Lotus Flower and goddess Lakshmi

This plant is an aquatic perennial. Under favorable circumstances its seeds may remain viable for many years, with the oldest recorded lotus germination being from that of seeds 1300 years old recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern China.
Native to Greater India and commonly cultivated in water gardens, the lotus is the national flower of India and Vietnam.

From ancient times the lotus has been a divine symbol in Asian traditions representing sexual purity, a virtue.

Hindus revere it with the gods Vishnu, Brahma, and the goddesses Lakshmi* and Sarasvati. Often used as an example of divine beauty, Vishnu is often described as the 'Lotus-Eyed One'. Its unfolding petals suggest the expansion of the soul. The growth of its pure beauty from the mud of its origin holds a benign spiritual promise. Particularly Brahma and Lakshmi, the divinities of potency and wealth, have the lotus symbol associated with them. In Hindu iconography, deities often are depicted with lotus flowers as their seats.

The lotus plant is cited extensively within

Puranic and Vedic literature, for example:

I love the lotus because while growing from mud, it is unstained.

*Lakshmi

The Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity, and generosity; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm.

Representations of Lakshmi (or Shri) are found also in Jain and Buddhist monuments, with the earliest archeological representation found in Buddhist monuments.
She protects her devotee from all kinds of misery and money-related sorrows
Lakshmi in Sanskrit is derived from its elemental form "lakS," meaning to perceive or observe.

This is synonymous with lakṣya, meaning aim or objective.

Lakshmi is thus goddess of the means to achieving objectives, including prosperity in the lives of humankind.

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