Written by Narottam Das

- The Lakshmi Lamp - It's Significance… LIGHT A LAMP - Brighten your life... The Gaja Lakshmi Lamp Oil lamps have represented spirit and spiritual ideas since ancient times. They have continued to burn in temples, cathedrals, mosques, synagogues, churches, and other locations where the faithful gather for worship, prayer or meditation. The lamp contains an oil and a wick and, when lit, it provides a source of life for several hours or even days. The light produced by the lamp may illustrate the illumination provided by spiritual insight, the presence of divinity or it may symbolize the continuation of life. Regardless of its meaning, the oil lamp has a place in all of the world's major religions. The Oil Lamp in Hinduism is considered as a female form of God. In India the Oil Lamp represents Mother Lakshmi. The Lakshmi Lamp that's used in most Hindu homes in South Africa is called the Gaja Lakshmi Lamp (like the picture above). In Hindu Dharma, Elephants are symbols of wealth. Gaja-Lakshmi, that is the Lakshmi form with elephants, is one of the most significant aspects of Mother Lakshmi. In this aspect, Ma is depicted seated on a lotus, flanked on both side by an elephant (gaja). Ma is shown as seated in Padma-asana (lotus position) yogic posture, and has four arms. In each of Her upper pair of arms, She carries a lotus, and the lower hands are in ABHYA i.e the gesture of reassurance and safety, is a hand pose, which dispels fear and accords divine protection and bliss to Her devotee, and varada-mudra i.e. a gesture by the hand and symbolizes dispensing of boons. For varada-mudra, the left hand is used. It is held out, with Her palm uppermost and the fingers pointing downwards. The elephants flanking Ma are shown as pouring water from their trunk over Ma Lakshmi. This aspect like most other aspects of Mother Lakshmi is representative of prosperity, good luck, and abundance; and the Gaja-Lakshmi motifs are very common in Hindu iconography. The lamp also signifies light over darkness. So when you are in a prayer room or temple, you are trying to clear your clouded mind, and hence, the lighting of lamp is symbolic. Light symbolizes the absence of darkness and unhappiness and shows us a way out of problems, difficulties and tensions and brings us luck, wealth and happiness. Light a lamp daily AND drive out evil and invite different kinds of all conceivable wealth to yourself and you North:- You will be blessed with 8 kinds of wealth or Ashta-ishwaryas. Ensures success in everything you do. FYI the 8 Lakshmi forms are as follows:- Adi Lakshmi (The main goddess), Dhanya Lakshmi (Granary wealth), Dhairya Lakshmi (Wealth of patience), Gaja Lakshmi (Elephants, symbols of wealth), Santana Lakshmi (Wealth of progeny), Vijaya Lakshmi (Wealth of victory), Vidya Lakshmi (Wealth of knowledge), Dhana Lakshmi (Monetary wealth).