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Lakshmi Bestows Wealth, She Is Not Wealth
“In this same way, every woman is a form of Lakshmi — the very power that bestows wealth. — Do not despair, Krishna; take up your weapon.”
About this teaching
Lakshmi bestows wealth; she is not herself wealth. In this same way, every woman is a form of Lakshmi — the very power that bestows wealth. — Do not despair, Krishna; take up your weapon. Why do you harbor a wish to be defeated?
The question this teaching puts
Why do you harbor a wish to be defeated?
Chapter 21 — Lakshmi Bestows Wealth, She Is Not Wealth
Chapter 21 of 35 — a single teaching, 1 min in total.
Tags
Wealth, and what it is not.
The distinction the title draws — Lakshmi bestows wealth but is not wealth — is standard in the tradition and worth stating plainly, because it is routinely collapsed. She is the goddess associated with fortune and abundance; the abundance is what she gives, not what she is.
The Mahabharat's own treatment of riches is consistently suspicious. Yudhishthira loses a kingdom at dice and the epic is clear that what he actually staked was his judgement. Wealth arrives and departs throughout; the characters are measured by what they do in either condition.
