Vedic Katha
Why is Lakshmi worshipped on Diwali? The answer lies in the Samudra Manthan, the churning of the ocean of milk, from which the goddess of fortune…
On the main night of Diwali, it is Lakshmi, goddess of fortune, who is worshipped above all. One reason reaches back to the greatest of cosmic events: the Samudra Manthan, the churning of the ocean of milk,…
Weakened by a sage's curse, the devas had lost their fortune and strength. On the advice of Vishnu, they made an uneasy alliance with the asuras to churn the ocean of milk and draw out the nectar of…
As the ocean churned, it gave up one marvel after another: the deadly halahala poison, which Shiva drank to save creation; the wish-cow Kamadhenu; the moon; the divine tree Parijata;
The meaning is not lost on those who tell it at Diwali: Lakshmi did not fall from the sky but rose from a churning, from patient, difficult, shared effort, even between rivals.
This is why Lakshmi is shown seated on a lotus, risen from water yet unstained by it, and why her image presides over Diwali.
Lakshmi did not fall from the sky but rose from a churning, from patient, difficult, shared effort, even between rivals.
Vedic Katha
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