ॐ श्री गुरुभ्यो नम:

There is a duality in the expression of life – this fascinating idea keeps coming in the शास्त्र (वेद as well as पुराण) again and again. One representation of this duality is the अर्धनारीश्वर and the other is the विग्रह of विष्णु with लक्ष्मी in His वक्षस्थल. Even the नाम kept by people have this duality imbibed within them – Lakshminayarana, Umapathy, etc. But is this really an exhibition of duality? Dig deeper and we have statements that both are inseparable – just as waves & the ocean, gold & gold ornaments, thought & action, Sun & Sunrays, etc. Therefore, we have statements to the effect that शिव is शव without शक्ति – meaning that there is only one substance and this one substance expresses itself in two ways. What are these two ways? One may call one aspect as “presence” and the other aspect as “exhibition”. One may call one aspect as “Identity” and the other aspect as “meaning”. One may be seen one as “innermost essence” and the other as “outer visualization” of that very essence. This is why almost all मंदिर will take pains to show राम with सीता, नरसिंह with लक्ष्मी, शिव with उमा, विष्णु with लक्ष्मी, etc.  This means that परमात्मा is both one but परमात्मा has two aspects – परमात्मा and शक्ति of परमात्मा. The other expressions of this duality is निवृत्ति and प्रवृत्ति – one aspect that prefers to remain in itself and the other aspect wanting to express itself, both together are make one परमात्मा only. In श्री विद्या, शिव is referred to as प्रकाश while उमा as विमर्श which conveys the same idea. परमात्मा is thus not only निर्गुण but even सगुण aspect is परमात्मा only – both are equal and both are legitimate and essential to understand and experience परमात्मा. Anyone wanting to experience परमात्मा without this innate inseparable duality will be experiencing परमात्मा in a sub-optimal way only. 

With the above background, let us turn to विष्णु पुराण. There is a wonderful way in which the inseparability of विष्णु and लक्ष्मी has been conveyed. I loved it – hence, sharing with all. 

श्रीमैत्रेय उवाच

क्षीराब्धौ श्री: समुत्पन्ना श्रूयतेSमृतमन्थने। भृगो: ख्यातां समुत्पन्नेत्येतदाह कथं भवान्।।

अनुवाद: Asked श्रीमैत्रेय! It is said that लक्ष्मी arose from क्षीरसागर during the process of अमृत मंथन. Then how do you say that She was born from union of भृगु and ख्याति. 

(Simply put, the question is “Who is लक्ष्मी? The various शास्त्र contain various stories about लक्ष्मी and She therefore seems to have multiple identities. So please clarify who exactly is लक्ष्मी”) 

श्रीपराशर उवाच

नित्यैवैषा जगन्माता विष्णो: श्रीरनपायिनी। यथा सर्वगतो विष्णु: तथैवेयं द्विजोत्तम।।

Replied श्रीपराशर: 

O द्विजोत्तम! She is the माता of entire जग्रत् (Mother of the Universe) – She is present within विष्णु at all times and situated in His वक्षस्थल. विष्णु is present in the entire Universe (hence, the name of विष्णु) and She is also therefore present everywhere. 

अर्थो विष्णुरियं वाणी नीतिरेषा नयो हरिः। बोधो विष्णुरियं बुद्धिर्धर्मोSसौ सत्क्रिया त्वियम्।।

स्रष्टा विष्णुरियं सृष्टि: श्रीर्भूमिर्भूधरो हरि:। सन्तोषो भगवाँल्लक्ष्मीस्तुष्टिर्मैत्रेय शाश्वती।।

• विष्णु is the अर्थ (wealth); लक्ष्मी is the वाणी
• विष्णु is the नियम; लक्ष्मी is the नीति
• विष्णु does बोध; लक्ष्मी is the बुद्धि (who enables one to undertake बोध)
• विष्णु is the धर्म; लक्ष्मी is the सत्कर्म (actions aligned to धर्म)
• विष्णु is the one who is the स्रष्टा (giver of birth); लक्ष्मी is the सृष्टि (the actual created universe)

(Commentators state here that this line also means that while विष्णु is परमात्मा, लक्ष्मी is जीवात्मा – meaning every जीव is nothing else but a specific manifestation of विष्णु for a certain purpose)

• विष्णु is the one who lifts or gives support to भूमि (He is therefore called as भूधर); लक्ष्मी is the भूमि
• विष्णु is the संतोष; लक्ष्मी is satisfaction that is always present (तुष्टि)

