Lakshmi Puja is one of the most vital puja rituals of Hindus. Goddess Lakshmi is the Supreme of all the wealth, love, beauty, and prosperity humans enjoy. Without her blessings, no wealth or health would exist with any individual. Orthodox Hindus believe in performing Lakshmi puja daily to seek her blessings. Others who do not do the Lakshmi puja daily would not miss doing it on Friday.
There are many reasons why Goddess Lakshmi is powerful and devotees crave her blessings. In this article, let us understand why Hindus worship Goddess Lakshmi.
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Who is Goddess Lakshmi?
Goddess Lakshmi is the energy and the divine power of Lord Vishnu. She is her lovable wife. Without her, Lord Vishnu does not exist. In whichever Lord Vishnu is, she accompanies him in various avatars. As Rukmini in Dwapara Yuga, as Maa Sita in Treta Yuga, as Lakshmi in Kali Yuga.
Lakshmi Devi is one of the three powerful Shaktis of Hinduism – Goddess Saraswati and Goddess Parvati being the other two. She is also mentioned by Sri, which means the Goodness of everything. Without her blessings, anyone will lose energy, power, money, wealth, happiness, and beauty, be however rich or powerful they are.
She is a Divine Maya; she never stays in one place for long. This is the reason Goddess Lakshmi is also called Chanchala, which means she moves very quickly from one place to another, even without us knowing it. It is very hard to receive her blessings and make her stay in our house for long. With intense devotion and regular puja and practices that please her, one can get the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi. This is why Hindus worship Goddess Lakshmi regularly to get her blessings and make her stay in their homes.
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Goddess Lakshmi birth story: How was Goddess Lakshmi born?
An interesting story about who is Goddess Lakshmi tells you about the origin of Lakshmi.
Lord Indra is the king of all Gods. He is known for his arrogance that he is the ruler of the Gods. He was also constantly worried that anyone might capture his power and become the King of Gods.
Once it so happens that Indra on his vehicle, an elephant, visits the great sage Durvasa. To welcome Indra, Durvasa offers a garland as a symbol of respect. Indra takes it and gives it to his elephant. The elephant takes it with the trunk and in the process it the garland falls on the ground with all the flowers coming out of it. Flowers are the symbol of the Goddess of Fortune. This angers the Sage Durvasa, who is known for short temper. He curses Indra that he would lose his power and all arrogance will subside soon.
Disappointed Indra goes back to his city Amaravati. To his fear, soon the curse starts showing results. The lush fields in his kingdom start turning into barren lands. Men get attracted to sensory pleasures. Women start neglecting rituals and tend to love objects. All the Gods under him start to lose their divine powers one by one. Demons start waging wars on God’s kingdoms and start occupying them.
Alerted with these changes, all Gods along with Indra rush to Lord Vishnu for help. Then Lord Vishnu suggests that by churning the Milk Ocean (Ksheera Sagara), they can find the Goddess of Fortune and the problems of Gods will end. This is how Sagara Mathan (the churning of the Divine Milk Ocean) starts.
Then Lord Vishnu takes up the form of a gigantic tortoise, while mountain Mandara becomes the churning rod. With the help of the divine snake Vasuki as the churning rope, the Gods and demons churn the Ksheer Sagar. During this process, Amrit(The Divine Nectar), The Moon, Goddess Lakshmi, Kamadhenu, Kalpavriskha, Airawata, Apsaras, along with many precious gems as well as the deadliest poison are born.
Thus, Goddess Lakshmi evolves from the Kshira Sagar and she chooses Lord Vishnu as her soulmate. With her blessings, the Gods win over demons in the war and Lord Indra again gets back his lost glory and power.
Where does Goddess Lakshmi reside?
The place of Goddess Lakshmi is in the chest of Lord Vishnu. In one instance, when Sage Brighu kicks Lord Vishnu on his chest, Lakshmi Devi gets immense anger and leaves Vaikuntha – the heavenly abode and comes and settles on the Earth at Kolhapur.
