For obvious reasons, Lak~mI, the goddess of fortune, is more sought after than SarasvatI, the goddess of learning. Being the power and consort of Vi~Qu, the preserver, she is
represented as the power of multiplicity and the goddess of fortune, both of which are equally necessary in the process of preservation.
'SrI' or 'Lak~ml', as depicted in the Vedas, is the goddess of wealth and fortune, power and beauty. Though there is scope for the supposition that SrI and Lak~mI are two separate deities, the descriptions of them are so identi¬cal, that we are tempted to conclude that they represent one and the same deity. Some scholars opine that 'SrI' was a pre-Vedic deity connected with fertility, water and agricul¬ture. She was later fused with Lak~mI, the Vedic goddess of beauty.
In her first incarnation, according to the PuraQas, she was the daughter of the sage Bhrgu and his wife Khyati.
She was later born out of the ocean of milk at the time of its churning. She, being the consort of Vi~l).u, is born as his spouse whenever he incarnates. When he appeared as Vamana, Parasurama, Rama and Kr~l).a, she appeared as Padma (or Kamala), Dharal).l, SUa and Rukmil).l. She is as inseparable from Vi~l).u as speech from meaning or knowledge from intellect, or good deeds from righteous-ness. He represents all that is masculine, and she, all that is feminine.
Lak~~l is usually described as enchantingly beautiful and standing on a lotus, and holding lotuses in each of her two hands. It is because of this, perhaps, that she is named as Padma or Kamala. She is also adorned with a lotus garland. Very often elephants are shown on either side, emptying pitchers of water over her, the pitchers being presented by celestial maidens. Her colour is vari¬ously described as dark, pink, golden yellow or white. While in the company of Vi~l).u, she is shown with two hands only. When worshipped in a temple-separate temples for Lak~ml are rather rare-she is shown seated on a lotus throne, with four hands holding Padma, Sankha, Amrtakalasa (pot of ambrosia) and Bilva fruit. Sometimes, another kind of fruit, the Mahaliilga (a citron) is shown instead of Bilva. When shown with eight hands, bow and arrow, mace and discus are added. This is actually the Mahalak~ml, an aspect of Durga.
We can now attempt an explanation that is behind this highly symbolical picture. If Lak~ml is pictured as dark in complexion, it is to show that she is the consort of Vi~l).u, the dark god. If golden yellow, that shows her as the source of all wealth. If white, she represents the purest form of

Pralqti (nature) from which the universe had developed. The pinkish complexion, which is more common, reflects her compassion for creatures, since she is the mother of all.
Her four hands signify her power to grant the four Puru~arthas (ends of human life), Dharma (righteousness), Artha (wealth), Kama (pleasures of the flesh), and Mok~a (beatitude ).
The lotuses, in various stages of blooming, represent the worlds and beings in various stages of evolution.
The fruit stands for the fruits of our labours. How-ever- much we may toil and labour, unless the Mother is gracious enough to grant the fruits of our labour, nothing will be of any avail. If the fruit is a coconut-with its shell, kernel and water-it means that from her originate the three levels of creation, the gross, the subtle and the
extremely subtle. If it is a pomegranate or a citron, it signi¬fies that the various created worlds are under her control and that she transcends them all. If it is a bilva fruit¬which, incidentally, is not very tasty or attractive, but which is extremely good for health-it stands for Mok~a,
the highest fruit of spiritual life.
Am~takalasa also signifies the same thing, viz., that
she can give us the bliss of immortality.
In some of the sculptural depictions of Lak~ml, the owl is shown as her carrier-vehicle. It looks rather odd and strange that the goddess of fortune and beauty should have an ugly bird, the very sight of which is considered inauspi¬
cious, as her carrier! Once the symbolical significance of this oddity is unravelled, we will be in a better position to appreciate the poor bird and its compassionate mistress!
The word is Sanskrit for the owl is Uluka. Uluka is also one of the names of Indra, the king of gods! Hence Lak~m! being the goddess of fortune could not have found a better person to ride on, than the king of gods, who personifies all the wealth, power and glory that a living being can aspire for in life. At the same time, here is a warning administered to the seekers of secular wealth, instead of spiritual wealth, by comparing even the glory of Indra to the ugliness of an inelegant and partially blind bird.
Based on the beautiful description given in the Bhagavadgita (2.69) we can be generous enough to com¬pare our owl to the Sthitaprajiia, the man of steady wisdom. Then, the symbol would mean that Mother Lak~m! is the mistress of spiritual wisdom. If we are not so generous, then, we can learn a lesson from it in another way, viz., 'Do not shut out your eyes to the light of wisdom coming from the sun of knowledge!' Out of consideration for man¬kind, the all-compassionate Mother has kept this personification of ignorance under her control.

* 'Avidyaya m~tyuriJ. tirtva vidyayam~tamasnute'.