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Jaganmata (Sanskrit: जगन्माता, romanized: Jaganmātā, lit. 'the mother of the world'), also rendered as Lokamata, is primarily an epithet of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, the supreme goddess of Vaishnavism.[1][2][3] It is also used in Hindu literature to address other goddesses, such as Parvati and Durga.
A hymn from the Atharva Veda dedicated to Lakshmi prays for a portion of the Jaganmata to reside upon one's tongue.[4]
The Vishnu Purana extols Lakshmi as Jaganmata:[5]
O best of the brāhmaṇas, Śrī Mahā-Lakṣmī is the eternal mother of the universe. She always resides with Viṣṇu and is also all-pervasive like Him.
— Vishnu Purana, Verse 1.8.17
According to this text, since Vishnu is omnipresent, and Lakshmi is regarded to be his divine shakti, she serves him as the mother of the universe that is under his protection.[6]
The Bhagavata Purana features a description of Vishnu's form in the form of a prayer, where it describes Lakshmi, the universal mother, tending to the feet of her eternal consort.[7]
In the Lakshmi Tantra, Indra performs a penance for two millennia to meet Lakshmi, and she appears before him upon a lotus, described to be the supreme mother of the universe.[8]
