Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of fortune, wealth, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. With Parvati and Sarasvati, she forms the trinity of goddesses called the Tridevi.
Lakshmi has been a central figure in Hindu tradition since pre-Buddhist times (1500 to 500 BCE) and remains one of the most widely worshipped goddesses in the Hindu pantheon. Although she does not appear in the earliest Vedic literature, the personification of the term shri—auspiciousness, glory, and high rank, often associated with kingship—eventually led to the development of Sri-Lakshmi as a goddess in later Vedic texts, particularly the Shri Suktam. Her importance grew significantly during the late epic period (around 400 CE), when she became particularly associated with the preserver god Vishnu as his consort. In this role, Lakshmi is seen as the ideal Hindu wife, exemplifying loyalty and devotion to her husband. Whenever Vishnu descended on the earth as an avatar, Lakshmi accompanied him as consort, for example, as Sita and Radha or Rukmini as consorts of Vishnu's avatars Rama and Krishna, respectively.
Lakshmi holds a prominent place in the Vishnu-centric sect of Vaishnavism, where she is not only regarded as the consort of Vishnu, the supreme being, but also as his divine energy (shakti). She is also the supreme goddess in the sect and assists Vishnu to create, protect, and transform the universe. She is an especially prominent figure in Sri Vaishnavism tradition, in which devotion to Lakshmi is deemed to be crucial to reach Vishnu. Within the goddess-oriented Shaktism, Lakshmi is venerated as the prosperity aspect of the supreme goddess. The eight prominent manifestations of Lakshmi, the Ashtalakshmi, symbolise the eight sources of wealth.
Lakshmi is depicted in Indian art as an elegantly dressed, prosperity-showering golden-coloured woman standing or sitting in the padmasana position upon a lotus throne, while holding a lotus in her hand, symbolising fortune, self-knowledge, and spiritual liberation. Her iconography shows her with four hands, which represent the four aspects of human life important to Hindu culture: dharma, kama, artha, and moksha.Rhodes, Constantina. 2011. Invoking Lakshmi: The Goddess of Wealth in Song and Ceremony. State University of New York Press, . pp. 29–47, 220–52."Divali – THE SYMBOLISM OF LAKSHMI." Trinidad and Tobago: National Library and Information System Authority. 2009. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. She is often accompanied by two elephants, as seen in the Gaja-Lakshmi images, symbolising both fertility and royal authority. The Gupta period sculpture and coins only associate lions with Lakshmi, often flanking her on either side.
Archaeological discoveries and ancient coinage suggest a recognition and reverence for Lakshmi by the first millennium BCE. Iconography and statues of Lakshmi have also been found in Hindu temples throughout Southeast Asia, estimated to be from the second half of the first millennium CE.Roveda, Vitorio. 2004. "The Archaeology of Khmer Images." Aséanie 13(13):11–46. The day of Lakshmi Puja during Navaratri, and the festivals of Deepavali and Sharad Purnima (Kojagiri Purnima) are celebrated in her honour.
Etymology and epithets
Lakshmi in Sanskrit is derived from the root word lakṣ () and lakṣa (), meaning 'to perceive, observe, know, understand' and 'goal, aim, objective', respectively. These roots give Lakshmi the symbolism: know and understand your goal.Plum-Ucci, Carol. Celebrate Diwali. . pp. 79–86. A related term is lakṣaṇa, which means 'sign, target, aim, symbol, attribute, quality, lucky mark, auspicious opportunity'.
The meaning and significance of Lakshmi evolved in ancient Sanskrit texts.Muir, John, ed. 1870. "Lakshmi and Shri." Pp. 348–49 in , volume 5. London: Trubner & Co. Lakshmi is mentioned once in Rigveda, in which the name is used to mean 'kindred mark, sign of auspicious fortune'.
