In the present study I have tried to present a picture of Laksmi as the appears in Sanskrit texts. In the first Chapter I have shown the original of the concepts like Sri and Laksmi and their gradual development into two divinities in the Vedic literature. The distinct features of these two divinities are made clear in the Sri-Sukta which is appended to the Rg Veda as a Khila; so a separate chapter has been devoted for this. The Puranapancalaksana texts texts which constitute the urkern of the Puranas was formed even before the epic stories were finalised. So I have tried to show the development of the goddess as depicted in the Puranapanclaksana texts in the third Chapter. In the chapter dealing with materials from the epics and the Puranas, an attempt has been made to describe the development of the divinity in a systematic manner with the help of different Puranic legends, due to the merger of Laksmi with Sri, the inauspicious aspect of Laksmi formed a separate divinity namely Alaksmi; so the origin and the development of Alaksmi has been discussed in Chapter five when the Goddess became popular, various religious observances were formed in her honour; the sixth Chapter: deals with the festivities in honour of the divinity. Lastly, the growing Importance of Laksmi in the Pancaratra sect has been mentioned in a general way.
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