Devi Lakshmi: The Legacy of Wealth

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕺𝖓𝖊

Searing pain cut through her body as Shiva's third eye burned through the goddess. She split herself at the seams, forming three different goddesses.

One with skin the color of milk, a sari of pure white wrapped around her lean figure. Her chocolate eyes held immeasurable wisdom, a book of palm leaves clutched in one hand.

Another had minty skin, fire dancing in her honey brown eyes. A blood red sari hugged her body, gold embroidering it. A small crown was nestled in her hair, inlaid with rubies that seemed to hold flames. Shiva's gaze lingered on her, the fierce beauty of her mesmerizing him completely.

Lastly, was a goddess whose skin gleamed like gold, night like eyes holding a thousand stars and dreams. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, pink lips parted slightly. She wore an aqua green blouse, and skirt, a translucent pallu the color of lotuses draped over her form. She twirled a lotus in between her slender fingers, gold and precious gems adorning her neck and arms.

Shiva looked at them and began to speak to the first one.

"You shall be Saraswati, goddess of knowledge, she who knows all. Your wisdom shall guide mankind through it's darkest hours and show them the light."

Turning next to the fiery goddess, he said, "I name you Sati, meaning Truthful, as you are she who does not bother to hide the burning passion deep within her. The embodiment of courage and valor."

Sati flashed him a charming smile, and he returned it before finally turning to the last goddess.

She had neither the maturity and calmness of her eldest sister, nor the zeal of the second one. She had an innocent and playful air about her, a child in every way. Shiva offered her a kind, brotherly smile, as she nervously tucked the lotus behind her ear.

"Lakshmi." the wind seemed to whisper, and it was as if the very world had come alive upon the breath of her name.

Shiva nodded approvingly.

"You are a very lucky girl, Lakshmi. The Supreme Lord, Lord Vishnu himself has taken up the job of naming you." he stepped closer to her, and she shyly lowered her eyes to the ground. "Tell me child, did you feel the cosmos shift upon hearing your name?"

She gave a slight nod, playing with the end of her sari.

"You will be the Goddess of Wealth, Prosperity, and Good Fortune. Beauty and joy incarnate. The three of you will be valued above all. Do good to the world, will you?"

Saraswathi, Sati, and Lakshmi exchanged glances before agreeing. Shiva bowed to them before disappearing in a flash of light, leaving the goddesses alone with their own thoughts.

---

Years passed, seasons changed, and the goddesses used their powers to do what they thought best. Saraswati and Sati gifted all mankind with their blessings, but Lakshmi was different. She either balanced one way or the other, never staying in one place for long. They called her a fickle goddess, unable to stop flitting from place to place.

"Lakshmi..." Saraswathi said, looking regretfully at her. "Sati and I have come to a decision. For your own good, we've decided it's best if... If you stay away from Devaloka for a while."

The carefree smile on Lakshmi's face faded, a look of fear overcoming her.

"What? Why? I-I haven't done anything wrong-"

"You should have distributed your wealth amongst everyone." Sati gently said. "But instead, you chose sides, making some rich beyond comprehension, and others who can not even afford a grain of rice. It's not your fault, you are but a child after all."

Lakshmi backed away, afraid, star filled eyes dimming.

"Don't worry, Lakshmi." Saraswati coaxed. "It's not forever. Just until you figure yourself out."

Lakshmi steeled herself, determination flowing through her veins.

"It's been years, Saraswati, I'm not a child anymore. Just because I'm not like the two of you, doesn't mean that I'm not doing my job right." she snapped. "But if that's what you think, then fine. I'll leave."

"Lakshmi!" the two goddesses cried as she began to walk away.

Lakshmi paid them no heed. She never stayed with the same people for long, why should it be any different with them? The grass seemed to curl at her feet, the leaves gently brushing against her as if begging her not to go.

She wasn't going to listen to what they had to say. She was one of the Supreme Goddesses, same as any of them, and it did not matter to her whether they thought she was doing her job correctly.

But even as she told herself that, she couldn't help the doubt that crept into her mind. As the Goddess of Fortune, she was born with neither the serenity and maturity of Saraswati, nor the courage and authority of Sati. No matter how important she was, she would always be the most childlike of them all, immature and naive.

She continued to walk till her feet hurt, her throat was parched and dry. As if on cue, rain clouds appeared above her, slowly releasing droplets of fresh water. Lakshmi caught them in her hands, slowly raising it to her lips.

"You must be very thirsty, Darling." a voice behind her croaked. "As am I."

Lakshmi swiveled around, alarmed, to find an old hunchback woman behind her, her hair hanging in front of her face like cobwebs. She pointed to the cloud above her.

"May I?" she asked.

Lakshmi nodded, stepping aside to let the old woman drink to her heart's content. She smacked her chapped lips together, regarding Lakshmi curiously.

"You're not from around here, are you?" she questioned. "You've got something ethereal about you. You must be quite a long way from home."

Lakshmi saw a flash of silver in her long sleeves which hid her hands.

"Actually, I left." she confessed. "I didn't really fit in back home."

The woman's eyes widened, before her dark pink lips curled into something resembling a feral smile.

"That's all right, Dearie, you can come stay with us. I'm Rani by the way. You're a goddess if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yes. Of wealth and good fortune."

She chuckled, unsettling Lakshmi a bit.

"Well this is a very lucky find indeed." she mused. "You must return home with us, we'd be honored to have you set foot in our lands. Forget those ungrateful Devas, they clearly don't respect your power."

Something about her words rubbed Lakshmi in the wrong way, but she pushed those negative thoughts away, offering a brilliant smile to Rani.

"And where is it exactly that you live?" Lakshmi asked, leaking some of her spellbinding charm into her voice.

"Why in Asuraloka of course." she answered, making her blood run cold.

She'd heard tales of Asuraloka, the place where all demons lived. Her sisters had warned her against the ungodly beings in that realm, deformed creatures with buck teeth and black, sagging skin that was covered in boils and warts.

"Don't be scared." Rani crooned. "All those stories you heard of as kids aren't real, we're not the villains here."

She held out her hand, and Lakshmi extended her own before pausing, hesitating a bit. Finally, she placed her hand in Rani's, causing the older woman's face to light up.

"Good, good. Come now, we have no time to waste."

Pulling her along, Lakshmi glanced behind her one more time, wondering if she'd made the wrong choice.

A/N Here's the first chapter as a special sneak peak! Now you'll have to wait till the end of August or possibly the beginning/middle of September (depending on how long it gets) for the rest! MWAHAHAHAHAHA *Insert evil laugh echoing*. Sorry, I couldn't resist being dramatic. Either way, hope you enjoyed! Doesn't reveal too much, just the start of her life. Hope you liked it!