LAKSMI

also spelled Lakshmi, also called Sri, Hindu goddess of wealth and good fortune. The wife of Vishnu, she is said to have taken different forms in order to be with him in each of his incarnations. Thus when he was the dwarf Vamana, she appeared from a lotus and was known as Padma, or Kamala; when he was the ax-wielding Parasurama, the destroyer of the warrior caste, she was his wife Dharani; when he was King Rama, she was his queen Sita. In the most widely received account of Laksmi's birth, she rose from the churning of the milky ocean, seated on a lotus and holding another blossom in her hand. (See also churning of the milky ocean.) Controversy arose between the gods and demons over possession of her. Laksmi is often represented in sculpture seated on a lotus, full-breasted, broad-hipped, beneficently smiling, and sometimes being anointed by a pair of elephants. Her vehicle is the white owl. She continues to be worshiped by modern Hindus, particularly in the home (every Friday) and on regular festival days throughout the year. She is greatly revered by members of the Jainist faith.