Another important name of Lakshmi is Shri (Śrī), and the relationship between the two names is both etymologically and conceptually significant in Hindu sacred literature. The name Shri pervades Vedic literature, including the Rigveda, where she is mentioned approximately 130 times across various hymns. In these contexts, Shri consistently denotes ideas of prosperity, fertility, success, and auspiciousness. The name Lakshmi, by contrast, is more prominently used in later Puranic literature. Nonetheless, both names refer to the same divine figure, with the distinction between them rarely emphasized in early texts. However, some linguists note that they carry slightly different connotations. "Śrī" tends to denote general prosperity and auspiciousness, while "Lakṣmī" refers more specifically to material wealth. In Tamil-speaking traditions, the name Lakṣmī is rendered as Ilakkumi or Tiru, the latter being the regional equivalent of "Śrī," highlighting her continuity and adaptability across linguistic and cultural contexts. Lakshmi has numerous epithets and numerous ancient Stotram and Sutras of Hinduism recite her various names:Rhodes, Constantina. 2011. Invoking Lakshmi: The Goddess of Wealth in Song and Ceremony. State University of New York Press, .Vijaya Kumara, 108 Names of Lakshmi, Sterling Publishers, such as Sri (radiance, eminence, splendor, wealth), Padmā (she who is mounted upon or dwelling in a lotus or she of the lotus), Kamalā or Kamalatmika (she of the lotus), Padmapriyā (lotus-lover), Padmamālādhāra Devī (goddess bearing a garland of lotuses), Padmamukhī (lotus-faced-she whose face is as like as a lotus), Padmākṣī: (lotus-eyed - she whose eyes are as beautiful as a lotus), Padmahasta: (lotus-hand - she whose hand is holding [a] lotus[es]), Padmasundarī (she who is as beautiful as a lotus), Padmavati (She who was born from a lotus), Śrījā (Jatika of Sri), Narayani (belonging to Narayana or the wife of Narayana), Vaishnavi (worshipper of Vishnu or the power of Vishnu), Viṣṇupriyā (who is the beloved of Vishnu), and Nandika (the one who gives pleasure). Shaktas also consider Lalita, who is praised with 1,000 names in the Lalita Sahasranama, as Lakshmi.
Lakshmi Sahasranama of Skanda Purana praises Lakshmi as Mahadevi (she who is the great goddess), Mahamaya (she who is a great illusion), Karaveera Nivasini (the goddess who lives in Karaveera/Kolhapur) and Maha Astha Dasa Pithagne (she who has 18 great Shakta pithas). She is also praised as Mahalakshmi (she who is great Lakshmi), Mahakali (she who is great Kali), and Mahasaraswati (she who is great Saraswati) who are the primary deities in Devi Mahatmya. The other prominent names included in this text are Bhuvaneshvari (she who is the queen or ruler of the universe), Katyayani (she who is the daughter of sage Katyayana), Kaushiki (Shakti that came out of the sheath (or Kosha) of Parvati), Brahmani (she who is the power of Brahma), Kamakshi (she who fulfils desires by her eyes), Chandi (she who killed Mahishasura), Chamunda (she who killed Chanda and Munda), Madhu Kaidabha Bhanjini (she who killed Madhu and Kaidabha), Durga (she who killed Durgamasura), Maheshvari (she who is the power of Maheshvara), Varahi (she who is the power of Varaha, a form of Vishnu), Narasimhi (she who is the power of Narasimha, a form of Vishnu), Srividyaa (she who is Sri Vidya), Sri Manthra Raja Rajini (the queen of Sri Vidya), Shadadharadhi devata (she who is the goddess of the six chakras). Dutch author Dirk van der Plas wrote, "In Lakshmi Tantra, a text of Visnuite signature, the name Mahamaya is connected with third or destructive of Goddess' three partial functions, while in supreme form she is identified with Lakshmi".
