Editing Lakshmi (section)

{{Short description|Major Hindu goddess; goddess of wealth and beauty}}
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{{distinguish|Lakshmana}}
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{{Redirect-several|dab=off|Bhargavi (disambiguation)|Mahalakshmi (disambiguation)|Dhanalakshmi (disambiguation)|Sri Lakshmi (actress)}}
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{{EngvarB|date=March 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox deity <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology-->
| devanagari = लक्ष्मी
| type = Hindu
| image = Raja Ravi Varma, Goddess Lakshmi, 1896.jpg
| caption = ''Sri Gaja Lakshmi'' by [[Raja Ravi Varma]] (1896)
| name = Lakshmi
| other_names = <!---Don't add more names. Only significant ones should be included in the infobox. Don't add names of avatars including Bhumi, Sita, etc.--->{{hlist|Sri|Bhargavi|Kamala|Padma|Narayani|Vaishnavi|[[Jaganmata]]}}
| siblings = [[Alakshmi]]
| parents = 
| day = [[Friday]]
| affiliation = {{hlist|[[Vaishnavism]]|[[Shaktism]]|[[Tridevi]]|[[Mahadevi]]|
[[Lakshmi Narayana]]|
[[Kamalatmika|Kamala]]|
[[Ashta Lakshmi]]|
[[Ashtabharya]]|
[[Sita]]|
[[Radha]]|
[[Tulasi in Hinduism|Tulasi]]|
[[Bhumi (goddess)|Bhumi]]}}
| tree = [[Tulasi in Hinduism|Tulasi]]
| deity_of = Mother Goddess<br />Goddess of Wealth, Prosperity, Fortune, Sovereignty, Fertility, Abundance and Beauty<ref>
* {{cite book|ref=none|title=Journal of Historical Research, Volumes 28-30|page=3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HPBtAAAAMAAJ|publisher=Department of History, Ranchi University|year=1991|quote=Lord Visnu is the refuge of the world and Goddess Lakshmi is the energy behind the Universe.}}
* {{cite book|ref=none|title=Hinduism: Analytical Study|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vpiU9m7T_tQC|page=26|author1=Amulya Mohapatra|author2=Bijaya Mohapatra|publisher=Mittal Publications|date=1 January 1993|isbn=978-81-7099-388-9|quote=Sri or Laxmi is the goddess of wealth and fortune , power and beauty.}}
* {{cite book|ref=none|title=The Book of Devi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=on_ZhlB5taUC|page=47|author=Bulbul Sharma|publisher=Penguin Books India|year=2010|isbn=978-0-14-306766-5|quote=Sri or Lakshmi, as depicted in the sacred texts, is the goddess of wealth and fortune, royal power and beauty.}}
* {{cite book|ref=none|title=Hindu Gods & Goddesses|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eIqyv8A9XBAC|page=132|author=Stephen Knapp|publisher=Jaico Publishing House|year=2012|isbn=978-81-8495-366-4|quote=Goddess Lakshmi is the consort and shakti, or potency, of Lord Vishnu. Lakshmi, or Sri when she is especially known as the goddess of beauty (though sometimes considered to be separate entities), is the goddess of fortune, wealth, power, and loveliness.}}
* {{cite book|ref=none|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=82oFlfs3MpwC&pg=PA55|title=The Goddesses' Mirror: Visions of the Divine from East and West|author=David Kinsley|publisher=SUNY Press|date=1 January 1989|page=55|isbn=978-0-88706-836-2}}
* {{cite book|ref=none|title=The Cinematic Jane Austen: Essays on the Filmic Sensibility of the Novels|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0EPYqh8C2VgC|page=153|author1=David Monaghan|author2=Ariane Hudelet|author3=John Wiltshire|date = 10 January 2014|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=978-0-7864-5322-1|quote=In Hindu mythology, Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, power and beauty.}}
* {{cite book|ref=none|title=Rabindranath Tagore's Aesthetics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v3kkOn2T9D4C&pg=PA26|author=Kaushal Kishore Sharma|publisher=Abhinav Publications|year=1988|page=26|isbn=978-81-7017-237-6|quote=Lakshmi, our Goddess of wealth, represents not only beauty and power but also the spirit of goodness.}}</ref><ref name=mmwlak>[http://faculty.washington.edu/prem/mw/l.html lakṣmī] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150520235132/http://faculty.washington.edu/prem/mw/l.html |date=20 May 2015 }}, [[Monier Monier-Williams|Monier-Williams']] ''Sanskrit–English Dictionary'', University of Washington Archives</ref>

