by Vijaya Lakshmi is one of the eight forms of AshtaLakshmi. She is the goddess of power and superiority. Vijaya Lakshmi is taken from a Sanskrit word “Vijaya,” which means victory. During earlier days, people used to worship goddess and seek her blessings before departing for the battlefield. It was not only the victory in a battlefield, which was of utmost importance but also the victory over the evils a person goes through inside his mind. By worshiping Vijaya Lakshmi, one gets the strength and peace of mind, which helps in overcoming all the difficulties in day to day life activities.
Symbolical representation of Vijaya Lakshmi
Vijaya Lakshmi is an eight-armed goddess. She is dressed in a red coloured sari. The eight hands of the goddess are adorned with different weapons. The Goddess holds lotus, conch, noose, shield, sword and disc in her six hands. The other two hands are in Abhaya and Varada Mudra. Abhaya or fearlessness is the gesture in yogic posture, which reassures safety and protection. Vijaya Lakshmi’s right hand is in upright posture against her body with her palms facing outward. With this posture, the goddess dispels the fear of her devotees and provides protection against hurdles. The goddess’s left hand is in Varada Mudra through which she blesses her devotees with all they need. This yogic posture of generosity also reminds us to be generous and sensitive to other human beings and treat them with respect and compassion.
Mythological legends
According to the mythological stories, a man called Vidya Rannar worshipped Goddess with all his devotion. He performed penance and engaged himself into deep meditation. Seeing Vidya Rannar, Vijaya Lakshmi was impressed and paid him a visit. Before blessing him with a boon, goddess wanted to test that Vidya Rannar if he deserves her blessings or not. Hence, the goddess told him that he took birth at an inauspicious time because of which he would never be able to enjoy the luxuries of life. This incident failed to stop Vidya Rannar from worshipping and his devotion was invincible. Goddess was so impressed by his sincerity that he blessed Vidya Rannar with the abundance of wealth, power, dominion and status. But by this time, Vidya Rannar had turned into a man free from the clutches of materialistic desires. He didn’t need that wealth anymore, and hence, he decided to dedicate the wealth in building a new kingdom. He named the kingdom after the name of the goddess, which later became famous Vijaya Nagar Empire.
Hymns associated with Vijaya Lakshmi
The ancient Hindu scriptures dedicated various hymns to Goddess Vijaya Lakshmi. The popular one among them is as follows:
Jaya kamalasini, sadgathi dayini, jnana vikasini ganamaye|
Anudina marchitha kumkuma dhoosara, bhooshitha vaasitha vadhyanuthe||
Jaya jaya he madhusoodhana kamini, Vijayalakshmi sada palaya maam||
Kanakadhara sthuthi vaibhava, vanditha shankara desika manyapathe|
The above hymns mean that Goddess Vijaya Lakshmi is seated on a lotus. Success will be granted to anyone who prays her. The glory of the Goddess is prominent in faraway places.
Other forms of Ashtalakshmi
Adilakshmi
Dhanyalakshmi
Dhairyalakshmi (Veera Lakshmi)
Gaja lakshmi
Santana lakshmi
Vidya lakshmi
Dhanalakshmi