Her other names include: Aishwarya, Akhila, Anagha, Anapagamini, Anumati, Apara, Aruna, Atibha, Avashya, Bala, Bhargavi, Bhudevi, Chakrika, Chanchala, Chandravadana, Chandrasahodari, Chandraroopa, Devi, Deepta, Dhruti, Haripriya, Harini, Harivallabha, Hemamalini, Hiranyavarna, Indira, Jalaja, Jambhavati, Janaki, Janamodini, Jyoti, Jyotsna, Kalyani, Kamalika, Ketaki, Kriyalakshmi, Kshirsha, Kuhu, Lalima, Madhavi, Madhu, Malti, Manushri, Nandika, Nandini, Nikhila, Nila Devi, Nimeshika, Padmavati, Parama, Prachi, Purnima, Radha, Ramaa, Rukmini, Samruddhi, Samudra Tanaya, Satyabhama, Shraddha, Shreeya, Sita, Smriti, Sridevi, Sudha, Sujata, Swarna Kamala, Taruni, Tilottama, Tulasi, Vasuda, Vasudhara, Vasundhara, Varada, Varalakshmi, Vedavati, Vidya, Vimala, and Viroopa.
Iconography and symbolism
Lakshmi's name is derived from Sanskrit root words for knowing the goal and understanding the objective. Her four arms are symbolic of the four goals of humanity that are considered good in Hinduism: dharma (pursuit of ethical, moral life), artha (pursuit of wealth, means of life), kama (pursuit of love, emotional fulfillment), and moksha (pursuit of self-knowledge, liberation).Parasarthy, A. 1983. Symbolism in Hinduism. Chinmaya Mission Publication. . pp. 57–59.
In Lakshmi's iconography, she is either sitting or standing on a lotus and typically carrying a lotus in one or two hands. The lotus symbolizes knowledge, self-realization, and liberation in the Vedic context, and represents reality, consciousness, and karma ('work, deed') in the Tantra (Sahasrara) context.Parasarthy, A. 1983. Symbolism in Hinduism. Chinmaya Mission Publication. . pp. 91–92, 160–62. The lotus, a flower that blooms in clean or dirty water, also symbolises purity regardless of the good or bad circumstances in which it grows. It is a reminder that good and prosperity can bloom and not be affected by evil in one's surroundings.Nathan, R. S. 1983. Symbolism in Hinduism. Chinmaya Mission Publication. . p. 16.Gibson, Lynne. 2002. Hinduism. Heinemann. . p. 29.
Below, behind, or on the sides, Lakshmi is very often shown with one or two elephants, known as Gajalakshmi, and occasionally with an owl. Elephants symbolise work, activity, and strength, as well as water, rain, and fertility for abundant prosperity.Werness, Hope. 2007. Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in World Art. Bloomsbury. . pp. 159–67. The owl signifies the patient striving to observe, see, and discover knowledge, particularly when surrounded by darkness. As a bird reputedly blinded by daylight, the owl also serves as a symbolic reminder to refrain from blindness and greed after knowledge and wealth have been acquired.Ajnatanama. 1983. Symbolism in Hinduism. Chinmaya Mission Publication. . pp. 317–18.
According to historian D. D. Kosambi, most of the Imperial Gupta kings were Vaishnavas and held the goddess Lakshmi in the highest esteem. Goddess Lakshmi is Simhavahini (mount as lion) on most of the coins during their rule. Coins during the rule of Prakashadiya, a Gupta ruler, contain the Garudadhvaja on the obverse and Lakshmi on the reverse.
The Gupta period sculpture only used to associate lions with Lakshmi, but was later attributed to Durga or a combined form of both goddesses. Lions were a 'vahana' of Lakshmi, Lions are also associated with Veera Lakshmi, who is one of the Ashtalakshmi. According to historian B. C. Bhattacharya, "An image of Gajalakshmi is found with two lions — one on either side of her. Two elephants are also shown near her head and by this we can say that Lion[sic] is also the vahana of Lakshmi along with Garuda".
In some representations, wealth either symbolically pours out from one of her hands or she simply holds a jar of money. This symbolism has a dual meaning: wealth manifested through Lakshmi means both material and spiritual wealth. Her face and open hands are in a mudra that signifies compassion, giving or dāna ('charity').