Goddess Lakshmi

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

Count on people who are praying for good tidings to worship the goddess Lakshmi. Her name is rooted in lakshya in Sanskrit which means “to lead to one’s goal”. When talking about end goals, there are usually eight goals in a man’s life namely (spiritual) enlightenment, nourishment, knowledge, resources or wealth, progeny, abundance, patience, and of course, success. Given this, Lakshmi also assumes eight manifestations. Lakshmi is also a wife of Vishnu, the Preserver in the highest Hindu triumvirate, the Trimurti. Meanwhile, she is a member of the Tridevi triad of female deities including Saraswati and Parvati.

This Goddess Lakshmi batik painting on cotton shows the goddess sitting on a lotus, a symbol of divinity and perfection. Lakshmi is typically portrayed sitting on a pink lotus. For this painting, the artist used a predominantly red palette, with a good mix of dark and warm elements. Red is also a good signal of prosperity across various cultures which worked well with depicting Lakshmi in art as a goddess of wealth. In traditional art forms, Lakshmi can be seen holding a lotus flower, but in this painting, she is holding stalks with grains which can symbolize prosperity as well. The same meaning applies to Lakshmi holding a jar that can hold wealth. Moreover, an owl is also present in the painting, which worked well with the general dark colorway of the painting, as a symbol of patience to take in knowledge even when surrounded with darkness and to not be greedy in the face of abundance.

Lakshmi is one of the most worshipped goddesses in the Hindu pantheon, with large festivals such as the Diwali, celebrated in her honor. Lakshmi is also revered for her promise of both material success and spiritual fulfillment. In literature and art forms, she is described as restless but maternal, with an arm raised to share blessings to all.