Then, seated on a full-blown lotus, and holding a water-lily in her hand, the Goddess Shri, radiant with beauty rose from the waters. The great sages, enraptured, hymned her with the Shri-Sukta dedicated to her praise… heavenly beings sang, and… celestial nymphs danced before her. Ganga and other holy streams attended for her ablutions; and elephants of the skies, taking up their pure waters in vases of gold, poured them over the goddess, the queen of the universal world…*

Abundance is Everywhere ~ Navratri brings back memories of my travels in India, and unexpected encounters with the Devi in all her forms… Walking down a laneway in the heart of a frenetic Kolkata, I came across the serenity of Lakshmi Devi ~ the Goddess of spiritual abundance and wellbeing. She is Everywhere!

Happy Navratri dear friends,
Jai Maa!

Image by Mardi: Lakshmi Devi, Kolkata, 2012  |  * Verse: Excerpt from the Vishnu Purana, a literary text of about the 5th Century, which gives an account of Lakshmi’s origin as divine consort.  |  Translation by Wilson, H.H. 1989: Vishnu Puranam. Nag Publishers, Delhi.