Goddess Lakṣmi as Gajalakṣmi

Canto 8 of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Purāṇa describes the emergence of the Goddess Lakṣmi as a youth of exquisite beauty from the churning of the ocean of milk. So magnificent was her beauty that it captivated the Gods, and as soon as She emerged from the water, Indra, the King of the heavens brought a opulent āsanam for the Goddess of fortune to be seated upon. All the rivers of sacred water, such as the Gaṅgā and Yamunā, personified themselves, and brought pure water in golden loṭas to lustrate the mother Lakṣmī. The great sages then performed an abhiṣeka for the goddess in accordance with Vedic prescriptions. Thereafter, the aṣṭadiggaja (the eight great elephants that guard the eight directions) carried water jugs full of water from the Gaṅga and lustrated the goddess to the accompaniment of Vedic mantras being chanted by learned brāhmaṇas. As She was being bathed, She stood with a lotus flower in her hand, and appeared auspicious and beautiful. <a href="https://hinduaesthetic.medium.com/goddess-lak%E1%B9%A3mi-as-gajalak%E1%B9%A3mi-60a4da463a3d">Visit Now</a>