Lak
m
(Skt., ‘sign’). In the
Vedas
a mark or indication, neither good nor bad unless so qualified (e.g. by
pu
ya
if good). But at least from the time of
Mah
bh
rata
, Lak
m
is personified as a Goddess of good fortune and the embodiment of beauty. In all manifestations, she is associated with fertility and good fortune, and her image is often put on doorposts to ward off evil. Sr
Lak
m
is often known simply as
r
.