Treasures of Lakshmi: The Goddess Who Gives

Book Review by Alka Tyagi

Treasures of Lakshmi: The Goddess Who Gives, edited by Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal, Penguin Random House India, 2024. ISBN 9780143459866. MRP. Rs.499. Pages 332.                                                                       

 Treasures of Lakshmi: The Goddess Who Gives is a compilation of ancient hymns, origin tales, contemporary narratives, poetic interpretations, folk tales and insightful essays on Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess, who bestows boons of abundance and plenitude.

Framed by an elaborate ‘Introduction’ by Malashri Lal and a beautifully nuanced ‘Afterword’ by Namita Gokhale, the book serves as a document of rich material that surrounds the image of Lakshmi since the time of the Rigveda up to the contemporary representations of the goddess. The abundance of material and the range of symbolism that surrounds Lakshmi in the historical timeline of Hindu civilization is overwhelming. However, Treasures of Lakshmi comes as a torchlight that illumines the path to a fair understanding of the primal energy that flows through the corridor of time as a life- giving force.

The book opens with “Hymns to Lakshmi” that contain citations about Shree as depicted in the Satapatha Brahmana, the ‘Shri Suktam’ from the appendices (Khilanis) of the Rigveda, ‘Lakshmi Suktam’ from the Vishnu Mahapurana, Saubhagya Lakshmi Upanishad, ‘Mahalakshmi Stotra by Indra’, and the ‘Kanakadhara Stotram’ by Adi Shankaracharya. These original Sanskrit compositions are translated into contemporary English by renowned scholars like Julius Eggeling, Swami Krishnananda, M.N.Dutt, A.G. Krishna Warrier and Arthur and Ellen Avalon. The linguistic adaptation is one of the hallmarks of this book as it bridges the gap between complex Sanskrit renderings and the global modern seeker who will have easy access to the textual nuances in English. In fact, this book gains immense value as it serves the globally dispersed English audience. The book brings much needed contemporary scholarship to the idea of Lakshmi. One of the editors, Malashri Lal mentions in her Introduction, "We found no collection on Lakshmi that anthologized the various traditions in which she played a key role or gathered her relevance in regional literature. Nor was there much creative writing that would imagine her as a protagonist in storytelling frameworks. Lakshmi's significant presence in social reality and her surprising absence from comprehensive literary scholarship fueled our resolve to compile and edit this book, ...Our book, Treasures of Lakshmi, hopes to restore the comprehensive picture of a goddess who presided over the beginnings of cosmic creation and who should continue to be venerated as the benefactor of the most liberal definitions of 'prosperity' ".

Four sections of the book are thoughtfully assembled. The first section titled as “Unveiling Lakshmi's Essence: Divine Interpretations” covers scholars like Bibek Debroy who delves into the Vedas and Puranas to cull out the relevance of many symbols that surround this resplendent goddess; Jawhar Sircar who probes the paradox of the origin myth of Lakshmi and her abode in eternal waters; Devdutt Pattanaik who looks at various definitions of wealth symbolized by the goddess; and Meghnad Desai who connects Lakshmi with incarnations of Sita and Rukmini and touches upon the concept of Grihalakshmi, the house-holder woman whose touch brings dynamic energy, and who transforms a house into a home. Other scholars such as Renuka Narayanan look at the prevalence of Lakshmi in the Southern regions, Sunita Pant Bansal describes the Lakshmi of the ‘Mountains’ and Menka Rai uncovers the depictions of Lakshmi in Buddhism and Jainism.

The second section of the book is on creative interpretations of Lakshmi's mystique as seen in poems and fictional adaptations by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Reba Som along with other contemporary writers, namely, Sanjukta Dasgupta, Bulbul Sharma and Koral Dasgupta. Tagore's poem ‘Nagarlakshmi’ invokes a scene from the town of Shravastipura in Buddha's time during a famine. It depicts the power of a young woman's daring resolve to feed the hungry people of her town at the behest of the Buddha. Like Lakshmi, Supriya announces:

 

Those who cry in hunger

Are my children too.

To distribute rice to all

I take on today the duty

 

Sanjukta Dasgupta's moving poem laments the greed with which modern man, who is in love with 'more' calls out to goddess Lakshmi for 'more, more, more...' And Lakshmi:

 

Clutching an urn of treasures

The homely goddess

Sits quietly in a room

Like Patience on an altar

Smiling at greed.

 

The third section is on cultural interpretations of goddess Lakshmi that includes essays by scholars like Malashri Lal herself who gives an overview of Lakshmi's assimilation into commerce and industry in modern times. It is interesting to read in her essay, “Lakshmi: The Brand Rhetoric”, how the famous Indian cosmetic brand, Lakme, arose from the French idea of Lakshmi. She describes, "The initial suggestion of 'Lakshmi Beauty Products' was not sassy enough-- and French collaborators Robert Piquet and Renoir came up brilliantly with 'Lakme' which was a French version of the goddess's name.” Another less known and fascinating fact associated with the goddess Lakshmi is brought out by Tanashree Redij and P.P. Joglekar in their essay on “Alakshmi: Symmetry and Asymmetry”. Alakshmi, the older sister of Lakshmi emerged just before Lakshmi during the churning of the ocean. While Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, beauty and prosperity and is benevolent, Alakshmi is her opposite; she is malevolent in nature and brings deprivation, hunger and misfortune. The writers tell us that some old rituals of driving Alakshmi out of the house through the courtyard by making noises like winnowing baskets and drums are still in practice during Diwali.

The fourth section contains folk adaptations of myths about Lakshmi. These narratives reveal the presence of the goddess in the little traditions within lived spaces of community specific cultures, for instance, Lakshmi in the vrat-kathas, or ritual fasting days. If the goddess is a rebel figure in one place, she is the smart scrutinizer of devotion elsewhere. She is associated with the Tulsi plant in a community, at other times, she is the ‘chanchal’ one, wandering away from home. These folk tales, though popular in regional languages, have seldom been rendered into English so as to knit the legends of the goddess into a richly textured narrative.

In all, the book offers an insightful documentary on the socio-cultural, religious, economic, psychological and spiritual impact of varied dimensions of goddess Lakshmi. To end, I would like to quote Namita Gokhale, the co-editor of the book:

"Our anthology delves into the enigma of Lakshmi, her secrets, her treasures, her many blessings. The stories and essays, poems and hymns, and meditations that we have collated here carry myriad interpretations of the elusive goddess of good fortune.

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Setu, October 2024