29. Description of Laksmi

She is the consort of lord Visnu, but she seems originally to have been an independent deity impersonating beauty and wealth. According to classical mythology, she rose from the ocean when the gods and demons churned it for the production of nectar and thence she was made over to Visnu. In the Brahma-purana, it is stated that a great quarrel took place between Laksmi and the goddess of poverty called Daridra regarding the superiority over each other. Daridra accuses Laksmi that she is always associated with sinners, wicked mon, political personalities, cruel, wicked, pisanas, greedy, anarya, krtaghna, violators of righteousness and the traitors. She also accuses Laksmi of fickle nature and popularly as Fortuna, she is the fickle goddess who stays nowhere long. But at the end of this quarrel the river Godavari declares the superiority of Laksmi over Daridra and states that nothing is possible without her and that she pervades everything in the world. She pervades all the splendour like Brahmasri, Tapahsri, Yajnasri, Kirti, Dhanasri, Iasari, Vidya, Prajna, Saraswati, Bhukti, Mukti,

623 Surti, Lajja, Dhrti, Ksama, Siddhi, Tusti, Pusti, Santi, Mahi, Ahamsakti, Ausadhis, Sruti, Vibhavari, Dyaus, Jyotsna, blessings, fortune, Vyapti, Maya, Usa and Siva (A.137). Sri seems to have become a deity from an obstraction, just as occassionally abstract names as Hri, Dhrti, Kirti etc. are used as the names of gods and goddesses. 294