Introduction

These are the stories of one god and one goddess destined to be together. In the heavens, their love is strong, but on earth they are put to the test time and time again. Every lifetime on earth, they are lost souls trying to find their way. Their stories end without closure. Everything ends too soon.

Lakshmi and Vishnu: Flickr

Vishnu is the preserver. He transforms and protects the universe we live in, the universe his incarnations live in. He is the middle ground; where there is creation and destruction, he seeks to protect and restore. He seeks balance. But Vishnu is not the levelheaded being that would make sense with his role. Though he is the embodiment of order, protection, and balance, he is quite the flirt. He can be mischievous, playful, flirtatious, and charming. Again, there is a balance between his role as a supreme being and who he is. Vishnu simply wants to enjoy what life has to offer, so he finds balance to create a life worth enjoying.

His counterpart Lakshmi is the Goddess of wealth, prosperity, love, and beauty. She holds the power towards finding contentment in life, however material it is, and ensuring success and fortune. The only caveat is that one must be free of greed when looking to Lakshmi for prosperity. Prosperity need not only be in the form of material wealth, but also in wisdom. She is the ideal counterpart to Vishnu. She is strong and whimsical yet graceful and wise. Lakshmi and Vishnu perfectly balance one another, fitting together so seamlessly. And she knows what she wants. She chose him as her eternal consort for a reason, after all.

When there is cosmic imbalance on earth, Vishnu sends a manifestation of himself to earth in the form of an avatar. However, in order to fully restore order on earth, he cannot go alone, so Lakshmi sends an incarnation of herself to accompany him. She is representative of four components in human life, Dharma, Kama, Artha, and Moksha, which are the pursuit of moral life, the pursuit of love, the pursuit of wealth, and the pursuit of enlightenment, respectively. Vishnu cannot restore order and protect Dharma on earth alone, so she must be there alongside him to fulfill that purpose.

While Vishnu and Lakshmi are strong together in the heavenly realm, life on earth for their avatars is far from ideal. Unknown forces put obstacles between them time and time again. They become lost and unsure of their own purposes in life on earth, like any other human being, let alone in-tune of what their relationship is with each other. Will their human avatars be able overcome the obstacles and trials they face, or will they never be able to break the reincarnation cycle? Will they continue down the path of the unknown and wandering for the rest of eternity?

3 star-crossed lovers

3 different yugas*

1 never-ending cycle

What will their destinies be?

*Yuga is the era or age of humanity according to Hinduism. There are 4 yugas within the cosmic cycle during in which Dharma steadily declines: Satya Yuga has complete (100%) Dharma and lasts the longest of the four eras; Treta Yuga has 75% Dharma; Dvapara Yuga says Dharma is at 50%, so justice and injustice are equal; and Kali Yuga has 25% Dharma, when injustice outweighs justice. As the final yuga ends and the cycle begins again, Dharma on earth becomes fully reestablished once more.

Bibliography:
"Men and Women in Hindu Mythology" by Devdutt Pattanaik. Published 25 Oct 2018 on Devdutt."Vishnu" from Wikipedia."The Ancient Story of Goddess Lakshmi - Bestower of Power, Wealth, and Sovereignty" by Devdutt Pattanaik. Published 10 Nov 2015 on Quartz India."Lakshmi" from The BBC."Lakshmi" from Wikipedia."The Churning of the Milk Ocean" from the Bhaktivadanta Vedabase. "Yuga" from Britannica.
Banner image source: Cosmic

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse