Sairam friends,
There are lots of things to learn about Lakshmi devi.I will try
to add any new slokas , mantra for Lakshmi when ever i get contributions.Its
important that we must learn something about Lakshmi devi.so i have
included this article curtesy of wikipedia.
Lakshmi : Hindu Goddess of wealth
, fortune , love and beauty :
Lakshmi or Mahalaxmi ( Mahalakshmi ) is the Hindu Goddess of wealth,
fortune, love and beauty, the lotus flower and fertility. Representations
of Lakshmi (or Shri) are found in Jain and Buddhist monuments, in
addition to Hindu temples. Generally thought of as the personification
of material fortune and prosperity, she is somewhat analogous to
the Greco-Roman Aphrodite or Venus, as she also represents eroticism
and is similarly thought to have originally "borne of the sea"
in her most famous myth, as did those love goddesses.
Various Avatar of Lakshmi - Consort
on Vishnu :
She is the consort of Vishnu and married his incarnations Rama
(in her incarnation as Sita), Krishna (as Rukmini) and Venkateshwara
(as Alamelu). In addition to Rukmini, however, she was also thought
to have incarnated as the milkmaid Radha, Krishna's youthful lover
prior to his marriage to Rukmini. In Vaishnava traditions, She is
believed to be the Mother Goddess and the Shakti of Narayan.
Goddess Laksmi is the deity of wealth, affluence an ruling power.
In astrology Venus represents Lakshmi, Durga, Santoshi Ma and Shiva-Parvati.
Venus rules over Taurus and Libra signs. Venus in odd signs represents
Lord Shiva. Venus in even signs represents Lakshmi, Annapurna Parvati,
Vaishnavi Durga, Santoshi Ma etc. When Venus owns Lagna, 5th, 9th
and 10th house and when Venus occupies Lagna, 5th, 9th, 10th and
12th house worship of Laxmi may give immense prosperity.
Legends : Story of Lakshmi's appearance
:
The appearance of goddess Lakshmi is related to an ancient story.
Durvasa the short-tempered sage once presented Indra, the king of
the gods (devas) with a garland of flowers which would never wilt.
Indra gave this garland to his elephant Airavata. Sage Durvasa saw
the elephant trampling the divine garland and cursed Indra, for
he had shown disrespect to the sage. The sage cursed Indra that
he and all the gods would lose their power because it had made them
so proud and vain. Due to the curse, the demons vanquished the gods
out of the heavens.
The defeated gods then went to seek refuge to the Creator Lord
Brahma who asked them to churn the ocean of milk, Ksheersagar, to
obtain the nectar of immortality. The gods then went to Lord Vishnu,
to seek his assistance. Lord Vishnu took the Avatar Kurma (Tortoise)
and supported the Manthara Parvata (mountain) as a churning rod,
while the king of the serpents, Vasuki, became the churning rope.
The gods and the demons (under the leadership of the pious and wise
King Bali Chakravarti) both helped each other in churning the ocean
of milk.
Amongst the host of divine gifts which appeared from the ocean,
goddess Lakshmi appeared and then chose Shri Vishnu as her consort,
as only He had the power to control Maya (illusion). Because of
this, Lakshmi is also called the daughter of the sea; since the
moon also appeared from the ocean during the churning, the moon
is called her brother. Alakshmi, the goddess of misfortune, is Lakshmi's
older sister. She is said to have also arisen from the sea of milk.
Lakshmi in Vishnu purana :
According to the Vishnu Purana, Lakshmi is the daughter of Bhrigu
and Khyaati and resided in Swarga but due to the curse of Durvasa,
she left Swarga and made Ksheersagara her home. The reappearance
of Lakshmi after Samudra manthan and her marriage to Vishnu thereafter,
remain the same. Laxmi is the power and Maya of Lord Vishnu. In
some places She is seen in two forms, Bhudevi and Sridevi, both
either side of Vishnu. Bhudevi is the fertility form in which She
is Mother Earth. Sridevi is the wealth and knowledge of Her which
is seen with Narayan. Most people are mistaken that they are separate
beings although they are one, Laxmi.
