flower. The
lotus in spite of growing in a dirty pond, blossoms
radiantly, promising hope. Even as the dirty waters
touch the petals and leaves of the lotus, they just
trickle off, for such is the texture of the petals and
leaves! Man in spite of his grave circumstances can grow
spiritually, unperturbed by his surroundings! This is
the wisdom contained in the lotus bloom!
Like
the lotus bloom, unsullied by slush surrounding it,
man’s aim is to strive to be liberated from cycles of
births and deaths, liberated from the bonds of
attachments and desires. Ironically, Lakshmi-the Goddess
of wealth, seated on a lotus bloom portrays just this
wisdom! Hinduism unlike other world religions never
condemns desires or a family life or accumulation of
wealth. Creating wealth does have its own importance in
Hinduism, but becoming the slave to desires and wealth
is what Hinduism condemns.
Lakshmi
as the Goddess of wealth also speaks volumes of the
wealth of the spirit. Her radiant and beaming smile
conveys hope and also contentment! The world’s richest
are also the most troubled. And not always do riches
come from only accumulation of wealth. Inner peace,
contentment, integrity of the self, the containment of
the senses all signify wealth!
The
icon of Lakshmi portrays her one hand showering gold
coins. She is thus Dame Fortune. The western tale of the
greedy man on whom fortune smiled and showered with gold
coins that his pocket would hold, sought more, till
ultimately the overflowing pocket spilt a coin or two.
And with that Dame Fortune disappeared with all the
coins turning into ashes! A life overflowing with simple
pleasures is certainly welcome than an impoverished
spirit.
Lakshmi
arose when the mighty ocean was churned to gather
nectar. This signifies that attaining wealth is not an
easy task. The sweet nectar that equates to toil, has to
be churned with the mind, intellect and body working in
collaboration!
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