Crossing the bounds of the city, she sees Shriya, a poor, outcaste woman who offers the goddess her worship with rituals, conducted with cleanliness and devotion.
She removes her expensive jewellery with the exception of her marital ornaments and leaves in a huff, cursing the brothers by depriving them of her presence that brought well-being and prosperity.
[5] It also serves as a guideline for Hindu women to perform their duties and responsibilities in an honest manner, represented by the scene where Lakshmi gives up her jewellery, but not her marital accessories, since she is still a loving wife.
[7] As a piece of literature, it suggests that social change is best brought about by promoting empathy to the more unfortunate and by still treating them with respect so that inequality could be fought with love rather than hatred.
In several parts of Odisha, and the neighboring regions in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and the Srikakulam area of Andhra Pradesh, women perform a special one-month-long Lakshmi Puja in the Hindu month of Margasirsha or Agrahayana.