When “God” is a “Goddess”: The Splendor of Laksmi as Supreme Reality: Journal of Vaishnava Studies

Abstract

It was autumn in Delhi, that majestic time of year when the sky sparkles a bright blue and evenings resonate with a gentle coolness. A season of delightful reprieve from the summer’s heat, autumn is a time to celebrate life’s bounty. As its refreshment mediates against all kinds of torpor, many experience this season as an expression of the goddess. Even Autumn is one of her names.1 This is a time of movement and excitement, a time of visiting and of receiving guests. It is therefore no wonder that this is the time to receive the most desirable guest of all, for this is when the gracious goddess visits her earthly devotees and infuses them with her blessings. In particular, autumn is the most auspicious time for invoking Lakṣmī, beloved goddess of beauty, wealth, prosperity, and abundant good
fortune.