The Eight Forms of Mother Lakshmi & Diwali
Diwali is Celebrated on November 7th
Diwali is celebrated in the West on November 7th. Diwali is one of the major Hindu festivals of the year. The festival includes five days, but the third day is called Diwali and the day of the greatest celebration. It is a festival of light, truth and good triumphing over evil.
Mother Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, is the goddess who is connected with this great festival. She is an important goddess if you need prosperity in your life. Prosperity can be material or spiritual. Everyone needs both of them to succeed in life. Material wealth is needed daily for survival. Spiritual prosperity is also needed so that you find balance in your life. As Gandhi says, "We all have enough for our need, but not our greed." Obtaining material wealth in an unethical manner is striving to be greedy like the big corporations. This is not desirable because exploitation of the poor only brings bad karma to the rich. The wealthy have more karma than the rest of us because they have the most resources and have the most knowledge. Because of this they can cause a lot of good or a lot of harm to others. They have the most power to change bad situations into good situations. If they misuse their power, they will suffer the most from their bad karma. We all have a responsibility to bring good actions and truth into the world. As Dr. Anantanand Rambachan, professor of Religion at St. Olaf College and Hindu scholar, states in his recent discourse on Diwali: "Truth does not triumph over untruth unless we all become agents and defenders of truth."
Lakshmi has eight forms or aspect. These aspects are celebrated at Diwali. Each day celebrates a particular aspect of the goddess. The eight forms are called Ashtalakshmi. Wealth comes in many forms. She is the one who brings it into the world, but we have the responsibility to use wealth wisely. We should not amass wealth for its own sake. Wealth should be shared to help others. We are a community. We are a nation. We are a planet. Those who are globally conscious will be the ones who do the most for everyone. As the late great U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone from Minnesota said, "We all do better when we all do better." One group doing better exclusively does not help society as a whole.
Adi Lakshami or Mahalakshmi is the form which means eternal. She is eternal and wealth is abundant and continuous if we share it with all. She incarnated as the daughter of Sage Bhrigu in this great form.
Dhana Lakshmi is money, silver and gold. This is the material aspect which allows us to survive and succeed. One should never be greedy. Wealth is for everyone so that they can succeed as human beings. Wealth is not for just certain people. It is meant for every being in the Cosmos.
Vijay Lakshmi is connected with victory. It is about the courage and character to succeed in any task. To be an activist in the world you need courage and character to do the right thing. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi had the courage and character to succeed in their activism. Both based their actions on truth.
Dhairya Lakshmi is connected with strength and patience to overcome pain and hardships. This allows you to survive in good or bad times. Gandhi had to perform many actions to succeed in his activism. He had to be patient with others in order to bring independence to India.
Dhanya Lakshmi is food grains. We all need food to survive in the world. If you go into an Indian grocery store, you will see Mother Lakshmi on many items. There are brands which feature Her on the packages. She is the attraction in the store and for us all in daily life. Most Hindus have her image on their stoves or in their kitchens. She bears sugarcane, rice crops, bananas, gada and two lotuses in Her hands to symbolize this great wealth.
Vidya Lakshmi is connected with knowledge, skills and abilities one needs to accomplish the important tasks in life. Mother Saraswati is also the bringer of knowledge and wisdom to do the right thing.
Gaj Lakshmi is the form which is connected with elephants. The elephant is a transport which is used for transportation in India. We all need to get around on this planet to succeed at anything we do. She took this form to help Indra regain his kingdom.
Santan Lakshmi helps you bring children into the world. Wealth is found in the family and the basic connection of life is found in your family. This form of Lakshmi has a child seated on Her lap. She can help children succeed in school and in life. How a society treats their children is important. All children need to be protected from violence at home and in the schools.
Diwali is a great festival to think of others. Bringing food to the mandir and to the food shelf is something you can do for others. Sharing your wealth through donating to non-profits or at the mandir is an excellent idea for Diwali. These are great actions for other times of the year also. We come together to show our light and love for others on this night. I want to wish you a Happy Diwali. Be the change you want to see in the world.
JAI SHRI DIWALI! JAI SHRI LAKSHMI! JAI SHRI WEALTH!
Radhapriestess