Supreme Goddess in [[Vaishnavism]]<ref name="Supreme Goddess">{{cite book|title=Lakshmi Tantra, Volumes -13|page=70|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pENlKmZ4r94C&q=supreme |publisher=Motilal Banarasidas Publishers |year=2007|isbn=978-81-208-1735-7 }}</ref>
| member_of = [[Tridevi]] and [[Prakṛti|Pancha Prakriti]]
| symbols = {{hlist|[[Shrivatsa]]|[[Sacred lotus in religious art#Hinduism|Padma (Lotus)]]|[[Mudra#Jñāna Mudrā|Jnana Mudra]]|[[Abhayamudra|Abhaya Mudra]]|[[Varadamudra]]|[[Gold]]}}
| children = {{unbulleted list|
* Bala and Utsaha (according to some ''[[Puranas]]'')<ref>{{Cite book |last=Debroy |first=Bibek |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vCxAAQAAIAAJ&q=Bala+and+Utsaha |title=The History of Puranas |date=2005 |publisher=Bharatiya Kala Prakashan |isbn=978-81-8090-062-4 |language=en}}</ref>}}
| abode = [[Vaikuntha]], [[Manidvipa]]
| mantra = {{IAST|Oṃ Śrīṃ Mahālakṣmyai Namaḥ<br>Oṃ Śrīṃ Śriye Namaḥ}}
| mount = {{hlist|[[Owl]]|[[Elephant]]}}
| consort = [[Vishnu]]<ref name=anandrao167/>
| festivals = {{hlist|[[Deepavali]]|[[Lakshmi Puja]]|[[Sharad Purnima]]|[[Varalakshmi Vratam]]|[[Navaratri]]|[[Sankranti]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Translating the secrets of Makara Sankranti|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/tea-with-life/translating-the-secrets-of-makara-sankranti/|date=14 January 2021|publisher=Times of India}}</ref>|[[Agrahayana|Margashirsha Devi Vrat]]|[[Manabasa Gurubara]]|[[Ahoi Ashtami]]|Lakshmi Panchami}}
}}

'''Lakshmi''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ʌ|k|ʃ|m|i}};<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Lakshmi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116120249/https://www.lexico.com/definition/Lakshmi |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 November 2021 |title=Lakshmi |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|This pronunciation has a closer approximation of the Hindustani pronunciation. Pronounced {{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|l|æ|k|ʃ|m|i}},<ref>{{OED|Lakshmi}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|l|ɑː|k|ʃ|m|i}}|group="nb"|name="pron"}} {{Langx|sa|लक्ष्मी}}, {{IAST3|Lakṣmī}}, sometimes spelled '''Laxmi''', {{lit|she who leads to one's goal}}), also known as '''Shri''' ({{Langx|sa|श्री}}, {{IAST3|Śrī}}, {{lit|Noble}}),<ref name="Hb">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sEIngqiKOugC&q=lakshmi+also+known+as+sri&pg=PA285 |title=Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities|isbn=978-1-135-96390-3 |last1=Coulter |first1=Charles Russell|last2=Turner |first2=Patricia|date=4 July 2013|publisher=Routledge }}</ref> is one of the principal goddesses in [[Hinduism]], revered as the [[Devi|goddess]] of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility,  sovereignty, and abundance.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Kinsley |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hgTOZEyrVtIC&q=david+kinsley+10+mahavidya |title=Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition |date=1998 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. |isbn=978-81-208-0394-7 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=James G. Lochtefeld |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC&q=Lakshmi |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Volume 1 |date=2001-12-15|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc |isbn=978-0-8239-3179-8|language=en}}</ref> She along with [[Parvati]] and [[Saraswati|Sarasvati]], form the trinity of goddesses called the [[Tridevi]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Hindu Traditions: A Concise Introduction |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VlQBfbwk7CwC |author=Mark W. Muesse|publisher=Fortress Press|page=157 |isbn=978-1-4514-1400-4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kishore |first=B. R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t3WzDipk9xwC&pg=PA87 |title=Hinduism |date=2001 |publisher=Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd. |isbn=978-81-7182-073-3 |pages=87 |language=en}}</ref>

Lakshmi has been a central figure in Hindu tradition since [[Vedic period|pre-Buddhist times]] (1500 to 500 BCE) and remains one of the most widely worshipped goddesses in the [[Hindu deities|Hindu pantheon]]. Although she does not appear in the earliest [[Vedas|Vedic literature]], the personification of the term ''[[shri]]''—auspiciousness, glory, and high rank, often associated with kingship—eventually led to the development of Sri-Lakshmi as a goddess in later Vedic texts, particularly the [[Śrī Sūkta|''Shri Suktam'']].<ref name=":2" /> Her importance grew significantly during the [[Itihasa-Purana|late epic period]] (around 400 CE), when she became particularly associated with the preserver god [[Vishnu]] as his consort. In this role, Lakshmi is seen as the ideal Hindu wife, exemplifying loyalty and devotion to her husband.<ref name=":2" /> Whenever Vishnu descended on the earth as an [[avatar]], Lakshmi accompanied him as consort, for example, as [[Sita]] and [[Radha]] or [[Rukmini]] as consorts of Vishnu's avatars [[Rama]] and [[Krishna]], respectively.<ref name="Hb" /><ref name="williams" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Monaghan |first=Patricia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qotjet-Hb0MC&q=Radha |title=Goddesses in World Culture |date=2010-12-31 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-35465-6 |language=en}}</ref>

