Lakshmi's Tale of woe :

Narrated by Madhushri Mukherjee

For hundreds of years, tales of Vishnu have offered hope, love, strength, and wisdom to people of India. There is a very touching myth about the divine couple Lakshmi and Vishnu, which relates to our life at large even this day.

Vishnu is symbolic of the firmament that we see as the blue sky. He is the blue sky that spreads over everything and keeps a vigilant watch. He also has a connection with mother earth which is dear Goddess Lakshmi herself.

On a certain day, the earth Goddess appeared before Vishnu in the form of a cow and lamented about the ambitions and desires of kings and ‘Rajashik' persons. They made her very sad. ‘They have become a burden for my back' she said and, ‘my udders have also run dry in fulfilling their wants'.

Vishnu, hearing her plea, appears as a protector in many forms: Rama, Parashurama and Krishna are some of the forms that he descended upon the earth, in order to rid the evil and restore ‘Dharma'.

Lakshmi is the provider in the abundance of the earth and nature, while Vishnu is the preserver or protector. When desires of mortals become insatiable, the goddess of abundance experiences sorrow.

There is a great lesson to learn from each myth and tale of the Ancient times. The philosophy of Hinduism is not expressed through rituals or strict doctrines. The sublimity of it is best sensed in life styles and they are woven around the tales and myths. Sometimes there is a need to protect oneself from one's desires. A perfect balance between desire and need gives a happy life. When desire goes beyond a point, destruction is unavoidable and inevitable as well.