The glory of Goddess Lakshmi

 On this auspicious day of Dīpāvali, let's remember Goddess Srī Mahālakshmī and see how She graces the three worlds!! 

Seated on a fully bloomed Lotus, holding fresh lotuses in Her upper arms and displaying Abhaya and Varada Hasta in Her other two arms, clad in the most exquisite robes and jewellery, having lotus-like fragrance, face, eyes, hands and Feet, having long, dark and silky hair, ever youthful and brimming with love, compassion, auspiciousness, opulence, beauty and grace, the great Goddess Lakshmī is omnipresent just like Lakshmī Pati. She presides over each and every atom in this universe and is the Shaktī of Nārāyana.

Goddess Lakshmī's Love for Her Nārāyana is pure, immeasurable, tranquil, exquisite, transcendental, blissful and beyond all materialistic things!

It's due to this love for Srī Hari and motherly care for Her children that Mahālakshmī accompanies the Lord in whichever form He takes and completes Him. Srī is the earth and Sriyahpati is the upholder of the Earth  He's the meaning, She is the speech. He is the behaviour, She is the conduct. He is the knowledge, She is the insight. He is Dharma, She is the action. He is satisfaction, She is contentment. He is the moon and She is the light of the Moon. He is the ocean and She is the shore. Srī never leaves Hari's chest and is inseparable from Him just like the Sun is inseparable from its rays! Like this, She pervades the Universe along with Her beloved Vāsudeva.

Mātā Lakshmī granted Sage Bhrigu the fortune of being Her Father by taking birth as Bhārgavī and wedding Vishnu. She accompanied Matsyā in the form of a ship.

When the three worlds were deprived of nourishment, wealth and prosperity, the Devas sought refuge in Lord Nārāyana and churned the milky Ocean under His guidance. It was Hari Himself who accomplished each and every task. He suggested the Devas to befriend Asuras, He instructed them to get all the materials required for the Kshīra Sāgara Manthan. He mightily lifted the Mandara mountain and made Garuda place it in the ocean, He supervised the churning. He also took forms on either sides to churn the ocean. He made us realize the greatness of Mahādeva (who consumed the deadly Hālahāla) by directing the Devas towards Him. Finally He Himself came as Dhanvantari with Amrita. He Himself came as Mohinī and distributed the nectar. All this was possible because of Kshīra Samudra Rāja Tanayā's grace alone! She gloriously emerged from the ocean, provided grace and fortune to the three worlds and garlanded the Lord! She had also accompanied Bhagavān in His Kūrma Avatāra as the itching on His back!

She bears everyone as Bhūmi. She supports the entire universe and grants us life! She forgives us repeatedly even when we torment Her. She comes as Padmā for Vāmana and Dharanī for Parashurāma. 

She is the matchless Devī Sītā for Maryāda Purushottama Srī Raghunātha. She is the embodiment of strength, courage, love, purity, chastity, forgiveness, compassion and divine unblesmished beauty. She is Rāghava's Shaktī and His Sahadharmachārinī. She supports Him wholeheartedly in all His actions and assists Him devotedly in His mission. She is the cause of all causes who took birth for the destruction of Rāvana. She, along with Raghunāyaka has shown us true love, trust and patience even while being physically separated. 

Sītā's compassion knows no bounds. She willingly underwent all kinds of sufferings (even though She is beyond suffering) just for our sake. She chose to get separated from Rāghava inspite of being inseparable from Her Lord like the sun and its rays! Ever compassionate, Jānakī forgave the citizens of Ayodhya who badmouthed Her. She blessed Hanumān with Rāma Bhaktī, Ashta Siddhi and Nava Nidhi. She forgave the misbehaviour of Kākāsura. She saved the Rākshasīs of Lankā who tortured Her mentally. She even advised Rāvana to seek forgiveness and befriend Rāma. She single-handedly raised Lava and Kusha and brought them up into valiant heirs of Rāma. 

Sītā is no victim but the eternal Goddess. She doesn't stand for weakness but for great will. She chose Her way of life, from going to the forests to ending Her incarnation by summoning the earth to split up. She is a true inspiration for women. We can reach Rāghava only by seeking shelter at Vaidehī's Feet. When we surrender to Rāma in the company of Devī Jānakī, the Lord will surely accept us! It's because of Jānakī's Katāksham that Vibhīshana got Lankā and Guha got the opportunity to serve Rāma. Such is Maithilī's greatness!

