HINDU SWIMSUIT GODDESS OUTRAGE

INDIAN FURY OVER AUSTRALIA SWIMWEAR
IMAGES OF HINDU GODDESS LAKSHMI

http://www.bbc.co.uk - Images of the Hindu goddess of wealth displayed on swimwear at an Australian fashion show have sparked a legal battle in India.  The Allahabad High Court has issued notices to the Hindustan Times for publishing the photos that show female models wearing the swimwear.  Images of the goddess, Lakshmi, were displayed on the garments.  The fashion show attracted worldwide media attention and was held in the Australian city of Sydney last week.  Pictures of the controversial swimwear were published in many newspapers, leading to protests in towns and cities across India.  “The sentiments of billions of Hindus have been hurt and this issue will not get resolved by presenting an apology. We feel this is a deliberate act to get cheap publicity,” said protesters belonging to radical Hindu groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal who took to the streets of Delhi on Monday, shouting slogans against the Australian government.

The swimsuit, from Byron Bay label Lisa Blue, shows Lakshmi - the goddess of wealth and beauty - on the front and back of the cutaway design.  The label’s creator, Lisa Burke, has issued an apology on Facebook and Twitter.  “This range will never be available for sale in any stockists or retail outlets anywhere in the world,” Ms Burke posted on the label’s Facebook page on Saturday.  “We apologise to the Hindu community and take this matter very seriously.”  But the statement was not enough.  Protesters who took to the streets of some Indian cities, waving photos of the swimsuit and burning the Australian flag,  continued demonstrations over the weekend, because the swimwear display had offended their feelings.

“It’s disturbing to see the goddess Lakshmi, who is highly revered in Hinduism, printed on a swimsuit,” said Hindu statesman Rajan Zed.  “Lakshmi was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not for pushing swimwear in fashion shows for mercantile greed of an apparel company.”  The designer of the brand, Lisa Burke, decided to apologize to those affected, discontinue production of the garment and remove all copies of its stores.  Lakshmidevi, the goddess of fortune and Lord Vishnu’s consort and shakti (or potency) is worshipped every day by Hindus and her image is considered to be sacred. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

Lakshmi, or Sri when she is especially known as the goddess of beauty (though sometimes considered to be separate entities), is the Goddess of fortune, wealth, power, and loveliness.  Wealth means not only money, but also the higher values and qualities of life.  The power of the mind and intellect is also a must if one wants to be truly wealthy, which includes spiritual wealth.  These are prerequisites to attaining spiritual knowledge. ... As the spouse of Lord Vishnu, she appears whenever He does in each of His appearances, such as Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, or Krishna. In each of these appearances, she appeared as Padma or Kamala, Dharani, Sita, and Rukmini respectively.  They are inseparable.   Lakshmi is also known in Her other eight forms as Veera, Adhi, Gaja, Vijaya, Dhana, Aiswarya, Santhan, and Dhanya.

Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Gods and Goddesses of Vedic Culture”
“A Quick Guide to the Primary Divinities of Sanatana-Dharma”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/gods_and_goddesses_of_vedic_culture.htm
http://www.stephen-knapp.com  -  http://www.stephenknapp.info/