
Vol. IV, No. 5.] Lakshmee Puja. 249 
[N.S. ] 
upon another's wife with amorous eyes. Lakshmee lives with 
persons who do not possess any of the evil qualities enumerated 
above. 
The worship of Lakshmee generally concludes with ad reci- 
tation of stories illustrating the good or evil consequences that 
follow from a regard or disregard of her. The following, which ts 
an dein ment of one of such stories, may perhaps be of in- 
teres 
ous upon a time Lakshmee sent her son Kuvera to her 
Tradition : 
Aditya Likksknee. dd to hear re story of Lakshmee. 
her to listen to the story of "Enkei she replied that she 
could not do soas she, through a mistake, had chewed betel that 
morning. 
Another day Kuvera went and again asked Bhushna to hear 
the story of Lakshmee. On that day Bhushna said that she had 
cooked rice for her children and by some mistake had eaten with 
them that morning, On a third occasion, Kuvera went again to 
Bhushna for the same purpose. Bhuslhna, seeing him and hearing 
the forehead of Kuvera, thus causing a sore thereon. Be- 
fore this Kuvera had never been injured by anybody. So, thinking 
that if his sore were detected by his mother she would surely curse 
him sit upon her me While Sepa ning his body with motherly 
care, she discovered the sore an d Kuvera how he got it. 
Kuvera, apprehending the peril of Py ae said, “ Mother, while I 
was running in the streets, I fell down and got thesore.” Hearin ng 
this, Lakshmee was very angry with the earth and called her pre- 
sently and said, ‘‘ Earth, as you have injured my hitherto un- 
ae red 8 son, = will Wanda your igs lity.” Earth being afraid 
Kuvera denied it, saying that the sore was caused by a fall from a 
tree. Lakshmee called the tree and asked if it aie pe ge pen 
not guilty. 
been caused by her daughter, Bhusbite and not by anybody else, 
inasmuch as she knew well that no one would dare to injure her 
son. 
jured d son, ie pe you shall lose all cae yt and shall 
be an eyesore to your husband, the king.” ‘After being so cursed 
Bhushna’s biecte disappeare red, her ornaments sah transformed 
into iron, and the horses and elephants began to die on being seen 
by her. Her husband, too, was so displeased with hes that he 
