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Lakshmi

Hindu goddess of wealth and good fortune. The spouse of Vishnu, she is said to have taken totally different kinds in order to be with him in each of his incarnations. Thus when he was the dwarf Vamana, she appeared from a lotus and was often known as Padma, or Kamala; when he was the ax-wielding Parashurama, the destroyer of the warrior caste, she was his wife Dharani; when he was King Rama, she was his queen Sita. In probably the most extensively acquired account of Lakshmi birth, she rose from the churning of the milky ocean, seated on a lotus and holding one other blossom in her hand. (See additionally churning of the milky ocean.) Controversy arose between the gods and demons over possession of her.

Lakshmi is often represented in sculpture seated on a lotus, full-breasted, broad-hipped, beneficently smiling, and sometimes being anointed by a pair of elephants. Her vehicle is the white owl. She continues to be worshiped by trendy Hindus, notably in the home (every Friday) and on regular festival days throughout the year. She is tremendously revered by members of the Jainist faith.