According to Hindu scriptures, Goddess Lakshmi resides in many places:
- Tulsi plant
- Oil lit lamp
- Clean and Hygienic house
- Sweet words
- Positive thoughts
- Turmeric and kumkum
- Yagnas and Homas
- Houses of people who respect elders and treat guests with care
- Conch shells
- Fresh flowers
- Clean house entrance adorned with beautiful rangolis
- Main entrance of a home
- Cows
- Kumbhsthala of elephant
Why Hindus worship Goddess Lakshmi: Who is Ashta Lakshmi?
Ashta Lakshmi is the eight divine manifestations of Goddess Sri Maha Lakshmi. They are the forms of happiness and prosperity, essential for making a human life wholesome.
The eight forms of Shri Lakshmi, together known as Ashta Lakshmi are:
- Adi Lakshmi: The primary form of Goddess Lakshmi, responsible for bliss and peace.
- Dhana Lakshmi: The Goddess of Wealth, responsible for wealth and prosperity.
- Dhanya Lakshmi: Goddess of Food, responsible for satisfying our hunger on time.
- Gaja Lakshmi: Goddess of Power and Cattle, responsible for power, leadership, and health of cattle.
- Santana Lakshmi: Goddess of progeny, responsible for blessing humans with good children.
- Dhairya Lakshmi: Goddess of courage, responsible for mental strength, bravery, and confidence.
- Vijaya Lakshmi: The Goddess of Success, responsible for success in endeavors.
- Vidya Lakshmi: Goddess of education, responsible for good intellect and learning.
Why Hindus worship Goddess Lakshmi on Friday?
Friday is known as Shukravar in Sanskrit and Hindi. “Shukra” is the planet Venus – which is known to bless humans with beauty, wealth, and prosperity. Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped on Fridays as she is the Supreme for these qualities. Not only Lakshmi Devi, but Friday is also related to the worship of the Female Goddess as they are all incarnations of Tri Saktis.
What is the procedure to do Lakshmi puja?
Lakshmi puja is done in different ways on different occasions. People worship Lakshmi Mata on various occasions such as Diwali, Navaratri, Varalakshmi Vratam, and Sharad Purnima, Santoshi Mata vratam, etc.
How Hindus worship Lakshmi Devi on Diwali?
On Diwali, it is a custom to worship Dhana Lakshmi, the bestower of endless wealth and prosperity. To do Diwali Lakshmi puja:
Clean the home well ahead of Diwali day. Adore the house fronts with lively rangolis to invite Lakshmi Devi into the house. Take a head bath and wear clean clothes.
Clean and decorate the puja place and arrange the Lakshmi idol on a higher platform like a wooden stool or puja stool decorated with a rangoli of rice flour and turmeric. Decorate the puja place with flowers, light incense, and diyas of sesame oil or cow ghee.
Do prana pratishta by offering water from a Kalash with the help of mango leaves. Readout Lakshmi Sahasranamam, Sri Suktam, and Kanaka Dhara Stotram with intense dedication imagining Goddess Lakshmi in every word. After the end of puja, offer Pongal, kheer, or fruits to Goddess Lakshmi. Repeat the puja in the evening during sunset time.
Why is Goddess Lakshmi worshipped along with Lord Ganesha on Diwali?
In Hinduism, wealth without intelligence is of no use. Similarly, that intelligence which does not produce enough wealth cannot be of help. Lord Ganesha is the symbol of intelligence. Maa Lakshmi bestows prosperity. Thus, on Diwali both Lakshmi and Ganesha are worshipped together for seeking intelligence and wealth both together.
How to worship Goddess Lakshmi on Varalakshmi Vratam?
Varalakshmi vratam falls in the Shravan month of the Indian lunar calendar. Women do Varalakshmi vratam on the second Friday of the month for the health of husband and blessed married life. They can also do it on any Friday in the month as per their convenience. After the puja, in the evening, women invite other women in the neighbourhood and share betel leaves with nuts, fruits, coconut, and other items.
Procedure to do Varalakshmi puja:
Take a head bath and wear a new saree. Women also purchase Gold and decorate Goddess Lakshmi on this day before wearing it for the first time. Arrange Goddess Lakshmi figurine with the help of coconut, Kalash, and other accessories. You can also use ready to decorate sets for getting the final look of the Goddess Lakshmi. In many orthodox Hindu families, the process of decoration and creation of Goddess Lakshmi follows as per the mother laws traditions. In its most basic form, a coconut is cleaned, decorated with turmeric, and given the shape of a face using Kumkum. It is then placed on the Kalash. This is worshipped as Goddess Lakshmi on Varalakshmi Puja vratam day.
