Lakshmi: An Exposition on Her Abundant Blessings and Who She Truly Is
When people are first introduced to Hinduism, this is probably the first face theyβll encounter. Lakshmi, in all her grace, softness, and wealth. She raises one hand telling you she is a safe space for you and with the other, she promises boons and blessings. In front of her is an overflowing pot of gold coins, symbolizing the riches you will attain by propitiating her.
And most of all, Lakshmi is valued because she is a good wife. She is meek, submissive, soft-spoken, and lives to please her husband and to cater to his every whim and fancy. This is why she has been historically revered as the wealth of the household, blessing her husband with riches beyond imagination.
"A wife should, with every possible effort, engage herself solely in the service of her husband, just as Lakshmi completely pleases Narayana with total devotion in every aspect of her being."
This is her value. The Great Queen of Rohini, the Cosmic Wife par excellence. Kamala of the Lotus.
And so every woman is asked to propitiate Lakshmi. And it is said that every woman who worships Lakshmi will become exactly like her, and receive her blessings as a result. And I want to show you the abundant blessings that Lakshmi can bestow to a woman who bows to her, admires her, worships her, and embodies her.
Blessing 1: Chinese Foot Binding
In Song Dynasty China until the early 20th century, womenβs feet were bound tightly to break their arches and fold the toes underneath, forcing the foot into a tiny shape known as the "lotus foot."
Thatβs actually a term used to describe Lakshmi in the classical texts. What a synchronicity!
Bound feet were symbols of female submission and domesticity, signaling to society that the womanβs family or husband was wealthy enough to make sure she never had to work. And because walking was so painful, she was mostly restricted to her home.
After a while, parts of her feet would start to rot, turn black with gangrene, and fall off. There would constantly be the smell of the putrefying flesh when she took her bindings off. And some men found this smell to be an aphrodisiac.
This must be the βvirilizingβ effect that submissive women have on men that CIaire Nakti always talks about.
Anything to please a virile male.
Blessing 2: Widow Burning and the Legend of Sati
This divine feminine practice was considered to be the ultimate expression of devotion (pativrata). Why? Because a good wifeβs spiritual and physical purpose was entirely bound to her husband. So when he burned, she burned too, whether she wanted to or not. Thatβs the beauty of devotion. And oh, she was forced to burn when she didnβt want to. I suppose sometimes Lakshmiβs will has to be enacted by those around her when a disobedient woman chooses not to go along with it.
And in some legal traditions (like the Dayabhaga system in Bengal), widows held rights to inherit their dead husband's property. This self-immolation basically prevented this, ensuring that wealth and estate property remained strictly within the husband's male bloodline rather than being managed by a woman, because they believed that good, obedient women could not handle difficult things like finances.
Isnβt that so thoughtful of them?
Blessing 3: The βScoldβsβ Bridle
In Britain and Germany from the late 16th through the early 19th centuries, there was a device called the βscold'sβ bridle, or the witchβs bridle, for those awful hags who decided it was okay for a woman to speak. It was a legal punishment contraption used specifically to target adult women who were considered "scolds", i.e. women who were outspoken or argumentative.
This bridle was an iron mask or cage fitted tightly over the offending hagβs head, with a metal piece that was inserted into the her mouth, and on her tongue. Some of these bridles had sharp spikes on the plate, so if the horrible hag attempted to speak or even move her tongue, her tissues would be slashed open by the spikes. The woman was then paraded through the town square on a leash held by her husband or a town official as a warning to all other women.
Because good, submissive Lakshmis should never, ever, ever voice her opinions. Or even speak at all.
Blessing 4: The European Witch Trials
This was for those nasty hags who had the gall to be hags. They burned thousands of these awful hags at the stake, because they chose not to embody their ideals of a good, virtuous woman and wife. They burned them because the burning would purify their souls, because again, they were rotten, diseased beings who caused everything around them to wither and die. So not ladylike.
Lakshmi seems to have a thing for setting women on fire (remember Sati?). We remain in awe at her divine fancies.
I could go on and on, but there are too many of these blessings to count, across human history and civilizations. I actually wouldnβt need to tell you about them if you experienced them yourself.
So how is this done, ladies?
Worship Lakshmi. Light candles in her honor. Offer sweet-smelling white flowers to her. Invite her into your home. Chant her bija mantra. Chant her extended mantras. Chant her sahasranamas. Invoke her into your being.
Because in doing so, you create the conditions and reinforce the constructs that allow for these blessings to flow freely. She is a generous goddess, and she will make sure you are blessed entirely.
Always remember this when you so devotedly chant her soft mantra, shrΔ«m, which will turn you into the devoted wife that the world so loves, and that the world will not hesitate to bless and fuss over. They will treat you like the tender, meek, and soft goddess that you are.
To every woman who worships Lakshmi, I wish upon you every blessing that she has to offer.
I will close with this wonderful verse from the ShrΔ« Suktam:
"O Mother, you who love lotuses, who hold a lotus, who reside within a lotus, and whose eyes are wide like lotus petals. Beloved of the universe, who is ever pleasing to Lord Vishnuβplease place your beautiful lotus feet within my heart.β
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