Hindu deity
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Also known as: Lakṣmī, Shri
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Lakshmi, Hindu goddess of wealth and good fortune. The wife of Vishnu, she is said to have taken different forms in order to be with him in each of his incarnations. Thus, when he was the dwarf Vamana, she appeared from a lotus and was known as Padma, or Kamala, both of which mean “Lotus”; when he was the ax-wielding Parashurama, the destroyer of the warrior class, she was his wife Dharani; when he was King Rama, she was his queen Sita. In the most widely received account of Lakshmi’s birth, she rose from the churning of the ocean of milk (an important event in Hinduism), seated on a lotus and holding another blossom in her hand. Controversy arose between the gods and demons over possession of her.
Lakshmi is often represented in sculpture seated on a lotus, full-breasted, broad-hipped, beneficently smiling, and sometimes being lustrated by a pair of elephants pouring water over her. Her vehicle is the white owl. She continues to be worshipped by modern Hindus, particularly in the home (every Friday) and on regular festival days throughout the year. She is greatly revered in Jainism.
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This article was most recently revised and updated by Matt Stefon.
