The fable of Laxmi and ‘A-Laxmi’

The tale of goddess Laxmi, the goddess of all riches who we worship on Diwali, evolves along three basic beliefs. One: our earth and all life emerged out of water one after another. Two, the lifting of the earth was done by a boar, but it was a woman goddess who made it fertile. And three, ever since then the seed for everything has come out of a womb, either of the Mother Earth or a woman. You mistreat and/or displease them at your own peril.

According to one of the earliest prayers to the Goddess of good things, the Sri Sukta (prayer to Sri or Laxmi), first there were only the primordial waters with a golden egg (Hiranya Garbha) floating in it. Out of this egg came life as we know it facilitated by Sri. The earth was then full of mud (Chikleet), and it was Sri that set about to populate and beautify it to make it lively and beautiful and green.

Envy arose among wombless males as goodies grew and the natural laws began to be super imposed with male supremacist pantheon of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Then seven Rishis like Atri, Bhrigu and Mareechi created seven male headed community identities named Gotras and gave religion a male supremacist slant even though they themselves were all named after their mothers who till then were the ruling matriarchs.

Laxmi began to be portrayed now as a beautiful woman whom the gods had propitiated with Mantras and even lent their powers for accruing bigger worldly powers: (Mahad Prapnuyam Iti Shriyai Swaha..). Artharva Veda (9/5) prescribes sacrificing a goat to placate the hungry wild Goddess for not only increasing one’s wealth, but also for destroying that of the enemy’s.

Soon it came to light through male manipulation of property that the gifts of the powerful and restless (Chanchala) goddess of wealth came inescapably accompanied by fearsome dark, secretive and ruthless practices. Scriptures and later Puranas now frankly talked of two forms of Laxmi: the good, Laxmi and the bad, Alaxmi or Paap Laxmi.

The good one was welcome within homes, but the bad one must stand outside. Thus, the rural custom in the North of mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law beating a winnowing tray (Soop) outside their dwelling, inviting Laxmi with her spouse Vishnu (Narayana) and hollering at the bad Laxmi to vacate their home.

The agrarian society created rituals around Laxmi, acknowledging her dirty origins and her superlative and golden fecundity that fills storerooms with produce and riches of all kinds. Cow dung to gold, dairy products to fresh seasonal produce, all ingredients associated with Sri, Laxmi or Chanchala must be included in traditional offerings to the goddess, who is quick to take offence and move out. The kings, even Muslim rulers, who symbolised absolute earthly power, took care to mark her image upon gold and silver coins. Why offend Chanchala and risk her rendering their kingdom darkly infertile?

Notably Laxmi’s mount is not a swan like her rival Saraswati’s nor a tiger like Durga’s. She favours an owl, a bird that can negotiate the dark and kill with a curled beak when needed. The owl as Laxmi’s Vahana further reinforces her dark wisdom. Its harsh grating call (Ulook Dhwani) is uttered by Tantriks as they practise their dark arts in cremation grounds. Women however consider owl as a friend and emulate its Ulook Dhwani as they celebrate at weddings and arrival of an honoured guest.

In the manner of powerful men marrying an assertively powerful wife, Vishnu, who came to be deemed as this powerful goddess’s consort, dissociated from the earth and confined her to his sleeping quarters upon the sea of milk where she is portrayed as sitting and pressing his feet. For managing this Vishnu came to be called Purushottam, the best among males!

But even a Purushottam slips up. There is an interesting tale of Lord Jagannath of Puri, whose wife Mahalakshmi, spotted a great devotee in an untouchable woman Sriya Chandaluni. Never one to think much of malemade Manuvadi caste system, the Goddess not only visited her home, she broke all taboos and ate Chandaluni’s offering with pleasure. Upon hearing of this, in manner of most Bade Bhaiyas Balbhadra, the Lord’s elder brother, is said to have compelled the younger brother to ban her entry into the sanctum sanctorum.

An enraged Lakshmi is then said to have stomped off with all her wealth, edibles and priests (Sevakas), and got another temple built for herself. Hungry and assetless within a temple abandoned by Lakshmi, the brothers first tried self-cooking and failed. Then dressed as Brahmins they went begging but no one would serve them food. They then arrived hungry and humbled at Lakshmi’s door, where they were told that this was the abode of a Chandal, where food was served only to those who vowed not to practise untouchability

The promise was readily given. And to this day, during the Rath Yatra, before the sacred car moves, an untouchable must offer a coconut to the Lord. The King of the area on the other hand, turns into a humble sweeper and sweeps the path of the Yatra with a broom before helping pull the chariot.

Thus did Laxmi quash the fabled male ego of her ‘Purushottam’ lord and his big brother and restored the natural balance.