After the prana pratishta and elaborate procedure of pooja, varieties of foods are offered to Varalakshmi Devi. Then the sacred yellow thread is tied to the right-hand wrist of women and they take blessings from the husband.
How to perform Santoshi Maa Lakshmi puja?
Women observe fast on Santoshi maa puja for 16 consecutive Fridays. On the 17th Friday, they invite unmarried young girls to home and offer food, and gifts and take their blessings. They are considered to be the forms of Lakshmi Devi and Santoshi Maa.
How to perform Lakshmi puja on Navratri?
During Navratri, the sixth day is mentioned for Goddess Lakshmi puja. On this day, Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in the form of Maha Lakshmi.
What is the vehicle of Goddess Lakshmi?
Goddess Lakshmi travels on White Owl. She is often shown as sitting on Lotus in Padmasana with two elephants behind her. They symbolize prosperity and abundance while the owl represents patience and learning even in times of darkness.
Why does Goddess Lakshmi press Lord Vishnu’s feet?
Sri Mahalakshmi is the combination of rajas, tamas, and sattva – the three Gunas that are active, dark, and constructive. With her massage at the end of the nerves in his feet, she assists Shri Maha Vishnu in his creation, preservation, and destruction of the Universe. Thus, she completes his actions, without which His actions remain incomplete.
Those who perceive that Lakshmi Maa is always at Sri Mahavishnu’s feet should remember that He made the whole wealth in the Universe Her domain, and He gave a place in his chest for Her. Without Lakshmi, even Vishnu is incomplete. They complement each other in a way that is beyond human perception. Hence, she is also called Narayani, the divine power of Narayana, or Sri Maha Vishnu.
How to receive the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi?
Goddess Lakshmi loves to reside in places that are clean and hygienic. She never stays in a home that is not swept or cleaned. This is why orthodox Hindus stress cleaning the homes and house fronts before sunrise.
- Goddess Lakshmi resides as a hygienic human. Taking a daily bath, regular oil massage, and head bath are one way to invite Goddess Lakshmi into the home.
- Tulasi is another form of Goddess Lakshmi. She resides in homes that have Tulasi plants that are daily watered and worshipped.
- Fridays are favored for getting the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi. Women with deep desires like getting a child or for their husband’s health observe fasting on Friday and perform their worship with intense devotion.
- Goddess Lakshmi resides in positive speech and thoughts. It is said that even if everything is lost, if the individual is of positive-thinking, dharma-abiding, and confident, Goddess Lakshmi stays with them and helps them regain everything that is lost.
- Goddess Lakshmi resides in such a home where guests and elders are treated with respect and love. She is pleased with such people and showers her blessings.
- Another place of residence of Goddess Lakshmi is cow worship. In a house where cows are worshipped and taken care of, the household enjoys the constant blessings of Maa Lakshmi.
- Lakshmi Maata hates liars and cheaters. Though she appears to bless them for a while and make hefty money, she leaves them with intense punishment as she left Lord Indra in the legend discussed above.
- A house that performs puja twice a day is the abode of Sri Maha Lakshmi. She also loves to reside in places where Vishnu is praised in the form of His hymns and worship.
- Lakshmi’s blessings never occur to an arrogant person. One who throws flowers, rice, food, money, books, silver, and gold to ground with pride can never obtain the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi.
Hinduism signifies that every woman is a form of Lakshmi Devi. In those houses where women are respected, cared and loved, Goddess Lakshmi resides forever. A wife is said to be Gruha Lakshmi – which means the Lakshmi of the Home. A home with a cheerful, clean, happy, intelligent, obedient, and tradition-abiding wife is the permanent residence of Goddess Lakshmi.
Famous Lakshmi Temples in India
- SriPuram golden Temple, Vellore
- Tiruchanur Temple, Tirupati
- Lakshmi Narayan Temple, Delhi
- Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur
- Mahalakshmi temple, Mumbai
- Kanaka Maha Lakshmi temple, Vizag
- Ashta Lakshmi temple, Chennai
- Mahalakshmi Temple, Goravanahalli
Maha Lakshmi Namostutey!!
