Week 10 Storytelling: How I Met My Wife

            I never asked for this. I never asked for any of this. I never asked for her. But here I am with the love of my life – the goddess of wealth, fortune, and prosperity herself, Lakshmi. My wife had a strange and complicated history before she chose me to be her husband. She was the daughter of the asuras (or demons) and was previously wedded to Indra, the king of the devas (or gods). The problem was, no one seemed to appreciate Lakshmi for anything except the wealth and beauty she brings. The asuras trapped her into the ground so they could preserve the wealth of gold and minerals. After Indra made Lakshmi his wife, she presented him with three gifts: a wish fulfilling tree, cow, and gem. It’s not every day you can get such extravagant gifts from a beautiful being. For this reason, Indra was worried and fearful that she would leave for someone worthier than him, which may be true now but it wasn’t at the time. So before she could have the possibility of realizing Indra’s faults, he lashed out and subconsciously created reasons for her to leave. He became more hedonistic, bringing more women and wine home to indulge in simple pleasures. Soon after, Lakshmi became tired of his behavior and left him to become the ocean of milk.

            Now, this is where I came in. Indra, devastated by the loss of his wife, asked me to find a way to get her back. To which I replied that he must offer a beautiful mandala and churn the milk to make her form. Indra followed my suggestions and brought over every deva he could to help churn the milk around a mountainous island. Upon realizing that the threads of the mandala would ruin and separate once it’s placed in the ocean, Indra feared he could not perform such task to win back his wife. I, being a good friend, turned into a turtle avatar Kurma for him to set the mandala on my back so it would be dry and safe as we churned the milk. However, our efforts were futile because we were simply going in one direction. It was then that I brought the asuras over to help, regardless of their feud with the devas. If it wasn’t for their desire to get their daughter back, the asuras would have never agreed to help. Together, the devas and asuras worked together, going in opposite directions churn the milk ocean and give form to their beloved Lakshmi.

            Once formed, both the devas and the asuras celebrated for the return of the goddess, and begged her to decide who she wanted to go home with: Indra in the heavens or the asuras in the subterranean realms. This was when Lakshami chose me. Her reasoning? She hated that the asuras only wanted to keep her and her treasures buried deep beneath the grounds and that Indra and the other devas only cherished her for the treasures she gave them. Everyone took her for granted. Everyone except me apparently. Lakshmi claimed me as her husband because I saw her for who she was and did not try to control or possess her. To the dismay of the asuras and the other devas, they lost their most prized possession, while I gained the best thing I could have never asked for.

Vishnu and Lakshmi

Author's Note: Part C of Pattanik's "Seven Secrets of Vishnu" discussed Lakshmi's story with the Indra and the asuras, and also discussed Vishnu, his second avatar (Kurma), and Lakshmi's newfound love for him. I thought this development was interesting and was almost a twisted Romeo and Juliet story but instead, Juliet ends up with Mercutio in the end. I wanted to view this story from Vishnu's point of view because it seemed like he did absolutely nothing to try to win Lakshmi's love, but he got her in the end and their love becomes everlasting.

Bibliography: Devdutt Pattanik's "Seven Secrets of Vishnu"