Lakshmi
When you were but a young Goddess, you were known as Lakshmi. You were the goddess of wealth, fortune, and prosperity. Here is the story of your life.
In the early days of the world, the beings of the universe split into two groups, the Devas and the Asuras. The Devas believed in order. They understood that everyone has their place and purpose. The Asuras rebelled against this idea. They believed that their only duty was to themselves, and their own happiness. The Devas and Asuras were in a constant battle. The Devas had appointed Indra, the warrior god, to fight the Asuras back in order to protect the Earth.
You, Lakshmi, saw through the illusion, the maya that the Asuras had succumbed to, that led them down this wicked path. You blessed Indra with fortune and prosperity, that he might be successful. With your support he could not lose. Try as they might, the Asuras could not gain an inch of ground. They could not touch the world, nor land a hit on Indra. They remained banished to to the milky ocean beyond.
One day, as you were admiring Indra's devotion to the cause of order, you saw a single drop of sweat form on his brow. You thought perhaps the Asuras were gaining power, or perhaps Indra was tiring. In any case, you decided to show him your support. You wanted him to know that you were by his side, and that he was not alone in the fight against chaos.
You placed your blessings of fortune and prosperity on a necklace of the sweetest lotus you could find, and called forth your faithful servant, the sage Durvasa to deliver your blessing to Indra. Durvasa was dutiful and good. He delivered the garland as instructed. But, upon receipt of the garland, Indra scoffed.
"Does Lakshmi not see that I don't need her blessing? I have fought back the Asuras for centuries. I am quite capable on my own. But indeed, tell her that her blessing will not go to waste. It will serve me well, protecting my steed," he said, placing the garland on his elephant.
The deep fragrance of the lotus must have upset the elephant's great nose, for he took the garland and tossed it to the ground. You were watching from afar. You were outraged by Indra's arrogance, and stormed away into the milky ocean.
Upon your disappearance, Indra suddenly succumbed to the Asuras, and they invaded the Earth. However, the Asuras soon realized that the wealth they had stolen from the Devas evaporated in your absence also. Their gems crumbled and their gold tarnished. The Devas and the Asuras realized that they had no choice but to get you back. Together, they plotted to turn the ocean over that you might be brought to the surface.
They devised a plan to make a churn grand enough to churn the entire ocean. The only thing long enough to be the churning rod was the mountain Mandara. The only thing large enough to be the paddle was the Tortoise-King, and so they placed Mount Mandara on the Tortoise-King's back. Finally, they needed a way to move the churn. They took Vasuki, the Serpent-King and wrapped his great body around Mount Mandara. The Asuras took hold of his head, and the Devas took hold of his tail. They pulled in turn, first one then the other, causing the churn to spin and move the waters of the milky ocean.
The Churning Rod Constructed by the Devas And Asuras.
They churned and churned, for five hundred years they churned the ocean. You grew tired of their efforts and sent up to them amrita, that they might eat it and become immortal. You had hoped that this might appease them, so that they would finally leave you be, but it did not.
The Devas and Asuras, however, were spent; they could churn no longer. They prayed to me, the almighty Brahman, to give them strength. They resumed their grand game of tug-of-war, and kept churning the ocean for another five hundred years. Finally, the bottom of the ocean had risen to the top, and the top was at the bottom. You realized they would not cease in their pursuit of you, and so you emerged, resplendent, standing on a lotus, to restore wealth, fortune, and prosperity to all. With your aid, the Devas were once again able to chase the Asuras off of the Earth.
Author's Note: While this is one of the stories which shows Lakshmi with more autonomy and more power, she is not the focus of the original story. It is originally from the Mahabharata, but I pulled heavily from a more modern retelling, linked below. I made a few changes to bring her more to the forefront of the story, while still staying true to her personality. Lakshmi is said to reward those who work hard or exhibit virtue and bravery, but rescinds her blessings if these qualities are no longer shown. This I kept. One thing I changed, though, is Vishnu. In the original story Vishnu is a much larger character. He actually directs the endeavor to churn the ocean. But, in this telling, I wanted to shift the focus from Vishnu to Lakshmi, and so chose to refrain from naming him at all. All of the gods did participate in the churning, after all, not just Vishnu. Additionally, in the original telling, the Devas and Asuras were churning the ocean in pursuit of the immortality-giving amrita, or nectar of the gods, and Lakshmi's appearance was just a side-effect. I gave the power to dispense amrita to Lakshmi in order to make her character stronger and center the story around her. This also helped to develop her personality as fair and benevolent, but short-tempered if she feels she's been wronged. (This is a characterization that will show up in later stories!)
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