Story of Mahalakshmi and her elder sister Alakshmi:
According to Bhagwat Mahapuran, during the churning of the ocean, before Lakshmi, her elder sister Alakshmi emerged.
But due to his appearance with Varuni i.e. wine in his hand and later when the demons entered into a fight with the Gods for the nectar, then due to Vishnu-Maya distributing that Varuni wine among the demons and invoking the demonic power, he got the name “Alakshmi”. Was found. That’s why even though he came out after Kalakoot, his name was missing from the list of 14 gems and was included in the sub-gems. Lakshmi ji had emerged after Alakshmi.Therefore Alakshmi was considered the elder sister of Goddess Lakshmi. When Goddess Lakshmi chose Lord Vishnu for herself, elder sister Alakshmi was left alone. Therefore, on the request of Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Vishnu had married Jyestha Alakshmi to Rishi Uddalak even before marriage, about whose name there is some controversy. Further information will be given regarding this incident.
According to folklore, while Goddess Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and worshiping her, one gets wealth, on the contrary, Goddess Alakshmi is considered the goddess of poverty and destitution. According to a popular belief, when Uddalak went to his ashram with his newly married wife Alakshmi, Alakshmi refused to enter there.
When Uddalak Rishi asked Alakshmi the reason for not going inside the ashram, Alakshmi told that – “I go only to those houses which are dirty, where people keep fighting all the time, where people Those who wear dirty clothes and the people living there do immoral or wrong things. The houses where there is always cleanliness, people of the house wake up early in the morning, worship God every day and wear clean clothes. I am not able to enter such places, only my younger sister Goddess Lakshmi has the right to enter such houses.I like spicy and sour things and for this reason, to get rid of me, people have been following the method of hanging lemons and chillies outside their houses and shops. Since such a favorite thing of mine is at the door, I feel like returning after having dinner there. Destiny is the law.Those people who do not keep my favorite objects at the outer doors of their house or office, despite worshiping Goddess Lakshmi, continue to lose money due to my influence. Yes, one more thing – one should never keep such an idol or picture of Goddess Lakshmi in the house or shop in which she is sitting on an owl. Because such Lakshmi is of fickle nature and she never stays at one place. Apart from this, one should also avoid keeping a standing idol of Goddess Lakshmi.To increase the wealth of my sister Goddess Lakshmi, such a picture or idol should be kept in which she is sitting on a lotus flower.” After listening to Alakshmi, Uddalak understood that it is not possible to avert fate in this situation.
The form of Goddess Alakshmi is that – she is an old woman with red eyes, black face and yellow hair. Alakshmi resides in a place full of home, family, bones, coal, hair and husk, where due to the wish of the Gods there are daily conflicts and quarrels. Goddess Alakshmi gives poverty and suffering to the harsh liars living there, those who eat food without washing their hands and faces and in the evening and those who eat non-food.
Alakshmi’s husband:
Before marrying Lord Vishnu, Goddess Lakshmi had laid down a rule that the elder sister should get married first. On this condition, Lord Vishnu happily agreed and found a suitable husband for his sister. According to Padma Purana, Brahmakhand, Jyeshtha Alakshmi was married to the sage “Uddalak” (Uddalak was the son of Aruni Rishi, the favorite disciple of Gautam Gotra and Dhaumya Rishi). But according to Lingapuran (2-6), this marriage took place with a Brahmin named “Duhasah” and after he went to the underworld, Goddess Alakshmi was left alone. Perhaps Uddalak Rishi was familiar with the adjective ‘Dussah’ in folk language for a wife like Alakshmi. It is written in the Kartik Mahatmya of “Sansutjata Samhita” that – after being abandoned by her husband, Alakshmi started living under the Peepal tree. Every Saturday, Lakshmi ji comes to meet her sister. Therefore, worshiping Peepal tree only on Saturday is considered “Lakshmiprad” and the traditional belief is prevalent that by touching the Peepal tree on days other than Saturday, one will get “poverty-suffering”.