Goddesses, Rishikas and Women

Lakshmi: The Goddess of Wealth & Prosperity

It's Diwali today. Maa got me a beautiful blue-pink lehenga which also sports peacock feather designs on it. I look so pretty! I whisper at myself in the mirror, admiring the lehenga, my golden bangles and the small bindi on my forehead. Lakshmi pooja will begin in the next fifteen minutes. I hear my mother's bangles rustle as she arranges the pooja thali with diyas, sweets and laal tika. Papa is decorating the small mandir with flowers, and my brother as usual sits on the sofa, utterly clueless about everything.

But I look so good. I feel like Radha from that Krishna cartoon on Cartoon Network. Blushing, I take one last look at myself before heading for pooja, my mind busy thinking about that cute Krishna cartoon I watch obsessively every weekend. Don't tell my mother, okay? I wrote a song for Krishna. Will you read it?

Maa is reading Lakshmi stuti now. My brother is staring at the ladoo bowl. Papa is ringing the bell and I keep my eyes open. I want to see Devi Lakshmi enter my house. If I close my eyes, then I will miss her arrival. Who knows, she might share ladoos with me from the thali?

My bangles jingle, and somehow, my dupatta gets stuck on the shiny stones. I look at the windowpane to fix the dupatta and the bangles in case I jerk too hard and tear my pretty dupatta. That's when I see a mist form over my reflection. Rubbing my eyes, I squint to check if I am hallucinating her.

It is all real! The hazy mist clears, and in the reflection stands the Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi. I know her from that cartoon and a TV show after I secretly peeped behind a wall to catch a glimpse of the scene.

Dressed in a richly embroidered saree in shades of red and pink, the goddess stands right there in front of me. She has a beautiful smile, which makes me grin. She doesn't look as old as the older didis from my school. She appears the same age as me. I hold her saree and say, "Hi, Lakshmi! Your saree is so beautiful." The goddess replies, "Thank you sakhi! Your dress looks lovely, too. It even has peacock feathers, my favourite."

I am older now. As a very young girl, I thought of the goddess as my dear friend. I was named after her, and every girl is considered Lakshmi because she brings good fortune to the household.

Lakshmi is nature, the ultimate wealth of this world, yours and mine. She is nurturing, loving, and kind. Some say she is a frivolous goddess, who doesn't stay in one place.

One calm evening on the terrace, I looked at the sky, and asked her, "Why do you keep moving from one place to another sakhi? Men often curse their fates when you leave their homes, blaming your frivolous nature."

The goddess's eyes twinkled. "Oh, sakhi, how many have known how to handle wealth and opulence? They come praying to me for money, but do they ever see who I am? Is my worth only to fulfil monetary business and then be forgotten?" Her dark red saree flutters in the wind, as she speaks, "One must learn to leave when they do not care for your being after seeking their gains and desires from you, my friend. I am a goddess, that's true, but look at me — do they see the harmony and peace, I restore amongst the family? When I bestow prosperity, it is not only materialistic but only spiritual wealth. With a secure home and secure livelihood comes a route to steer the mind to the divine and acknowledge that all of this is temporary. Take only what you need, but no, they are greedy. They want more and want to boast to other people."

Her jewelled fingers scatter gold and diamonds on a large plate. A raised brow towards me makes my back straight. She continues, "They sparkle hence they are valuable. If it were not these precious metals that would have attracted their eyes, they would perhaps consider ordinary pebbles as a sign of wealth. When I stay for long, their mind goes astray with the desire to hog more. Selfish hearts then pray earnestly to fetch more precious items to secure a more wealthy reputation. So one day, I leave after witnessing their proud hearts and so-called devotional acts towards me."

"So, how can one be blessed with your companionship forever?"

"It's not only you humans who want to be seen for what they are, rather than what is visible at the surface level. When I give them wealth, comfort and happiness, I wish to see their hearts be filled with humility and simplicity. I want to see their minds be filled with gratitude instead of haughtiness over what gifts they receive. I want them to respect these gifts and riches, and move to the next human goal of wisdom and knowledge instead of seeking another wealthy object as a goal." She throws a playful wink at me. "Saraswati and Lakshmi aren't enemies. We are complementary. When I find a handful few who understand the true nature of wealth, monetary, physical and spiritual, I stay with them forever."

"Then why did you choose me as your friend?"

Lakshmi gently taps my nose and looks deep into my eyes. She holds my hand, her long beautiful fingers on mine. "We deities quickly go to people who come to us with the bonds of friendship and love. Our hearts want love too, and when little girls like you come to us sharing your favourite sweets, which god can say no?"

I have a family of my own now. My five-year-old daughter draws a small lotus on the doorway with rice paste to welcome the goddess, my divine friend from childhood. This little girl turns her head back suddenly at the mirror and stares. Her eyes are wide and glossy as she claps her hands and jumps on her toes.

"Mummy, see it's my friend inside the mirror holding a pot of my favourite rosogollas."

Devi Lakshmi kisses my daughter's head and draws her own footprint beside the lotus.