Goddess Lakshmi, known as ‘Sri,’ is the One who confers wealth on people. She is the embodiment of auspiciousness. She is the One who came from the Milky Ocean and is Lord Narayana’s Consort. The Lord pays heed to Her; if we are to win His mercy, we must be recommended by Her to Him, said Gomatam Sampathkumarachariar.
Her merciful look must be bestowed on us, if we are to be liberated by Him. If we ask ourselves the question whether we deserve the Lord’s mercy, we will realise how undeserving we are. We are so full of inadequacies, pride and other vices that it is indeed a surprise how the Lord can even think of liberating us. It is proof of His kindness that He liberates us. But in this act of His, the role of Goddess Lakshmi is significant, for it is She who speaks of us to Him and urges the Lord to come to our rescue. She demonstrates again and again that She is all that a mother is. A father might tend to be strict with his children. But a mother wants to protect her child from the wrath of the father. So she either hides from the father the mistakes the child makes or tries to portray the child’s mistakes as trivial. She exaggerates the good things the child has done, thus giving the father the impression that the child is really not so bad after all. Thus she protects the child from the father’s anger and also urges him to reward the child. Thus does Goddess Mahalakshmi argue on our behalf with the Lord.
Goddess Mahalakshmi also adds to the Lord’s effulgence. Mareecha had had a bitter experience when Lord Rama cast him into the sea. He became so scared of Rama that the very mention of His name was enough to terrify Mareecha. When Ravana expressed his intention of kidnapping Sita, Mareecha warned him and said Rama was righteous and virtuous. Rama had glowed with resplendence, even when he had not been married to Sita. How much more would be His resplendence now that Sita was by His side! Mareecha, a demon though, was aware that Sita enhanced the Lord’s splendour. Thus Goddess Lakshmi, by Her very presence, adds to the Lord’s greatness.