Names of Lakshmi :
Lakshmi has many names. She is known to be very closely associated
with the Lotus, and her many epithets are connected to the flower,
such as:
Padma: lotus dweller.
Kamala: lotus dweller.
Padmapriya: One who likes lotuses
Padmamaladhara devi: One who wears a garland of
lotuses
Padmamukhi: One whose face is as beautiful as
a lotus
Padmakshi: One whose eyes are as beautiful as
a lotus
Padmahasta: One who holds a lotus
Padmasundari: One who is as beautiful as a lotus
Other names of Goddess Lakshmi :
Bhargavi: One who is the incarnation of the daughter of Sage Bhrigu
Sridevi: Goddess of wealth
Chanchala: One who is fickle and does not stay at one place
Bhumi Devi: Earth goddess
Indira: Beautiful goddess
Rama devi/Vaishnavi: Wife of Vishnu
Jalaja: Born from sea.
Aiswarya: Wealthy.
Roma: Wife of lord Hari
Appearance of Goddess Lakshmi :
Physically, goddess Lakshmi is described as a fair lady, with four
arms, seated on a lotus, dressed in fine garments and precious jewels.
Her expression is always calm and loving. The most striking feature
of the iconography of Lakshmi is her persistent association with
the lotus. The meaning of the lotus in relation to Shri-Lakshmi
refers to purity and spiritual power. Rooted in the mud but blossoming
above the water, completely uncontaminated by the mud, the lotus
represents spiritual perfection and authority. Furthermore, the
lotus seat is a common motif in Hindu iconography.
Vehicle of Goddess Lakshmi :
Goddess Lakshmi's traditionally accepted vehicle, the owl (Ulooka
in Sanskrit), is a bird that sleeps through the day and prowls through
the night.
Time for Celebration and worshipping Lakshmi by
Hindu's :
Hindus worship Lakshmi the most on Diwali, the festival of lights.
According to tradition people would put small oil lamps outside
their homes on Diwali and hope Lakshmi will come to bless them.
The prefix Sri (also spelled as Shri, pronounced as shree) renders
as 'one who takes delight in Sri' Lakshmi, meaning wealth, wealth
of any kind. Primarily eight kinds of wealth are established, associated
with goddess Lakshmi. They are:
1) Adi Lakshmi [The
main goddess]
2) Dhanya Lakshmi [Granary wealth]
3) Dhairya Lakshmi [Wealth of courage]
4) Gaja Lakshmi [Elephants, symbols of wealth]
5) Santana Lakshmi [Wealth of progeny]
6) Vijaya Lakshmi [Wealth of victory]
7) Vidya Lakshmi [Wealth of knowledge]
8) Dhana Lakshmi [Monetary wealth]
Any thing that need be affluent gets the auspicious prefix or suffix
'Lakshmi', or 'Sri' like Rajya Lakshmi (Wealth of Empire), Shanti
Sri (Wealth of Peace), etc. In modern India, common titles standing
in for the English Mr. and Mrs. are Shri (also Sri or Shree) and
Shrimati (also Srimati or Shreemati), as in "Sri Gupta"
or "Srimati Mangeshkar".
Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped by those who wish to acquire or to
preserve wealth. It is believed that Lakshmi (wealth) goes only
to those houses which are clean and where the people are hardworking.
She does not visit the places which are unclean/dirty or where the
people are lazy.
In Uttarakhand, after the worship of the goddess on Diwali night,
the Shankh or Conch is not blown. This is because the shank is also
from the ocean like the goddess herself, so it is given a day of
rest.
Laxmi is the patron goddess of Kolhapur city, Maharashtra.
Prayers for worshipping Goddess
Lakshmi :
Two of the most famous prayers for worshipping Ma Lakshmi are:
Sri Lakshmi Stuti By Indra and Sri Sukta. There is another famous
prayer pronounced by the great sage Agasti: Agasti Lakshmi Strota
Contribute any good information about Lakshmi and
your experience :
SaiRam friends,
I have included the above article from wikipedia.If you are interested
mail me any good information about MahaLakshmi and your experience,
prayer methods etc. I shall add it when i find time.- venkat
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