hree Vedas, or time past, present and future and in the end of time, he will dance the universe to destruction. It is said that without his consort Mother Goddess, no Hindu god is much use or value to anyone. He may strut about, but his powers are limited. To be complete he requires a Devi, "Goddess," who takes many different names and forms, but always embodies Shakti. In some myths Devi is the prime mover, who commands the male gods to do work of creation and destruction. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, all three have their own consorts. Sarasvati, the goddess of wisdom and science and, the mother of Vedas, is Brahmas life. She is represented as a fair young woman, with four arms; with one of her right hands, she is presenting a flower to her husband, by whose side she continually stands; and in the other she holds a book of palm-leaves, indicating that she is fond of learning. In one of her left hands, she has a string of pearls, called Sivamala (Shivas garland) and in the other a small drum. Lakshmi, or very commonly known as Sri, is the wife of Vishnu."Sri, the bride of Vishnu, the mother of the world, is eternal, imperishable; as he is all-pervading, so she is omnipotent. Vishnu is meaning, she is speech; Hari is polite, she is prudence; Vishnu is understanding, she is intellect; he is righteousness, she is devotion; Sri is the earth, Hari is the support. In a word, of gods, animals, and men, Hari is all that is called male; Lakshmi is all that istermed female; there is nothing else than they." Lakshmi is regarded as the goddess of Love, Beauty, and Prosperity and is also known as Haripriya, "The beloved of Hari", and Lokamata, "The mother of the world". Uma or Kali, is the consort of the Hindu god Shiva in her manifestation of the power of time. As Shivas female consort and a destructive mother goddess, she inherits some of Shivas most fearful aspects. She is frequently portrayed as a black, laughing, naked hag with blood stained teet...