(संतोष thus represents feeling of joy/ contentment while तुष्टि is the experience of संतोष that comes after one acquires something/ attains the cherished goal)

इच्छार्श्रीभगवान्कामो यज्ञोSसौ दक्षिणा त्वियम्। आज्याहुतिरसौ देवी पुरोडाशो जनार्दन:।।

पत्नीशाला मुने लक्ष्मी: प्राग्वंशो मधुसूदन:। चितिर्लक्ष्मीर्हरिर्यूप इध्मा र्श्रीभगवान्कुश:।।

• विष्णु is the काम; लक्ष्मी is the इच्छा

(काम here meaning inclination for experience while इच्छा refers to the specific course of action chosen for such an experience. शिव is therefore called as कामेश्वर while उमा is called as कामेश्वरी).

• विष्णु is the यज्ञ; लक्ष्मी is the दक्षिणा

(Any कर्म that is aligned to धर्म is akin to a यज्ञ and the outcome one receives after such an exertion of धर्म is not to be seen as a mere कर्मफल – it is to be referred to as दक्षिणा meaning that one offers the कर्म फल to भगवान् and then accepts such an outcome as a दक्षिण as granted by भगवान्)

• विष्णु is the पुरोडाश (offering of rice cake/ pulses made in a यज्ञ); लक्ष्मी is the offering made in an यज्ञ in the form of रस (viz घी)

(She as घी thus becomes the facilitator for acceptance of the आहुति of rice cake/ pulses made to अग्नि in a यज्ञ) 

• मधुसूदन (or विष्णु) is यजमानगृह (place where यजमान of a यज्ञ stays overnight during the यज्ञ); लक्ष्मी is (where the wife of a यजमान stays during the course of a यज्ञ)
• विष्णु is the यूप; लक्ष्मी is the चिति

(यूप refers to the स्थम्भ installed during a यज्ञ while is the spark used to light up the अग्नि. Commentators also state here that यूप refers to शरीर while चिति refers to चैतन्य present within us that animates us to live our life)

• विष्णु is the इध्मा (fuel to light up the firewood in a यज्ञ); लक्ष्मी is the कुश: (grass that is kept for lighting up by the fuel)  

सामस्वरूपी भगवानुद्गीति: कमलालया। स्वाहा लक्ष्मीर्जगन्नाथो वासुदेवो हुताशन:।।

शङ्करो भगवाञ्छौरिर्गौरी लक्ष्मीर्द्विजोत्तम। मैत्रेय केशव: सूर्यस्तत्प्रभा कमलालया।।

• विष्णु is the सामवेद; लक्ष्मी is the उद्गीति: (song or a type of meter used while chanting the वेद)
• विष्णु is the शक्ति present within अग्नि (in the यज्ञ); लक्ष्मी is the स्वाहा (chanting while pouring आहुति into the यज्ञ)
• विष्णु is शंकर: लक्ष्मी is गौरी 

(Both विष्णु and शिव are seen as one)

• विष्णु is the सूर्य; लक्ष्मी is the प्रभा (sunlight) (कान्ति that comes out of सूर्य)

विष्णु: पितृगण: पद्मा स्वधा शाश्वतपुष्टिदा। द्यो: श्री: सर्वात्मको विष्णुरिवकाशोSतिविस्तर:।।

शशाङ्क: श्रीधर: कान्ति: श्रीस्तथैवानपायिनी। धृतिर्लक्ष्मीर्जगच्चेष्टा वायु: सर्वत्रगो हरि:।।

• विष्णु is present in the form of पितृदेव: लक्ष्मी is the eternal prosperity enhancing स्वधा (offering made to पितृदेव is done by chanting स्वधा and not स्वाहा – पितृदेव are seen as our ancestors whose presence within us gives us strength and vigour)
• विष्णु is the expansive आत्मा (present within the स्वर्ग); लक्ष्मी is the स्वर्ग 
• विष्णु is the चंद्र (referred to as शशाङ्क here); लक्ष्मी is the unending कान्ति (present within the चंद्र)
• विष्णु is the वायु; लक्ष्मी is the धृति (that which holds) and गति (movement) (within वायु)

जलधिर्द्विज गोविन्द: तद्वेला श्रीर्महामुने। लक्ष्मीस्वरूपम् इन्द्राणी देवेन्द्रो मधुसूदन:।

यमश्चक्रधर: साक्षाद्धूमोर्णा कमलालया। ऋद्धि: श्री: श्रीधरो देव: स्वयमेव धनेश्वर:।।

