The Birth Of Lakshmi, A Symbolic Pot Of Wealth In Her Hand

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Lakshmi is the Vedic deity that presides over resources. She is the wife of Vishnu, Who is responsible for the preservation aspect of the existential cycle. She is aptly depicted in this watercolour in all Her heavenly glory. The resplendent silks of Her saree are set off by the matching rubies and emeralds on Her ornaments. Streams of pearls cascade down Her torso, touching the elaborate kamarband that wraps around Her gracious hips. Her gold neckpiece goes well with the chunky, studded gold on Her four wrists, but even more so with the gorgeous crown on Her head. In Her left anterior hand, She holds a richly adorned pot with a lid to protect the wealth within. She is the very picture of plenty.

Every time Her husband has been incarnated as Vamana, Parasurama, Rama, and Krishna, She has accompanied Him as Kamala, Dharani, Sita, and Rukmini. Hence, She has come to embody the especially feminine virtues of beauty and devotion. She is as inseparable from Him as knowledge from intellect, coherence from words, and dharma from righteousness. A divine sense of calm is writ across Her supremely beautiful brow, the rest of Her form as rubescent as the lotuses She holds up in Her tender (posterior) hands. The right anterior hand is the ashirvaad mudra, what with Her chosen devotees amongst the most fortunate of our realm of existence. Her four arms stand for dharma (ethics), artha (wealth), kama (pleasure), and moksha (deliverance).

While the Puranas describe the birth of Lakshmi as the daughter of the sage Bhrigu and his wife Khyati, She is deified as having been born from the oceans during the all-important samudramanthan. Artist Kailash Raj depicts Her as such, emerging from the tempestuous waters. Complex brushstrokes in limited shades and tints of blue illustrate withh great skill the prevailing turmoil in the heavens. Note the graduated halo that surrounds Lakshmi - the gold glow of knowledge, followed by the pink ringlet of beauty, and finally the pristine layer symbolic of ethical purity.