Devi Lakshmi: The Legacy of Wealth

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕱𝖎𝖋𝖙𝖞

Lakshmi pressed Vishnu's feet, her tears watering them. Vishnu couldn't stand the pain in her eyes. Still he said nothing, for if he did it would only make it worse. He winced, remembering the last time he had tried to comfort her.

He had found her nearly passed out in the kitchen from crying too much. He picked her up, brushed her hair, dried her eyes and promised everything would be okay.

"It'll get better eventually." he said. "We're going to be okay."

She had snapped immediately.

"How?! How are we going to be okay?! Our son is dead, gone to the wind, and we'll never see him again!" she screamed. "We raised him with so much love, but none of it matters anymore because he's not here!"

"Maahi-"

"Just leave." she sobbed, spirit utterly broken. "I don't want you here anymore."

She noticed he had started sweating from overthinking, and sighed. Getting up, she rose to get a cloth to dry his feet with. She was a few feet away when the sound of a child crying reached her ears. She nearly blamed it off on her mental condition, but something caused her to turn around.

There, by his feet, lay a small female child. She sniffled quietly, reaching out for Lakshmi. The Goddess cautiously approached her as Vishnu straightened up. A single drop of water was over her heart, the result of his perspiration mingling with her tears. A motherly feeling overcame Lakshmi as she gently rocked her in her arms.

"Our daughter." she whispered, the words escaping her before she had the chance to stop them.

Vishnu looked surprised, before smiling.

"Parvati did promise us three of them. Looks like she's our first one."

Her heart ached for Kamadeva to be here and meet his sister. He would have been overjoyed for sure.

Vishnu on the other hand, was just desperate to see some of that light sneak back into her eyes. It was as if the divinity of Vaikuntham had fled with their happiness, instead replaced with a solemn atmosphere.

The lightest of laughs escaped her when the baby sneezed, but it was filled with so much joy that everything from the stars to the bees reacted in bliss.

"Ganga." she whispered, sliding her thumb down her cheek. "Her name should be Ganga."

"Whatever you want." Vishnu agreed, delighted to see the smile that graced her face.

He wanted his son here as well, but even as the greatest of gods he could do nothing. He hated himself for that.

Ganga had skin that resembled the faint dusting of snow on Kailash, and eyes the color of mountain rocks: Black with streaks of gray. Her lips were akin to a lotus when the sun's first rays fell upon it. Inky hair flowed down to the floor and out the door, marking her as the personification of a river.

"Our little water goddess. She has to be the purest one if she came from your feet." Lakshmi joked.

Vishnu looked at her intently. Something about her curly locks reminded him of someone... They weren't the unruly type like his and Kamadeva's but ringlets of charcoal.

Who did she remind him of?

---

In Brahmaloka, Saraswati was so immersed in playing her veena, she did not even notice strands of hair intertwine with the strings, before passing over the feet of Brahma. The Creator twitched before opening his eyes to look at his wife.

"Saraswati," he said gently.

Her eyes fluttered open, to see Brahma give an inclination towards her fingers. To her surprise, she found that they were tangled in hair locks, the same that had tied themselves around his toes. Glancing up, she found that they disappeared into the clouds.

Brahma and Saraswati exchanged glances, before following them, leading them straight to the doors of Vaikuntham. Inside, Saraswati saw Lakshmi cradling a newborn child who was swaddled in the blanket she had knitted for Kamadeva when he was a child.

She looked at it longingly, surprised by the flurry of emotion that she was feeling. A sense of protectiveness and love.

"Anna? Saraswati?" Lakshmi asked, rising. "What brings you here?"

Saraswati wordlessly held up her hand, which still had hair wrapped around it. Vishnu smiled knowingly.

"I thought her hair looked familiar. She got that from Saraswati. Seems like our daughter has decided to adopt Brahma and Shiva as her parents as well, Lakshmi he said."

Saraswati was nearly as stunned as Lakshmi. She didn't have any daughters, but had long desired to have one. She was hesitant however as to how Lakshmi would react.

The Goddess of Joy simply smiled.

"I'd be more than happy to have you as Ganga's mother." she agreed. "After all, your son is like mine, so why should my daughter not be your's?"

She passed Ganga over to Saraswati, who stared down at her adoringly. Seeing them, she began to coo softly, snuggling further into her chest, before sneezing. Brahma brushed a strand of hair out of her face, already extremely attached to her.

"Manu would love her." she whispered to Vishnu. "He always wanted a sibling. Remember how we kept promising him it would happen? He believed that if Parvati had blessed us, there was no way it wouldn't happen."

Vishnu nodded.

"Why did Shiva have to ruin his hopes?" he said bitterly.

He and Shiva hadn't talked since that day atop Kailash. Lakshmi felt as though her husband still bore somewhat of a grudge towards him. He still loved him, she could tell.

But the more you love someone, the deeper their betrayal sinks.

Vishnu invited Brahma and Saraswati in, leading them to their seats. Lakshmi lingered, feeling a warm wind lift her hair as though it was playing with it. Just like her Manu would.

"Do you see her? That's your new baby sister." she said quietly, hoping it was his presence she felt next to her. "Isn't she adorable?"

She felt the warmth slip away, and she sighed dejectedly before noticing Vishnu look around in bewilderment, as if he was looking for an invisible hand.

Joy filled Lakshmi's chest. So she hadn't imagined it. Her son had really come to see his sister.

"I love you, Manu." she whispered.

She felt something brush her cheek in response.

A/N I know that some versions name Ganga as the eldest daughter of Himavan, but I grew up hearing that she originated from Vishnu's feet, making him like her father. She also grew up in BrahmaLoka, hence Saraswati and Brahma are her parents as well.

Happy Draupadi Jayanti!