• विष्णु (referred to as गोविन्द here) is समुद्र: लक्ष्मी represents the tides within the समुद्र
• विष्णु is the इंद्र: लक्ष्मी is the इन्द्राणी (wife or शक्ति of इंद्र)
• विष्णु is the यम; लक्ष्मी is the शक्ति or wife of यम (called as धूमोर्णा)
• विष्णु is the कुबेर (the देवता of धन); लक्ष्मी is the ऋद्धि who is the wife of कुबेर

(Note here that ऋद्धि also means growth – simply put, the growth that one attains owing to wealth present within the person is to be seen as लक्ष्मी. Therefore, if a person has wealth but either does not know it or does not show it owing to fear or being miserly is called as a person who does not have लक्ष्मी present within him even though he may be rich). 

गौरी लक्ष्मीर्महाभागा केशवो वरुण: स्वयम्। श्रीदेवसेना विप्रेन्द्र देवसेनापतिर्हरि:।।

अवष्टम्भो गदापाणि: शक्तिर्लक्ष्मीर्द्विजोत्तम। काष्ठा लक्ष्मीर्निमेषोSसौ मुहूर्तोSसौ कला त्वियम्।।

• विष्णु is the वरुण; लक्ष्मी is गौरी who is the wife of वरुण
• विष्णु is the कार्तिकेय; लक्ष्मी is देवसेना who is the wife of कार्तिकेय
• विष्णु is confidence (आत्मबल present within oneself): लक्ष्मी is the शक्ति (the mental backdrop that enables one to display confidence during one’s conduct with the world)
• विष्णु is निमेष (measure of time representing time taken to bat an eyelid); लक्ष्मी is काष्ठा (3 निमेष is one क्षण and 5 क्षण is one काष्ठा)
• विष्णु is the मुहूर्त (measure of time – 15 काष्ठा is one लघु, 15 लघु is दण्ड and 2 दण्ड is one मुहूर्त viz usually about 1/4^th of a day) : लक्ष्मी is the कला (this is also a measure of time; one example is the time taken viz around 15 days for one revolution of the चंद्र around पृथ्वी) 

(विष्णु may thus be seen here as units of time while लक्ष्मी is the output that we measure using the various units of time)

ज्योत्स्ना लक्ष्मी: प्रदीपोSसौ सर्व: सर्वेश्वरो हरि:। लताभूता जगन्माता श्रीविष्णुर्द्रुमसंज्ञित:।।

विभावरी श्रीर्दिवसो देवश्चक्रगदाधर:। वरप्रदो वरो विष्णुर्वधू: पद्मवनालया।।

• विष्णु is the brightly lit दीप while लक्ष्मी is the ज्योति (that comes out of दीप)
• विष्णु has the form of वृक्ष; Lakshm is the लता surrounding the वृक्ष
• विष्णु is the daytime; लक्ष्मी is the रात्री (night-time referred to here as विभावरी)
• विष्णु is the name who gives वर (giver of boons); लक्ष्मी is the वधू (the शक्ति of विष्णु which enables Him to give वर)

(वर is also translated as groom while वधू translated as bride who are getting married to each other)

नदस्वरूपी भगवाञ्छ्रीर्नदीरूपसस्थिता। ध्वजश्च पुण्डरीकाक्ष: पताका कमलालया।।

तृष्णा लक्ष्मीर्जगन्नाथो लोभो नारायण: पर:। रती रागश्च मैत्रेय लक्ष्मीर्गोविन्द एव च।।

विष्णु is the नद (rivers that flow from West to East towards Arabian sea); लक्ष्मी is the नदी (rivers that flow from East to West and discharge in the Bay of Bengal)

विष्णु is the ध्वज: (flagpole); लक्ष्मी is the पताका (flag)

विष्णु is the लोभ (feeling of covetousness); लक्ष्मी is तृष्णा (the specific desire that one is coveting)

विष्णु is राग (feeling of seeking or wanting); लक्ष्मी is the रती (the object that is sought)

किं चातिबहुनोक्तेन सङ्क्षेपेणेदमुच्यते ।।

देवतिर्यङ्मनुष्यादौ पुन्नामा भगवान्हरि:। स्रीनाम्नी श्रीश्च विज्ञेया नायनोर्विद्यते परम्।।

What else can I say? What we can say is that in all देव, पशु or मनुष्य, विष्णु is present at पुरुषवाची and लक्ष्मी is present as स्त्रीवाची – there is nothing in the universe that is not an expression of both of them collectively. 

ॐ तत् सत्