Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

Lan Cai-he 171islanders in a hedonistic cult of song, dance andsexual liberality.Laksmana (with auspicious marks)God. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). A half- oryounger brother of the god RAMA. The son ofDasaratha and Sumitra, his consort is Urmita. Heoften stands to the left of Rama and may bedepicted holding a bow (see also SATRUGHNA).Color: golden. Attributes: bow and ornaments.LAKSMIORIGIN Hindu (Epic and Puranic) [India]. Consortof Višnu.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 300 BC andearlier, through to present times.SYNONYMS Sri-Laksmi; Sri-Devi; DHARANI(earth); see also SITA.CENTER(S) OF CULT no temples, but revered generallythroughout India.ART REFERENCES sculptures generally bronze butalso stone. Reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Ramayana and Mahabharataepics; Puranic literature.A major Hindu goddess who originated perhapsas a mother goddess but who now representswealth and prosperity and epitomizes the laterHindu (Brahmanical) notion of the active femaleprinciple or SAKTI in a male deity. According tothe Ramayana, she arose from the primal Hindusea of milk. Identified as the consort of VIŠNUfrom circa AD 400 onward, she is generallydepicted as a beautiful golden-skinned womanpossessing four, or more commonly two, arms.She stands or rests on a lotus which may bewatered by two attendant elephants. Anotherfavored portrait finds her washing Višnu’s feet ashe reclines on the thousand-headed serpentSesha, an action which is said to bring Višnudreams. She emerges in many guises, changingform as Višnu changes his own incarnations. Sheis perceived also to emerge as the black-skinnedand destructive KALI. Many attributes, but mostcommonly a lotus.Laksmi embodies the model Hindu wife, faithfuland subservient. She may be depicted on theknee of Višnu’s avatara NARAYANA as Laksmi-Narayana. She is reincarnated with each of hisother avatars—thus beside RAMA she becomesSita, said to have been born from a furrow, andwith KRSNA she is first RADHA, then RUKMINI.She is worshiped particularly at the start of thebusiness year in India. In the Divali (Feast ofLamps) on the last day of the dark lunar periodtoward the end of October or early in November,every household lights a lamp in honor of Laksmi.She is also propitiated by gambling.Lalaia’ilGod of shamans. Bella Coola Indian [BritishColumbia, Canada]. The deity who initiates intothe shamanistic circle. He lives in the forest andcarries a wooden wand bound with cedar barkwhich he waves, creating a singing noise. He alsofrequents woodland lakes and ponds. When awoman meets him she is said to menstruate, whilea man develops a nose bleed. Also Kle-klati-e’il.LamariaTutelary goddess. Svan [Caucasus]. Particularlyinvoked by women as a hearth goddess and protectorof cows. Her name may have been derivedunder Christian influence.Lan Cai-heImmortal being. Taoist (Chinese). One of the“eight immortals” of Taoist mythology, the deityis of ambiguous sex, sometimes depicted as a girl.