Lakshmi

"The goddess of abundance and fortune, Sri Lakshmi, reflected the accumulated wealth and financial independence of the Buddhist monasteries. Her image became one of the popular visual themes carved on their monuments."

"Each single deity such as Shiva, Parvati, Vishnu, SriLakshmi and others is considered personal and the highest god by individual Hindu worshippers. This particular religious perspective resulted in a popular movement in which fervent devotion was offered to the deity of one’s choice."

"Lakshmi is believed to have emerged from the ocean at the time of its churning by gods on one side and demons on the other. The figure of Mahalakshmi, however, is austere and solemn. All the figures surrounding her, as if magnetized, move towards her. She is the nucleus of the whole composition."

"... there are three varieties of Lakshmi images: those symbolic of agricultural abundance and the king's treasury, as the divine wife who tenderly massages her husband's foot, and as a Yogini rooted in the waters of the ocean."

"The Nilmata Purana states that the goddesses Lakshmi and Uma manifested themselves in the valley as the rivers Jhelum (locally known as Vitasta) and Sindhu, to purify the land. The sources of water are considered sacred by the Kashmiris."

"All Women Are Embodiments of Lakshmi Whether exhibiting steadfastness or restlessness, nurturing, independence, or any other embodiment or mode of expression. Lakshmi always retains her core essence as the divine feminine."

"Every one of her forms is specifically female – most distinctly as Radha, Sita and Rukmini who are consorts of various forms of Vishnu. She is prithvi the divine feminine embodied as mother earth... the gods proclaim: You exist as little girls in their childhood, As young women in their youth, And as elderly women in their old age."

"Through her expression of kåma, Laksmi becomes Rådhå, the beloved of Krishna, whom she meets for secret love-play in the enchanted Vrinda forest. In "The Heavenly Gods' Praise-Song for Laksmi" (Sri Daivakarta Laksmi Stotram), the celestial ones celebrate Laksmi in her glorious display of such forms: In Goloka You are the goddess more dear to Krishna Than life itself, His own Radhika Deep in the forest Deep in the Vrnda forest, You are mistress of mesmerizing rasa dance In the bows of the sacred bhandira tree, You are Krishna’s desire. In the sandalwood forest you are Candra, In the grove of yellow jasmine you are Viraja, On the hundred-peaked mountain you are the lovely Sundari."

"The useful, life-giving currents of gold, of water, of fructifying rains, and indeed of any form of energy are all variations on the same image of Lakshmi's bestowal of prosperity. In some images, elephants lustrate the goddess with streams of water, increasing the magnitude of bounty and also illustrating an important point – that the goddess of plenty herself enjoys replenishment."

"Prasanna Vadana Sri Laksmi stotram (Prasanna Vadana hymn): Consumed by dire poverty I am breathless with anxiety and fever. In this impossibly painful state, I am driven to your side, O Lakski, Ocean of Compassion, Bestow wealth, And guide me to a state of propensity."

"This [.sattva i.e dynamic equipoise.] is Laksmi’s fullness and life-energy, and it expresses what the Greek philosophers put forth: truth is beauty and beauty is truth. Laksmi dwells in expansion and reception: in the fullness of giving and receiving of gifts, nourishment, and pleasure in the commercial exchange of goods and services, and in the ritual exchange of offerings and boons."

"Those who hear or recite This birth story of Laksmi Attract the presence of Sri in their homes For three generations Alaksmi, repository of penury and strife, Never gains entrance into those homes Whose inhabitants offer songs to Sri."