The funny thing is, neither the Devas nor the Asuras are happy. They try hard to hold on Lakshmi but she slips away. In folk tradition Lakshmi is described as being squint – one never knows where she is actually going. She is also called Chanchala, the whimsical one, eternally restless. They say one should never keep the image of Lakshmi standing in the house; she will get tired and run away. One is advised to keep images of Lakshmi comfortably seated, preferably next to Saraswati, goddess of knowledge.
While Lakshmi brings prosperity into a household, Saraswati brings peace. The two goddesses are described as quarrelling sisters. Lakshmi loves to go places where Saraswati resides. But her arrival marks the end of wisdom and peace. With wealth comes quarrels, bickering over money-matters, annoying Saraswati who runs away, which is why they say prosperity and peace rarely coexist. The only god who can bring them together is Ganesha. In some scriptures, he is described as their brother. In others, Lakshmi and Saraswati are forms of Riddhi and Siddhi, wives of Ganesha.
Typically everyone chases Lakshmi. As for Lakshmi, she is drawn to only one god, Vishnu, who is not a Deva, but greater than all Devas, who is actually God (spelt with an upper case) or Bhagavan. Vishnu is the only one who got the Devas and Asuras to cooperate and serve as the force and counterforce of a churn that got Lakshmi and other magical treasures to rise from the ocean of milk.
Vishnu is typically shown siding with the Devas. He offers Amrita, nectar of immortality only to the Devas and he fights alongside them in the battles against Asuras. This seems unfair until one steps back and observes Vishnu’s role as preserver.
Brahma, as creator of both Devas and Asuras sides with both of them equally. Shiva as destroyer is indifferent to both Devas and Asuras and will give both of them equal power. This equality does not result in movement or dynamism; it produces a stagnant destructive statement. Vishnu creates an imbalance that causes the forces of the cosmos to flow, for day to follow night, summer to follow winter. He balances the Sanjivani Vidya given to Asuras by Shiva with Amrita which is reserved only for the Devas. So while one group can regenerate themselves after being killed, the other group is immortal. One groups keeps dying and being reborn while the other group stays alive forever. When the Asuras are killed, the Devas win and Lakshmi is with them. When the Asuras are brought back to life by Shukra, the Devas lose and Lakshmi is back with her fathers.
While Indra seeks Lakshmi for himself, Vishnu does not. Vishnu seeks to create order in the cosmos by the rhythm of nature and order in society by rules and regulations. The story goes that when the earth complained that the kings of the earth were plundering her wealth in greed, Vishnu promised her to take care of her by instituting the code of civilized conduct known as dharma. The earth turned into a cow and Vishnu became her cowherd and caretaker, Gopala. He protected her with dharma and she, in exchange, gave artha and kama.
Dharma is all about balance – taking only as much as one needs, and sharing the excess. Parashurama kills Kartaviryarjuna who steals the cows which are given as gifts to sages. Ram kills Ravan who disregards the laws of marriage. Krishna kills the Kauravas who are unable to share wealth with their own family. This makes Vishnu a deity intent on making the world a better place. Perhaps that is why Lakshmi sits coyly at his feet. He is Shrinivas, the eternal abode of Lakshmi.
