ॐ ह्रीं क्लीन महालक्ष्म्यै नमः ।।
Om Hring kling Maha Lakshmyai Namah ||
Goddess Laxmi I bow before you.
The enlightened sage Durvasa had the fortitude to perform severe penance and intense meditation. He had, after several hundred years of tapas (austerities), attained immense mystical and magical powers. Apart from this he skilfully led, controlled and disciplined his ten thousand disciples. They followed him wherever he went and he taught them the real truth behind the creation of the universe. A most knowledgeable sage, he was revered all through the heavens and throughout the whole universe.
According to our Puranas it is said that Sage Durvasa was a Rudra incarnation of Lord Shiva. Rudra is the fiery form of Lord Shiva - the one who has little patience with those who fail to follow the path of righteousness and dharma (the upright way of living). Hence Sage Durvasa’s one short coming was that he was quick to lose his temper. In fact on account of his short temper he was known as the Krodha Battakara, the hot tempered, respected spiritual sage. Even the gods in heaven were not spared from his wrath.
However, Durvasa Rishi only lashed out in anger at those who disregarded the rules of dharma, virtue and righteousness. Generous with his blessings he was equally liberal with his curses when angry. His temper, though, was usually short lived. Once his fury had dissipated he would often provide the antidote to his curse!
One day sage Durvasa was wandering through the heavens in an ecstatic frame of mind. He met a beautiful Apsara (celestial nymph) who was wearing a fresh garland of flowers. When the sage admired her garland and requested her for it the Apsara, not wanting to anger the holy man, immediately handed the garland to him. Durvasa thanked her and continued with his travels.
Along the way he met Lord Indra, the king of the heavens. Lord Indra was mounted on his magnificent white elephant, Airavata. All around him Apsaras and Gandharva's (celestial musicians) were playing music, singing and dancing. Millions of gods and goddesses were following the mighty Lord Indra. It was indeed a splendid parade. Lord Indra sitting on his magnificent mount looked resplendent and glorious. In deference to the mighty king of the gods, sage Durvasa took off the floral garland and handed it over to Lord Indra with great reverence. Indra accepted the floral tribute but instead of wearing it he casually tossed it around Airavata’s neck. The elephant did what came to him instinctively. He took the garland off and threw it to the ground. Then Airavata while stomping from one foot to another dropped his enormous elephant foot right on top of the garland, crushing it completely.
Sage Durvasa had observed Indra carelessly toss the garland onto his vahana (vehicle), Airavata. He also noticed that Indra did not seem even slightly bothered when Airavata stamped on the floral tribute and destroyed it. Naturally, Sage Durvasa was furious. In anger he chided Lord Indra and said, “Indra your position as king of the gods has made you arrogant. You have become very haughty. You have shown me disrespect by throwing my gift aside. You believe that your power, position and success is indestructible. In order to teach you a lesson I curse you.”
Before Lord Indra could even respond the old sage roared, “May your entire kingdom be destroyed!”
Lord Indra began to tremble. He knew the power of Durvasa’s curse. He jumped down from his elephant and begged, “Revered sage it was not my intention to insult you. I merely placed the garland on Airavata. I did not wish for it would be destroyed.”
The old sage could not be placated. Unmoved by Indra’s words Durvasa said, “Whatever I have said cannot be undone.” Then turning away from Indra he continued his wandering through the universe.
This was a time when the gods and the asuras (demons) were continually in battle. The gods had been enjoying one victory after another against the asuras. These victories had made Lord Indra extremely powerful. With Durvasa’s curse began the decline of the Devas (gods). The gods and humans began to lose their vigour and energy. Vegetables and plants started dying. Human beings began to lose their faith in the gods. Men and women became corrupt and indulged in unrighteous pursuits. Realising that the devas’ powers were on a decline the asuras began to wage war against the devas. They took full advantage of the weakened position of the gods. Consequently, the asuras started to win. They won one battle after another. The gods were steadily losing every bit of the heavens. Indra and his army of devas began to fear that they would be completely destroyed.
It was then that Indra rushed to Lord Vishnu. Falling at Lord Vishnu’s feet Indra begged of him, “Lord, the asuras are defeating us at every battle. We have lost all our powers. Lord I am helpless and unable to save the heavens. Please I beg you save us.”
Lord Vishnu advised Indra, “Indra, first go and make a truce with the asuras. Once you have managed this, you must convince the asuras to churn the Cosmic Ocean of Milk along with you. You must both work together in harmony. From the Cosmic Ocean of Milk you will receive Amrit (ambrosia). This Amrit will restore to you and to all the gods their powers and give all of you immortality.”
Lord Indra did not entirely wish to reach a truce with his enemies and hence posed a question to Lord Vishnu, “Lord,” he queried, “but surely the asuras will demand their share of the Amrit and that will make them immortal too?”