For Krishna in Vraja, Mahālakshmī is Srīmatī Rādhārānī. She is the source of Prema, Rāsa, Mādhuryā and Bhaktī. She is Rāseshwara's Shaktī and the Queen of Rāsamandala. Her sweetness and affection know no bounds. Govinda experiences supreme bliss only by caressing Rādhārānī's lotus feet while Srī Rādhikā gets immense joy in letting Gopikās and Her devotees reach Krishna! She always welcomes us with open arms and takes us to Her Mahārāsa! She lets us play and dance with Krishna and encourages us to seek Him.  

Shrīji enacts various pastimes for the pleasure of Shyāmasundara and for the bliss of  Her children. Her thoughts never go away from Krishna. Her eyes never stop gracing Her devotees. Her feet never leaves the abode of Golokeshwara and the hearts of Saints. She grants us Krishna Bhaktī and the joy of experiencing Krishna. Rādhārānī is the epitome of Sādhanā. While being separated from Krishna for hundred years, a mere sight of a dark cloud, a Tāmal tree and even the darkness of night made Her reminiscent of Gopāla. Even though She is eternally with Krishna, She incarnated to teach us Virāha and supreme sacrifice. Such is Her greatness! Mahālakshmī is not only Rādhārānī, She is Chandrāvalī and Nappinnai as well who are very dear to Krishna. All the Gopikās are Rādhārānī's expansions. 

Mahālakshmī is Vaidarbhī Rukminī for Dwārakādhīsh. She's an inspiration for many women, for She strongly chose to never submit to those who don't acknowledge Her choices. She planned Her own way to reach Mādhava as She knew how Krishna is perfect for Her and He knew how Rukminī is perfect for Him. So after reading Her letter which displayed ideal Sharanāgatī, the Lord went to Vidarbhā and whisked Vaidarbhī away as requested! Eternally compassionate, She asked Krishna to spare Her brother Rukmī who didn't respect Her wishes and wanted Her to marry Shishupāla!

Dwārakeshwarī, the one who makes Dwāraka prosperous, bestowed Her Katāksham on Sudāma and granted Him the wealth of the three worlds. She bore the tortures of Durvāsa and forgave Him. She tolerated separation from Krishna for 12 years even though She is inseparable from Him! She, as an ideal Wife, performed Her duties with devotion and was the joy of Krishna. She understood Shyāmasundara very well and conquered Him with Her silent support. As a great Mother, She raised Her children and nursed the heirs of Pāndavās like Her own.  As the Principal Queen She loved Her co-wives who were non-different from Her and maintained harmony in the royal household. Even though She is the Mother of the three worlds and and the Beloved of Keshava, She devotedly prayed to Him to bless Her with steady love for His Lotus feet. Such is Her gentleness, devotion and love!

As Satyabhāmā, Mahālakshmī showed Her love and devotion by accompanying Krishna unfailingly in all His voyages. She saw Krishna as Her own, loved Him dearly and pleased Him by being expressive of Her thoughts and opinions. Bhāmā was never arrogant, She was free from jealousy. Her actions are always misunderstood by masses. When Krishna gave the Parijāta flower to Rukminī, Satyabhāmā was not jealous. She expressed Her displeasure at the other Queens being subtly insulted by Nārada and requested Krishna, who was ready to accomplish anything for Her, to get the Pārijāta. Krishna knew how right His Bhāmā was and was always happy serving and loving Her. Just like He called Rukminī as the Supreme Reservoir of love and acknowledged that He was conquered by Her support, Krishna declared Himself as the Servant of Satyabhāmā and was keen on making Her happy. Such is the love and strength of Bhāmā!

She took away the Pārijāta tree from Swarga and humbled Indra and Indrānī. She, who is the Shaktī of Vāsudeva Krishna, wielded the Sārnga bow and bravely fought with Narakāsura. She was joyfully embraced and comforted by Krishna. Along with Krishna, Satyabhāmā was the dear friend of Arjuna and Draupadī. Bhāmā made everyone know Draupadī's glory by engaging Her in conversations and asking Her questions. Such is Bhāmā's greatness! Mahālakshmī is also the rest of the Ashtabhāryā for Krishna -(Jāmbavatī, Kālindī, Nāgnajitī, Mitravindā, Bhadrā and Lakshmanā). Their glories will soon be narrated in the upcoming posts!

