ASHTALAKSHMI GLASS PANELS

Hello!! Today being the first day of the auspicious festival of Navrathri 2022, I have put together a set of my Reverse Glass Painting Panels which I wish to share here in the spirit of Navrathri.

A couple of years back when I was about 7 months into my pregnancy, with the help of my Mother, I worked on this set of 7 glass panels and painted in the Reverse Glass Painting style to depict 7 of the Ashta Lakshmi to be installed for the Puja room for a clients house. These were installed at Mr. Shivanand Shenoy’s house in Mangalore.

I painted these glass panels on the reverse side (making a sketch which is a mirror image of the actual idol so that I get the hands right when I turn it over) using Gold Paint, Acrylic and Glass paints. I sealed the glass in one side and covered my painted surface with a coat of Resin.

You can find all of these products on the Itsy Bitsy Store.

The panels were later installed into hand-carved wooden doors for the God’s room.

So when I got this order, I wanted to read and learn about each form and found it so interesting that each incarnation symbolizes a unique virtue that we humans always seek.

HISTORY:

It is believed that a devotee named Charumati who would offer prayers to Goddess Lakshmi had a beautiful dream. It was in her dream that Goddess Mahalakshmi appeared and asked her to observe this day with a fast called the VaraLakshmi Vratam. Charumati followed her dreams, observed the fast and invited people around her to seek blessings of the Goddess. Word spread and slowly everyone took up this auspicious day to worship the Eight forms of Lakshmi to be granted with long life, financial blessings, good health and happiness for the family.

Ashtalakshmi or Octet of Lakshmi, is a group of the eight manifestations of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity. She presides over eight sources of wealth: spirituality, material wealth, agriculture, royalty, knowledge, courage, progeny, and victory.

EIGHT FORMS OF LAKSHMI WORSHIPPED:

The Goddess is generally depicted with four hands where she carries a lotus each in two hands and has the fore arms in Varada Mudra which represents the hand that bestows boons and in the Abhaya Mudra which represents the hand that signals Fearlessness.

Ashta Lakshmi is a group of eight manifestations or incarnations of Devi Lakshmi, the Hindu Goddess of Wealth.

Aadi Lakshmi (The Protector)

ādilakṣmi
sumanasa vandita sundari mādhavi, chandra sahodari hēmamayē
munigaṇa vandita mōkṣapradāyani, mañjula bhāṣiṇi vēdanutē ।
paṅkajavāsini dēva supūjita, sadguṇa varṣiṇi śāntiyutē
jaya jayahē madhusūdana kāmini, ādilakṣmi paripālaya mām ॥ 1 ॥

Aadi Lakshmi or Maha Lakshmi is a four-armed Lakshmi carrying a lotus and a white flag, the other two arms in Abhaya Mudra and Varada Mudra. Aadi Lakshmi symbolizes spiritual wealth that every individual wants to seek.

Dhanya Lakshmi (Goddess of Nourishment)

dhānyalakṣmi
ayikali kalmaṣa nāśini kāmini, vaidika rūpiṇi vēdamayē
kṣīra samudbhava maṅgaḻa rūpiṇi, mantranivāsini mantranutē ।
maṅgaḻadāyini ambujavāsini, dēvagaṇāśrita pādayutē
jaya jayahē madhusūdana kāmini, dhānyalakṣmi paripālaya mām ॥ 2 ॥

Dhanya Lakshmi is the Goddess of agricultural wealth. She is depicted as an eight-armed Goddess, clad in green garments. She carries two lotuses, a mace, paddy crop, sugarcane, bananas, and has two hands in the Abhaya and Varada mudra.

Gaja Lakshmi (Goddess of Prosperity)

gajalakṣmi
jaya jaya durgati nāśini kāmini, sarvaphalaprada śāstramayē
radhagaja turagapadāti samāvṛta, parijana maṇḍita lōkanutē ।
harihara brahma supūjita sēvita, tāpa nivāriṇi pādayutē
jaya jayahē madhusūdana kāmini, gajalakṣmī rūpēṇa pālaya mām ॥ 4 ॥

Gaja Lakshmi is the giver of animal wealth or the giver of royalty. It is believed that Gaja Lakshmi brought back from the ocean, the wealth that Lord Indra (King of demi-gods) had lost. She is depicted as a four-armed Goddess, clad in red. She carries two lotuses and has her hands in Abhaya and Varada Mudra. She has two white elephants on either side.

