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her qualities of beauty, lustre, glory, and high rank make her a model Hindu wife. She is
especially known as the wife of Vishnu the Preserver, the god who is reincarnated in the
avatara myths to rid the Triple World of demons who usurp the power of the gods, and to
restore dharma.
As the goddess of good fortune, she is said to bestow fame and prosperity by her
presence, though her departure is signalled by a bad turn of fortune. Mike Langford is
intimately associated with Lakshmi at a time when he seems blessed while all around him is
crumbling, when he is known by the sobriquet ‘the Lucky One’. He considers his Lakshmi-
figure his good luck charm. Lakshmi does, however, have a reputation for fickleness and
inconstancy. When Ly Keang notices this figure and says, ‘it is a shame she has a broken arm’
(HW, 269), it reflects her refusal to behave according to the model of Sri Lakshmi, who as the
consort of Vishnu is the ideal, submissive wife. More significantly, however, it also is a signal
that Langford’s luck has changed. The time has come for Kali to appear in Lakshmi’s place.
This fickle aspect is said to dissipate when Sri Lakshmi is with Vishnu, and yet her
comings and goings parallel Visnu’s. Both are said to be present when righteous kings rule
and dharmic order is maintained in the world. When Sri Lakshmi departs, however, the
adharmic effects are immediate, as
sacrifices cease to be performed, all austerities are discontinued by the sages,
all generosity ends, the sun and moon lose their brilliance, the gods lose their
strength, and fire loses its heat (Kinsley, 27).
An avatar of Vishnu must then return to the earth to battle the forces of adharma. While
Vishnu is given due credit as the great warrior-preserver of the universe, the restoration of
righteousness to the cosmos is seen as a sign that Sri Lakshmi has, quite simply, come back:
In the absence of the goddess the worlds become dull and lustreless and begin
to wither away. When she returns, the worlds again regain their vitality, and
the society of humans and the order of the gods regain their sense of purpose
and duty. (Kinsley, 27)
This transcendence of particular qualities, whereby her simple presence restores dharma,
places Sri Lakshmi clearly beyond the scope of other deities, who are themselves—with the
exception of the one ultimate creator—all created beings. As such she is associated with the
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