Mahālakshmī is enshrined in all Her temples beside Her Lord. She blesses Her Devotees as Ranganāyakī of Ranganātha, Alamelumangā of Srīnivāsa, Perundevī of Varadarāja, Pushpavallī of Trivikrama, Āndāl of Vadapathrashayī, Vanjulāvallī of Vāsudeva, Bhūmādevī of Uppiliappa Perumāl and many more forms. The list is endless.

In all Her forms, Srī bestows Katāksham to Her children and forgives us of all our sins. The side-glances of Goddess Lakshmī are not ordinary. They steal the heart of the heart-stealer of the universe. Nārāyana gets strength to create and sustain all the worlds only when His eyes meet Lakshmī's.

It is said that Lord Vishnu's eyes have a lotus-like red complexion because they are always fixed on the lotus-complexioned Lakshmī. Her eyes are dark because they always gaze at the dark-complexioned Lord. The Goddess gazes at the Lord in two different ways- to acknowledge the Lord's creation and to direct love-filled glances towards Bhagavān. She looks lovingly at the Lord not only out of her own love but also for us to obtain His grace. This is done to make the Lord forgive us for even the offences that had been committed unintentionally. The Lord accepts us only after looking at His Consort.

How does all this happen?

Vēdānta Desikar tells us about this while describing about Nīlā Devī and Venkateshwara.

'I worship Nīlā Devī whose glances mesmerize the Lord'.

She looks at Her Lord lovingly. On seeing Her eyes, the Lord becomes mesmerized. In such a blissful state, the Lord will become oblivious to our mistakes that are done intentionally or unintentionally. From this we get to know that the Lord forgives even the gravest of our sins after getting mesmerized by Goddess Lakshmī's gaze. She graces the Lord by moving Her curved arch-like eyebrows, by looking at Him with Her beautiful eyes and by embracing His shoulders. She implores with Him for our sake.

Let's reflect on what we puny mortals usually seek from the Lord. We always demand for our wishes to be fulfilled for our own benefit. Even if we have an iota of selflessness, we will ask the Lord to bless our near and dear ones. But our Mother is not like that. She, who is the source of all kinds of wealth and abundance, doesn't seek anything from the Lord for Herself. Then why does She pray to the Lord when She is the very energy of the Lord? She prays to Hari for our sake, She wants us to get benefitted and attain Nārāyana's divine lotus feet.

The Goddess looks at Her blissful Lord and says, "Swāmi, look at him. Only you have to grace him and give him a place in your lotus feet. I am not denying that he has committed all kinds of sins trapped in Māyā, but if you keep noticing his sins alone, there won't be any meaning to your compassion. So, you should not acknowledge his misdeeds. Kindly grace him lovingly and allow him to worship your divine feet."

Lord Vishnu looks at Her. After all he had begun creating this universe only after beholding the movement of her eyebrows! "I will do anything for Her!” the Lord says to Himself and forgives and forgets even the worst of our sins and accepts us!

Goddess Mahālakshmī is known as 'Manojñe' because She knows the Lord's mind very well and acts as a mediator at the right moment. She serves the Lord's feet and teaches us about Him. She not only dissolves the Lord's anger towards the sinners but also reforms us and gives us another chance. She appreciates and cares for each and every effort taken by us and looks at us eternally with compassion. She is our supreme guide in our journey to attain Bhagavān as well our Mother who would receive us with open arms at the destination. She is the very destination of our penance and devotion. Without Vishnupriyā, it's impossible to reach Vishnu. Without Purushottama Vallabhā, Purushottama will not accept us. Without Her grace, there would be no creation by the Lord, no life and no birth. It would have been better had we not taken birth. We are suffering endlessly in this Samsāra Sāgara.  Without being born how could we become devoted towards the Lord? How can we surrender ourselves to His lotus-feet? We should also get rid of our past Karmas.

There is no way to do all this without being born. We get a complete and blessed life only by the grace of Goddess Lakshmī. We have to realize this and worship the Divya Dampati residing everywhere. We can get liberation from the endless cycle of births and deaths only at the mercy of Lakshmī Nārāyana.

May our Mother Srī Mahālakshmī be merciful!

May Srīman Nārāyana be appeased!

Jai Siyā Rām! Jai Rādhe Shyām! Jai Vaidarbhī Mādhava! Jai Satyabhāmā Dāmodara!

Rādhe! Rādhe!

Yours,

Hari Priye.