Goddess Lalita

In ancient times, earth goddesses ruled the world. With the emergence of patriarchy around 1500 years ago, however, they were dethroned in all but one place: India. In Hinduism, goddess energy, aka ‘Shakti’, is considered the foundation of life itself – the creative force that is responsible for the creation, nurturing and destruction of the universe. With a wild and heartfelt passion, this feminine life force has been worshipped throughout the ages in India in the shape of goddesses, as diverse and colorful as the real–life women who inspired them, from graceful Durga to fearsome Kali. Of all the Hindu goddesses who embody love, Lalita (‘She who plays’) may be my favorite. In a playful yet passionate way, she urges us to love: ourselves, each other and perhaps most importantly, the earth.

Born out of fire, Lalita is exquisitely sensuous, a beauty with thick flower–scented hair and golden–red skin. According to an ancient Sanskrit text*, her eyes look like ‘ fish playing in the lake of her face’ while her ears have ‘the sun and moon as studs’. I particularly like the description of Lalita’s belly: it has ‘three pretty folds’ and ‘wisps of beautiful hair’. Lalita is all about attraction; not just the kind that draws bees to flowers, but also the force that draws atoms together into molecules. A stunning manifestation of ancient Mother Earth energy.

“Come and play,” Lalita says with a brilliant smile and a saucy shake of the hip. Take her hand and let her guide you in the dance of life. Such a fierce guide she is! Holding five arrows made of long–stemmed flowers, she forces you to become aware of your five senses – sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing – and aim them at your dreams and ambitions with a balanced mind, symbolized by her perfectly strung sugarcane bow. Your reward for acting with purpose and in harmony with the earth is utterly lovely: a sweet and fragrant life. Flower power at its best.

Looking for love? Lalita encourages us to love ourselves and the earth first. In a thousand–year–old text called ‘The Glory of Lalita’, the goddess shows a type of independence that seems thoroughly modern. Ready to find a partner, Lalita one day announced: “Whatever I say or do is according to my own will alone. Whichever man accepts me as his wife must also accept my complete independence.” She then pulled a garland from her neck and tossed it into the sky, after which it landed around the god Shiva’s neck. They lived happily ever after, on Lalita’s terms of course.

* the Brahmanda Purana