In our opinion tradition teaches that Lakshmi (Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी ) is the goddess of wealth, material & spiritual prosperity, good fortune & the embodiment of beauty, charm & grace. She is the wife of Vishnu (God). Also known as Mahalakshmi, she is said to bring good luck & is believed to protect her devotees from all kinds of misery & money-related sorrows. She is described as bestowing coins of prosperity & flanked by elephants signifying her royal power. In some texts, she has an owl as her vahana (vehicle). Her expression is always calm & loving. The lotus symbolizes the fertile growth of organic life, as the world is continually reborn on a lotus growing out of Vishnu’s navel. Without her grace nothing in this world would survive. She forms the basis of the entire gamut of creation.
Lakshmi is called Srim (Shreem) because she is endowed with six auspicious gunas (divine qualities) & is the source of strength even to Vishnu. When Vishnu incarnated on Earth as the avatars, Rama & Krishna, Lakshmi took incarnation as his consorts, Sita (Rama’s wife) & Radha (Krishna’s lover).
She is worshipped daily in Hindu homes, businesses & temples. Diwali (the festival of lights) is celebrated in her honor during the month of October. Ceremonies include people offering food & sweets, chanting her 108 names, reciting prayers, singing devotional songs & placing small oil lamps outside homes in hopes that she will bless them.
Mahalakshmi is the embodiment of love from which Bhakti (devotion to God) flows. It is through Love, Bhakti or Lakshmi that the atma (soul) is able to reach Vishnu (God). Lakshmi plays a special role as the mediator between her husband & his worldly devotees. Lakshmi represents a more soothing, kind, warm & approachable mother figure who willingly intervenes in the lives of devotees. When asking Vishnu for grace or forgiveness, a devotee often approaches Him through the intermediary presence of Lakshmi. She is the personification of spiritual fulfillment & embodies Vaikunta (the spiritual world & abode of Lakshmi-Narayana-Vishnu) or what would be considered heaven in Vaishnavism. She is Param Prakriti (the divine qualities & embodiment of God’s superior spiritual feminine energy) which purifies, empowers & uplifts individuals. Hence, she is called the Goddess of Fortune & is believed to be the mother of the universe. Lakshmi in Sanskrit is derived from its elemental form lakS, meaning “to perceive or observe”. This is synonymous with lakṣya, meaning “aim” or “objective”.
MahaLakshmi has many names & is known to be very closely associated with the lotus & her many epithets are connected to the flower, such as: Padma (lotus dweller); Kamala (lotus dweller); Padmapriya (One who likes lotuses); Padmamaladhara devi (One who wears a garland of lotuses); Padmamukhi (One whose face is as beautiful as a lotus); Padmakshi (One whose eyes are as beautiful as a lotus); Padmahasta (One who holds a lotus); Padmasundari (One who is as beautiful as a lotus). Her other names include: Vishnupriya (One who is the beloved of Vishnu); Ulkavahini (One who rides an owl); Manushri, Chakrika, Kamalika, Aishwarya, Lalima, Kalyani, Nandika, Rujula, Vaishnavi, Samruddhi, Narayani, Bhargavi, Sridevi, Chanchala, Jalaja, Madhavi, Sujata, Shreya, Jaganmaatha (Mother of the Universe); Rukmini & Satyabama.
Mahalakshmi is known to preside over 16 forms of worldly wealth including siddhis (spiritual powers) & jnana (spiritual knowledge). Others are: Fame; Knowledge; Courage & Strength; Victory; Good Children; Valor; Gold, Gems & Valuables; Grains in abundance; Happiness; Bliss; Intelligence; Beauty; Higher Aim, High Thinking & Higher Meditation; Morality & Ethics; Good Health; & Longevity.
Ashta Lakshmi
आदि लक्ष्मी (ఆదిలక్ష్మి; ಆದಿಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ) Ādi Lakṣmī The First manifestation of Lakshmi
Jai Hanuman Kirtan are Shivada Hanuman‘s Bhakti Yoga tunes. The repetition of these sacred mantras is powerful medicine for
quieting the mind & opening the heart.
These songs were performed & recorded by Shivadas Hanuman in live takes. He played acoustic guitar or harmonium while singing & playing foot percussion, then added bass, lead guitars & djembe in subsequent takes....more
Congolese rhythms mix with drill, boom bap, and grime on this album of emancipatory jammers highlighting the lives of women. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 2, 2023