Jaganmata
{{Short description|Epithet of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi}}
File:Shri Lakshmi Lustrated by Elephants (Gaja-Lakshmi) LACMA M.74.40.1 (1 of 5).jpg
Jaganmata ({{Langx|sa|जगन्माता|lit=the mother of the world|translit=Jaganmātā}}), also rendered as Lokamata, is primarily an epithet of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, the supreme goddess of Vaishnavism.{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2016-05-03 |title=Jaganmata, Jaganmātā, Jagat-mata: 3 definitions |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/jaganmata |access-date=2022-09-23 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Moor |first=Edward |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J_ri-gem1ssC&dq=lakshmi+mother+of+the+world&pg=PA84 |title=The Hindu Panthwon |date=1998 |publisher=Laurier Books, Limited |isbn=978-81-7020-963-8 |pages=84 |language=en}}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3KxVAAAAYAAJ&q=lakshmi+universal+mother |title=The Brahmavâdin |date=1913 |publisher=M.C. Alasingaperumal |pages=455 |language=en}} It is also used in Hindu literature to address other goddesses, such as Parvati and Durga.
Literature
= Atharva Veda =
A hymn from the Atharva Veda dedicated to Lakshmi prays for a portion of the Jaganmata to reside upon one's tongue.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JSMJAAAAQAAJ&dq=lakshmi+mother+of+the+world&pg=PA302 |title=The Quarterly Oriental Magazine, Review, and Register |date=1825 |publisher=Thacker and Company |pages=302 |language=en}}
= Vishnu Purana =
The Vishnu Purana extols Lakshmi as Jaganmata:{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2020-11-05 |title=Verse 2.4.168 [Brihad-bhagavatamrita] |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/brihad-bhagavatamrita-commentary/d/doc427393.html |access-date=2022-09-23 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}
{{Blockquote|text=O best of the brāhmaṇas, Śrī Mahā-Lakṣmī is the eternal mother of the universe. She always resides with Viṣṇu and is also all-pervasive like Him.|title=Vishnu Purana|source=Verse 1.8.17}}
According to this text, since Vishnu is omnipresent, and Lakshmi is regarded to be his divine shakti, she serves him as the mother of the universe that is under his protection.{{Cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Chitralekha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xpkRAQAAIAAJ&q=lakshmi+jagatmata |title=Lakshmi |last2=Nath |first2=Prem |date=2001 |publisher=Crest Publishing House |isbn=978-81-242-0173-2 |pages=40 |language=en}}
= Bhagavata Purana =
The Bhagavata Purana features a description of Vishnu's form in the form of a prayer, where it describes Lakshmi, the universal mother, tending to the feet of her eternal consort.{{Cite book |last=Tapasyananda |first=Swami |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dNyBDwAAQBAJ&dq=lakshmi+universal+mother&pg=PR5-IA4 |title=Srimad Bhagavata – Volume 1 |publisher=Sri Ramakrishna Math(vedantaebooks.org) |at=V |language=en}}
= Lakshmi Tantra =
In the Lakshmi Tantra, Indra performs a penance for two millennia to meet Lakshmi, and she appears before him upon a lotus, described to be the supreme mother of the universe.{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/LakshmiTantraAPancharatraTextSanjuktaGupta |title=Lakshmi Tantra A Pancharatra Text Sanjukta Gupta |pages=6}}
Mahalakshmi Ashtakam
The Mahalakshmi Ashtakam Stotram, which originates from the Padma Purana and is a composition of Indra, describes Lakshmi with the following praises:
padmāsana sthitē dēvi parabrahma svarūpiṇi ।
paramēśi jaganmātaḥ mahālakṣmi namō'stu tē ॥ 7 ॥{{Cite web |title=Maha Lakshmi Ashtakam - English {{!}} Vaidika Vignanam |url=https://www.vignanam.org/english/maha-lakshmi-ashtakam.html |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=www.vignanam.org}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}{{Hindudharma}}
{{Authority control}}