1. Adi Lakshmi With a name derived from the Sanskrit root laksh, which means “to understand and know,” as well as “goal,” “aim,” or “objective,” Lakshmi helps people realize their goals by providing them the wealth they need in order to do so. And as adi means “first,” Adi Lakshmi is said to be her primordial form, through which she helps a person attain life’s foremost aim — freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth. She is thus known also as Moksha Pradayani, or “one who bestows liberation.” Wearing gold jewelry and seated on a pink lotus, Adi Lakshmi is depicted with four hands — one displaying the Abhaya mudra (fingers held upwards with the palm facing outward in a gesture of fearlessness), one displaying the Varada mudra (fingers pointed downwards with the palm facing outward in a gesture of offering boons), one holding a lotus (symbolizing enlightenment and one’s duty to maintain righteousness even in unjust environs), and one holding a flag (symbolizing surrender to the Divine). Adi Lakshmi is the embodiment of compassion and is always ready to aid those who sincerely endeavor to live every moment striving towards the ultimate spiritual aim of life.