Goddess Durga had just returned to Kailash with her four children from her parental home only five days ago. Before the week could pass, on the night of Kojagari Purnima, Goddess Lakshmi, the ‘daughter’ of Durga, will return to the mortal world. In every Bengali home, incense will be lit, conch shells will be blown, and prayers will be offered to her. But why, among her four children, is Goddess Lakshmi worshipped right after Durga Puja, rather than Kartik, Ganesh, or Saraswati? Is there a hidden reason for this?
There is a specific reason behind worshipping Lakshmi
immediately after the worship of Goddess Durga, the destroyer of obstacles and
the Goddess of victory.
The Mahabharata’s Shanti Parva (Book of Peace) reveals that
once, displeased with the behavior of the gods, the Goddess of Wealth (Lakshmi)
left the heavenly realms and went to the land of the demons. She then submerged
herself in the depths of the ocean. With Lakshmi’s departure from the heavens,
the gods became impoverished, and the divine world fell into disarray.
Prosperity and happiness disappeared.
On the other hand, Lakshmi’s stay in the netherworld caused
the demon realm to thrive with wealth and prosperity. Seeing the state of the
demon realm, King Indra realized that Lakshmi was there. To bring her back, the
gods and demons united to churn the ocean.
During this churning, the goddess Mahalakshmi rose from the
ocean, adorned with jewels and pearls, and began to reside on Lord Vishnu’s
eternal serpent bed. Under her blessing, the world began to flourish with
wealth and prosperity. However, she also made it clear that whenever pride
arises due to wealth and power, or when laziness sets in, she would abandon
that person.
The premature invocation of Durga and the defeat of Ravana seem to remind us of this very lesson. Ravana’s downfall was caused by excessive pride. On the day of Vijayadashami, Goddess Durga slays Mahishasura, and Ravana is defeated by Lord Rama. But these victories remind us not to let pride or laziness take root. They emphasize that victory should not lead to arrogance or a loss of wealth. This is why, immediately after Durga Puja, Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped.