Goddess Lakshmi Essay

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Lakshmi is the Goddess of wealth and prosperity, both material and spiritual. The word ''Lakshmi'' is derived from the Sanskrit word Laksme, meaning "goal." Lakshmi, therefore, represents the goal of life, which includes worldly as well as spiritual prosperity. In Hindu mythology, Goddess Lakshmi, also called Shri, is the divine spouse of Lord Vishnu and provides Him with wealth for the maintenance and preservation of the creation. In Her images and pictures, Lakshmi is depicted in a female form with four arms and four hands. She wears red clothes with a golden lining and is standing on a lotus. She has golden coins and lotuses in her hands. Two elephants, even though some pictures show four elephants, are shown next to the Goddess. However, the four arms represent the four directions in space and thus symbolize omnipresence and omnipotence of the Goddess. The red color symbolizes activity. The golden embroidery lining on her red dress denotes prosperity. The lotus seat, which Lakshmi is standing upon, signifies that while living in this world, one should enjoy his or her wealth, but not become obsessed with it. Such a living is analogous to a lotus that grows in water but is not wetted by water. The four hands represent the four ends of human life. The front hands represent the activity in the physical world and the back hands indicate the spiritual activities that lead to spiritual perfection. The two elephants standing next to the Goddess symbolize the name and fame associated with worldly wealth. The thought expressed from the two elephants is that a true devotee should not earn wealth merely to acquire name and fame or only to satisfy his own material desires, but should share it with others in order to bring happiness to others in addition to himself. Goddess Lakshmi is regularly worshipped in home shrines and temples by her followers. A special

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