Padma Lakshmi Says She Doesn't Want Her Teen Daughter to Pursue Modeling

Padma Lakshmi is steering her daughter Krishna away from the runway -- in fact ... it sounds like she's outright discouraging her from following in her footsteps as a model.

We caught up with Padma at LAX Wednesday ... and she tells us that although she had to model to pay off student loans back in the day, her 14-year-old clearly isn't in the same financial situation she was in -- and doesn't have to go down that path.

Watch ... PL tells us she's already batting away modeling offers for her kid -- making it clear ... if Krishna ends up on a magazine cover, it'll be for her talent, not just her looks!

Padma explains she wants to nurture Krishna's intellect, creativity, and talent -- and tells us for now ... her daughter's gearing up to tune into her musical dreams at a performing arts school, which she got into on her own merit. So, she envisions a different journey for her.

Padma also suggests that she's gonna let Krishna pay her own way eventually -- but for now, at age 14, she's happy to support her daughter and her dreams ... just as long as she's hitting the books, that is.