Lakshmi holds a prominent place in the Vishnu-centric sect of [[Vaishnavism]], where she is not only regarded as the consort of Vishnu, the Supreme Being, but also as his divine energy (''[[shakti]]'').<ref name=":2" /> she is also the Supreme Goddess in the sect and assists Vishnu to create, protect, and transform the universe.<ref name="anandrao167" /><ref name="williams" /><ref>{{cite book |author=Sashi Bhusan Dasgupta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NbtiDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT20 |title=Evolution of Mother Worship in India |publisher=Advaita Ashrama (A Publication House of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math) |year=2004 |isbn=978-81-7505-886-6 |page=20}}</ref>{{Sfn|Isaeva|1993|p=252}} She is an especially prominent figure in [[Sri Vaishnavism]] tradition, in which devotion to Lakshmi is deemed to be crucial to reach Vishnu.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carman |first=John Braisted |title=The Tamil Veda : Piḷḷān's interpretation of the Tiruvāymol̲i |author2=Vasudha Narayanan |date=1989 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=0-226-09305-0 |location=Chicago |oclc=18624684}}</ref> Within the goddess-oriented [[Shaktism]], Lakshmi is venerated as the prosperity aspect of the [[Mahadevi|Supreme goddess]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Goddess Laksmi: Origin and Development|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pSQKAQAAIAAJ|author=Upendra Nath Dhal|publisher=Oriental Publishers & Distributors|year=1978|page=109|quote=Goddess Lakşmī is stated as the genetrix of the world; she maintains them as a mother ought to do . So she is often called as the Mātā.}}</ref><ref name="williams">{{cite book |last=Williams |first=George M. |title=Handbook of Hindu Mythology|year=2003 |publisher= ABC-CLIO, Inc |isbn=1-85109-650-7 |pages=196–8}}</ref> The eight prominent manifestations of Lakshmi, the [[Ashtalakshmi]], symbolise the eight sources of wealth.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Volume 1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC |author=James G. Lochtefeld|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|date=15 December 2001|isbn=978-0-8239-3179-8|page=65}}</ref>

Lakshmi is depicted in Indian art as an elegantly dressed, prosperity-showering golden-coloured woman standing or sitting in the [[Lotus position|padmasana]] position upon a [[lotus throne]], while holding a lotus in her hand, symbolising fortune, self-knowledge, and spiritual liberation.<ref name="Lochtefeld2002p385">{{cite book |author=James G. Lochtefeld |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M |publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-8239-3179-8 |pages=385–386 |access-date=15 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Heinrich Robert Zimmer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5IYVBgAAQBAJ |title=Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-4008-6684-7 |page=100 |access-date=15 October 2016}}</ref> Her iconography shows her with [[Chaturbhuja|four hands]], which represent the four aspects of human life important to Hindu culture: ''[[dharma]]'', ''[[kama]]'', ''[[artha]]'', and ''[[moksha]]''.<ref>Rhodes, Constantina. 2011. ''Invoking Lakshmi: The Goddess of Wealth in Song and Ceremony''. State University of New York Press, {{ISBN|978-1-4384-3320-2}}. pp. 29–47, 220–52.</ref><ref name="ttgov">"[https://web.archive.org/web/20141108012904/http://www.nalis.gov.tt/Research/SubjectGuide/Divali/tabid/168/Default.aspx?PageContentID=121 Divali – THE SYMBOLISM OF LAKSHMI]." Trinidad and Tobago: National Library and Information System Authority. 2009. Archived from the [http://www.nalis.gov.tt/Research/SubjectGuide/Divali/tabid/168/Default.aspx?PageContentID=121 original] on 8 November 2014.</ref> She is often accompanied by two elephants, as seen in the [[Gajalakshmi|Gaja-Lakshmi]] images, symbolising both fertility and royal authority. The Gupta period sculpture and coins only associate lions with Lakshmi, often flanking her on either side. 

Archaeological discoveries and ancient coinage suggest a recognition and reverence for Lakshmi by the first millennium BCE.<ref name="usingh" /><ref name="ashav" /> Iconography and statues of Lakshmi have also been found in Hindu temples throughout Southeast Asia, estimated to be from the second half of the first millennium CE.<ref>Roveda, Vitorio. 2004. "The Archaeology of Khmer Images." ''[[Aséanie]]'' 13(13):11–46.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Jones |first=Soumya |date=Fall 2007 |url=https://seap.einaudi.cornell.edu/sites/seap.einaudi.cornell.edu/files/2007fFeature-Goddess.pdf |title=O goddess where art thou?: Reexamining the Female Divine Presence in Khmer art |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109193738/https://seap.einaudi.cornell.edu/sites/seap.einaudi.cornell.edu/files/2007fFeature-Goddess.pdf |archive-date=9 November 2014 |journal=[[Cornell Southeast Asia Program|SEAP Bulletin]] |pages=28–31}}</ref> The day of Lakshmi Puja during [[Navaratri]], and the festivals of [[Diwali|Deepavali]] and [[Sharad Purnima]] (Kojagiri Purnima) are celebrated in her honour.<ref name="joneskoja">{{cite book |last=Jones |first=Constance |year=2011 |title=Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations |editor=[[J. Gordon Melton|J. G. Melton]] |isbn=978-1-59884-205-0 |pages=253–254, 798}}</ref>