Brittney Andrade Tuesday March 20, 2018. HUMA 1860 – The nature of religion: an introduction TUTR 07 Iconography of the supernatural and the divine: Lakshmi In Hindu mythology, there are the two gods and goddesses. Goddess worship can be seen as a source of power and inspiration for women. I decided to focus my research on Lakshmi because she is the goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity. She is the wife of Vishnu, one of the main deities of Hinduism. It brings not only material wealth, but also good health and a joyful family life. Lakshmi was born from the ocean sitting on a lotus while holding a flower in her hand. In Hindu art, she has a generous chest, wide hips and is always seen with a bright smile. She wears a red sari with coins falling from two of her four hands. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In her other two hands, she holds lotuses, a flower that represents the spiritual gifts she bestows on others. She is often depicted sitting on a lotus and anointed by two elephants. During my research, I discovered that the role of a good wife and mother is described as the most important thing to people. In my opinion, this can be linked to the most substantive result on which the understanding of gender equality rests. It is the belief that men and women are born with different qualities. Contrary to gender theory, differences between men and women are seen as largely publicly manufactured. For most Hindu families, Lakshmi is the goddess of the home and is especially favored by women. Although she is worshiped daily, the festive month of October is the special month of Lakshmi. Lakshmi is usually depicted as a beautiful, golden-complexioned woman with four hands, sitting or standing on a lotus in full bloom and holding a lotus bud, which represents beauty, purity and fertility. His four hands represent the four ends of human life: dharma or righteousness, kama or desires, artha or wealth and moksha or liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. Cascades of gold coins are always seen flowing from his hands, suggesting that those who worship him will gain wealth. She always wears red clothes embroidered with gold. Red symbolizes activity and the gold lining means prosperity. Believed to be the daughter of mother goddess Durga and the consort of Vishnu, Lakshmi symbolizes the active energy of Vishnu. Two elephants are often depicted standing next to the goddess and spraying water. This symbolizes that endless effort, when practiced in accordance with dharma and governed by wisdom and purity, leads to both material and spiritual prosperity. To symbolize her many attributes, Lakshmi can appear in one of eight different forms, representing everything from knowledge to food grains. The importance given to the presence of Lakshmi in every home makes her an essentially domestic deity. Family heads worship Lakshmi as a symbol of family well-being and prosperity. Friday is traditionally the day when Lakshmi is worshipped. In this study, I chose a gender approach. This part describes research on gender and Hinduism. The information I chose to focus on is the relationship between Hinduism and feminism. Some Indian women refuse to call themselves feminists because the term itself comes from the West and not from Indian women's society. For this reason, the word.