Dhairya Lakshmi (Goddess of Courage)

dhairyalakṣmi
jayavaravarṣiṇi vaiṣṇavi bhārgavi, mantra svarūpiṇi mantramayē
suragaṇa pūjita śīghra phalaprada, jñāna vikāsini śāstranutē ।
bhavabhayahāriṇi pāpavimōchani, sādhu janāśrita pādayutē
jaya jayahē madhu sūdhana kāmini, dhairyalakṣmī paripālaya mām ॥ 3 ॥

Veera Lakshmi is the Goddess who bestows courage and strength to overcome difficulties in life. The Goddess is depicted as an eight-armed God in red garments carrying a Shankha, Chakra, bow, arrow, trishul, scriptures and two hands in Varada Mudra and Abhaya Mudra.

Santaana Lakshmi (Goddess of Progeny)

santānalakṣmi
ayikhaga vāhini mōhini chakriṇi, rāgavivardhini jñānamayē
guṇagaṇavāradhi lōkahitaiṣiṇi, saptasvara bhūṣita gānanutē ।
sakala surāsura dēva munīśvara, mānava vandita pādayutē
jaya jayahē madhusūdana kāmini, santānalakṣmī paripālaya mām ॥ 5 ॥

Santana Lakshmi is believed to be the Goddess that bestows offsprings. The six armed Goddess carries two Kalashas, sword, shield, a child on her lap and a hand in Abhaya Mudra. She symbolizes the love, care and protection that a mother gives to her child.

Vijaya Lakshmi (Goddess of Victory)

vijayalakṣmi
jaya kamalāsini sadgati dāyini, jñānavikāsini gānamayē
anudina marchita kuṅkuma dhūsara, bhūṣita vāsita vādyanutē ।
kanakadharāstuti vaibhava vandita, śaṅkaradēśika mānyapadē
jaya jayahē madhusūdana kāmini, vijayalakṣmī paripālaya mām ॥ 6 ॥

Vijaya Lakshmi is the Goddess of Victory, Who helps to overcome all obstacles to achieve success. The Goddess carries the Shankha, Chakra, Sword, Shield, Lotus and Pasha. The Goddess clad in red, has two of her eight hands in Abhaya and Varada mudra.

Vidhya Lakshmi (Goddess of Wisdom)

vidyālakṣmi
praṇata surēśvari bhārati bhārgavi, śōkavināśini ratnamayē
maṇimaya bhūṣita karṇavibhūṣaṇa, śānti samāvṛta hāsyamukhē ।
navanidhi dāyini kalimalahāriṇi, kāmita phalaprada hastayutē
jaya jayahē madhusūdana kāmini, vidyālakṣmī sadā pālaya mām ॥ 7 ॥

Vidhya Lakshmi is the Goddess and bestower of knowledge of arts and sciences. Dressed in a white saree, She resembles Goddess Saraswathi. She holds a book of the Vedas(Hindu scriptures), a feather and has two hands in the Varada Mudra and Abhaya Mudra.

Dhana Lakshmi (The Goddess of Wealth)

dhanalakṣmi
dhimidhimi dhindhimi dhindhimi-dindhimi, dundhubhi nāda supūrṇamayē
ghumaghuma ghuṅghuma ghuṅghuma ghuṅghuma, śaṅkha nināda suvādyanutē ।
vēda pūrāṇētihāsa supūjita, vaidika mārga pradarśayutē
jaya jayahē madhusūdana kāmini, dhanalakṣmi rūpēṇā pālaya mām ॥ 8 ॥

Dhana Lakshmi is the Goddess of Wealth. A four-armed Goddess, clad in red garments, carrying the Shankh, Chakra, Kalasha(pot) with gold and an arm in Abhaya mudra and with gold coins falling from it.

The DhanaLakshmi though wasn’t a part of this project as the client had an ancestral image of the Goddess, that was handed down over a couple of generations.

I also painted two panels with Peacock Lamps on it, to be installed onto two of the doors inside the space.

Here is a glimpse of the final look of the space:

As I look back at this project that was put together years ago, I also look forward to the installation of another set of Ashtalakshmi glass panels that will be happening this Navrathri at another place. Will be sharing the details soon!