12. Lakshmi

Hindus worship Goddess Lakshmi during the festival of Diwali.
She is the goddess in charge of money and good luck.
Lakshmi is very beautiful. She is shown standing on a lotus flower. She usually wears a deep pink sari. She wears a golden crown and lots of jewellery with rubies, diamonds, and emeralds.
Lakshmi has four arms. In two hands, she holds lotus flowers. In another, she holds a water pot with a coconut on top. From her fourth hand, she is showering golden coins on her worshippers.
Look at the picture. What else do you see?
Lakshmi is the wife of Vishnu. Sometimes they are worshipped together.
When Vishnu comes as Rama, Lakshmi also comes as Sita. And when Krishna comes, his partner is Radha.
Lakshmi was born form the ocean of milk, when the gods and the demons were churning it. They were trying to make nectar, which would make them live forever. Many other things came out, like Lakshmi and the moon.
Another name for Lakshmi is Chanchala. It means ‘flickering’ or ‘unsteady’. This means that good luck and lots of money do not last for long. They come and they go. Lakshmi always stays with Vishnu, so Hindus say that good luck stays with those who worship Vishnu.