The all knowing Lord Vishnu replied, “Do as I say. If you are able to reach a truce with your enemy and convince them to work along with you, rest assured that I will ensure that only the gods receive the Amrit.”
Indra followed the Lord’s dictates. Swallowing his pride he began to negotiate a truce with the asuras. Diplomatically he convinced them to work along with the gods to obtain the Amrit.
The churning of the Ocean of Milk was by no means an easy task. The devas and asuras used mount Mandara as their churning rod. It was the mighty Vasuki, the king of serpents that they used as the rope that they tied around the mountain. The asuras held the head of the snake while the devas held its tail. It was Lord Vishnu in the form of a turtle that was the base that steadied the mountain during the churning. The asuras and devas pulled from side to side, back and forth for a thousand years. When the ocean spouted poison it was Lord Shiva who swallowed the poison so it would not harm others. During the churning, the ocean brought up several gems, jewels and other valuable assets. Unmindful of the treasures the asuras and devas kept churning.
It was from this momentous churning that the Goddess Laxmi arose from the tumultuous waves of the ocean. The beautiful goddess of wealth and good fortune was seated on an exquisite, full bloomed lotus. Seeing Lord Vishnu she chose to be by his side. As Vishnu had chosen to help the devas, Laxmi too was now on the devas side.
Following the churning of the ocean, the devas returned to the heavens. As they had received goddess Laxmi’s, blessings they slowly began to regain their powers and strength. Once again they were able to defeat the asuras and protect their heavenly abode. No longer could the asura’s usurp the heavens and rule over the gods.
Following Indra’s disrespectful treatment of the venerable sage Durvasa, Goddess Laxmi had abandoned the gods. Without Goddess Laxmi’s blessings the gods had lost their lustre and vigour. Lord Indra’s powers too had begun to fade and dissipate because Laxmi no longer supported him. The beautiful Goddess of Fortune had deserted the gods because, as the wise sage Durvasa had said, they were becoming far too arrogant and pompous about their strength. Lord Indra too had begun to believe that he was indestructible. Goddess Laxmi will not reside with those who are too proud of their wealth, power or fame. She is generous with her blessings but flees the minute she notices that those she has blessed are becoming too pompous and proud. When humans or even the gods forget to be grateful and thankful for their good fortune, Goddess Laxmi quickly steps away from them and does not return till they have learnt their lesson.
The mighty Lord Indra and his retinue of gods had learnt their lesson. Indra had shown his complete faith in Lord Vishnu by unquestioningly following his commands. He had learnt humility when he extended his hand in truce with his enemies. Indra and the gods had also learnt to set aside their pride and work together with the asuras in churning the ocean. Though the task was tedious and took several years, the devas continued to work diligently. When the Amrit did appear out of the cosmic Ocean of Milk it was the asuras who ran away with all of it. Yet the devas never lost their belief and trust in Lord Vishnu. Having complied with the Lord’s commands and having transformed themselves for the better, the devas were rewarded with the Amrit.
The festival of Diwali or Deepawali marks the return of Lord Ram to his home in Ayodhya after defeating King Ravana of Lanka. Also a big part of the Diwali celebrations is the welcoming of the goddess of good fortune, Laxmi, into our homes. We clean and decorate our homes in preparation for her arrival. Laxmi Puja is performed and across India people await the arrival of the goddess. Everyone looks forward to receiving her blessings.
The benevolent goddess does visit us and bless us with prosperity and abundance. But, once we have received her blessings we often forget all about her. We begin to believe that we have attained all our successes through our own efforts. We disregard those who have helped us become prosperous and powerful. We become self-important, proud and boastful. We completely forget to be grateful to Goddess Laxmi and all the many helpers she brought our way to aid in our success. This is when the goddess turns angry and walks away from us.
On the auspicious day of Laxmi puja welcome the goddess not only into your home but into your heart too. Remember not only to clean your home but your minds too. Cherish her, love her, always be grateful to her and live by the ideals that keep her happy. If we do all this Goddess Laxmi will not just visit once a year but will happily stay with us forever.
LIFE LESSONS
Always be respectful of others, most especially your elders and your teachers.
Know that pride come before a fall. Even a mighty god like Indra lost his position when he became too arrogant.
Know that the Lord will always give you the right directions in life. The devas followed Lord Vishnu’s instructions and eventually received the Amrit.
The Lord helped Indra because he asked for the Lord’s help. Remember we can always rely on God for support.
It is important to accept that we can never succeed alone. We need a lot of help from those around us and we must always be grateful to them.
We must not take our good fortune for granted. We must always be thankful to Goddess Laxmi for her blessings. Without her blessings we would never succeed.
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