One of the most significant rituals during the Diwali festivities is the Lakshmi Puja, which is performed in honour of the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Nithin Kamath, the CEO of trading platform Zerodha, shared what the seats of the goddesses of wealth and knowledge — Lakshmi and Saraswati — symbolise.
“As we celebrate Laksmi Puja this Deepavali, here's an interesting anecdote. Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, sits on a lotus. Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, sits on a rock. The symbolism is that money, like a lotus floats & knowledge, like a rock once gained stays forever,” Kamath tweeted.
Symbolism of the lotus and rock
The lotus is the symbol of purity and enlightenment amid ignorance as it grows in smutty swamps unbothered by its surroundings.
A lotus does not get dirty by the mud. The flower blooms but does not stay forever. This signifies that money is like lotus, it can grow anywhere but it does not stay in one place forever. Thus, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, is depicted sitting on a lotus.
On the other hand, the goddess Saraswati is seen holding veena in her hand as she sits atop a stone or rock. The hidden meaning behind this is that the rock signifies the stability of knowledge, which cannot be lost or moved.
The anecdote shared by Kamath encapsulates an important lesson that wealth may come and go, but the knowledge once gained would never be lost.
