Lakshmana’s most serious lapse of judg-
ment is with Shurpanakha, a demon
princess and sister to Ravana, the
demon-king of Lanka. When she makes
amorous advances toward Lakshmana,
he first ridicules her and then mutilates
her. Ravana kidnaps Rama’s wife, Sita, to
gain a measure of revenge against the
brothers. Like all of the characters in the
Ramayana, Lakshmana is neither good
nor evil—he has many virtues, but also
some very real flaws.
Lakshman Jhula
Sacred site (tirtha) along the Gangesin
the Tehri district of the state of Uttar
Pradesh, roughly five miles upriver from
the city of Rishikesh. The site takes its
present name from a swinging foot-
bridge (jhula) that spans the Ganges.
The local charter myth describes
Lakshman Jhula as the place where
Ramaand Lakshmanalive as ascetics
late in their lives, atoning for the sin of
brahminicide, which they incurred by
killing Ravanaand his brothers (who are
considered brahmin demons). Today,
the area is famous for the Svargashrama
of Swami Shivananda, part of a network
of ashramsalong its banks.
Lakshmi
(“good fortune,” “prosperity”) Hindu
goddess and wife of the god Vishnu.
According to tradition, Lakshmi is created
when the ocean of milk is churned to
yield the nectar of immortality. Just as
butter is the refined essence of milk, so
Lakshmi is the refined essence of the
primordial ocean, representing all the
best things that come from it. Lakshmi is
associated with wealth, good fortune,
and prosperity, and is considered the
embodiment of all these things. Images
of Lakshmi usually depict her with the
lotus and the elephant, both of which
are associated with good fortune. Many
images show gold coins falling from her
hands, symbolizing wealth.
These potent associations make
Lakshmi an extremely important force
in Hindu life. Lakshmi exercises her
power by her mere presence—when she
comes, she brings prosperity and good
fortune; when she leaves, these benefits
leave with her. Given Lakshmi’s power,
people are understandably eager to
please her, especially since she has the
reputation for being capricious and fickle
in her relationships with human
beings—a reputation that reflects a real-
istic appraisal of life’s vicissitudes.
Lakshmi’s capriciousness and her repu-
tation for being somewhat spiteful make
people extremely careful in their deal-
ings with her, to avoid insulting her,
even if unintentionally.
Lakshmi’s primary annual festival is
Diwali, when she is believed to roam the
earth. People spend the days before
Diwali cleaning, repairing, and white-
washing their homes, making themLakshmiThirteenth-century sculpture of the goddess
Lakshmi. She is considered the embodiment of
wealth, prosperity, and fortune.