Reporter
ambika.jagassarsingh
@guardian.co.tt
Mother Lakshmi is one of the three main devis in Hinduism, revered as the Goddess of wealth, prosperity and good fortune.
According to Pundit Sunesh Tota-Maharaj, “the origin of Mother Lakshmi, Devi Lakshmi, or Goddess Lakshmi, is found particularly in two scriptures of Hindus. Primarily, we look at the Vishnu Purana and the Mahabharat, where her origin is detailed, and the story is told there.”
In an interview with Guardian Media at the Lakshmi Narayan Bhakti Mandir, Pundit Sunesh Tota-Maharaj said in accordance with the Puranas, which are divine Hindu scriptures, it is believed that Goddess Lakshmi was born as the result of a clash between the gods and the asuras (demons) during the Samudra Manthan, or what is known as the churning of the ocean.
“Many years ago, the asuras and the devas, which were the demons and the gods, they were searching for Amrit, which is a nectar of immortality, which they believe if they consumed would give them eternal life.”
He said after years of searching for this nectar with no luck, the gods sought Lord Vishnu, often referred to as the Supreme Lord, for a helping hand.
“He gave them the advice that the Amrit, the nectar which they were seeking, will be found in the Kshira Sagara, which is the Cosmic Ocean. He said to them that in order to get the nectar from this ocean, they would have to churn the ocean. However, they would have to cooperate and work with the asuras, with the demons, something which was unheard of.”
Working together was unheard of since the gods and demons were always at war with each other, being on opposing sides.
But, with Lord Vishnu’s advice, the gods sought the help of the demons. Together, they joined forces to churn the ocean, Pundit Sunesh Tota-Maharaj noted.
“And so they took a mountain known as the Mandara Mountain, they placed it in the middle of the ocean, and then, of course, they would need something to turn and so they enlisted the help of a very divine serpent known as Vasuki, a very long snake. And so, the snake curled itself around the mountain, the head on one end, the tail on the other. The devas, the gods, they held on to one end. The asuras, they held on to the other, and they started to pull to and fro.”
Thus began the tug-of-war between the gods and the demons, to obtain this Amrit, since the demons also sought the opportunity to become immortal.
Many items, good and bad, emanated from the churning, including the Divine Goddess.
“One of the last to emerge was Devi Lakshmi, the goddess herself. And as she emerged, when all looked at her, the asuras, the demons, the devas, the gods, even the sages, the wise ones looking at her, they were overwhelmed with her radiance and her beauty, her countenance, it was so divine and so resplendent that they immediately recognised that she was rare, that she was one of a kind,” Pundit Sunesh Tota-Maharaj revealed.
When the goddess appeared, she was on a lotus in full bloom and in her hands were lotus flowers, a symbol of purity and rebirth, which is what Lakshmi represents.
Upon her emergence, she selected Lord Vishnu as her consort. Since then, her appearance coincides with the third day of the five-day celebration of Divali, due to what she embodies.
“She represents prosperity, wealth. She represents light. She represents hope. And Divali, of course, is that Divali brings a sense of happiness. It brings a sense of joy. It brings a sense of camaraderie, togetherness, families, communities ... And so, because she was able to bring together these asuras, the demons and the devas, the gods, to work together.”
Thus, Devi Lakshmi is worshipped, as she bestows good fortune and prosperity on her worshippers.
Tota-Maharaj added that through the retelling of the epics in the Puranas, there is always a lesson to be learnt.
He said, “I think that Lord Vishnu giving this instruction, he wanted to show that the Devas, the Gods, he wanted to show the Asuras, the demons and even us as humans, that despite our differences and despite maybe what we believe in, where we have come from; our lifestyle, that in order for us to achieve and to obtain prosperity and fortune, which is what Devi Lakshmi represents, to obtain guidance and a brighter future, collaboration and cooperation is necessary.”
He said given the current state of the world, working together is absolutely necessary.
“I think that advice for them to work together was to teach them and to teach the world of this necessity, this need to collaborate, to cooperate, teamwork and I think if we look across our country and across the world, we will agree that those qualities of collaboration and teamwork are needed now more than ever,” Pundit Sunesh Tota-Maharaj concluded.