Varalakshmi Vratam – Goddess Lakshmi is pleased with Women’s devotion on her

Sairam friends,

Sai has always inspired me to encourage everyone to do pooja of their favorite Gods,Goddess. Hence when ever any auspicious festival is celebrated, I write an article though I have little knowledge about it.

I am listening to Lakshmi Sahasranamam and started writing this. I have done this pooja before 3-4 years with a Kalash, and recited Lakshmi Sahasranamam. I haven’t done it the way people do it as I don’t know how exactly its done. So felt like writing about it. Kindly follow your own way of doing Varalakshmi Vratam as I might have done it in my own way without following any rules. I personally believe devotion doesn’t have any rules.

You are most welcome to share how you celebrate Varalakshmi Vratam along with photos if any. Make sure you do this pooja even if you don’t have all items or time to do in elaborate manner. Just do as simple and comfortable as you can.

If you have missed it, consider doing other pooja for Lakshmi listed below this article through links.

Varalakshmi Vratam

You can take a Kalasam, decorate it with Kumkum, chandan etc. Fill it with water and place it on Bannana leaf over which rice is kept. Apply tumeric powder on a coconut and keep kumkum to it. Keep this coconut over the Kalasam along with leaves of Mango tree if available. Some devotees of Lakshmi keep her silver or bronze form face over the kalasam as I have seen some pictures like this. Some even decorate the Kalasam with saree.

Offer few varieties of fruits, Beetle leaf, offer flowers and cook any vegetarian food to offer to eight forms of Goddess Lakshmi. You can also keep a yellow rope called as Saradu in tamilnadu as offering to Goddess. I don’t know how they call this in Andhra.

I keep these items and only know to recite Lakshmi Sahasranama and then ask my Mother to offer Naivaidhya (food) to Goddess.

This is my own way of showing my love on Goddess Lakshmi. This year am not doing it but I will do Abishekam – Holy bath to Goddess, Sai, keep kumkum, offer flowers and light lamps.

Goddess Lakshmi is pleased with Women’s devotion on her

One of the reason why I started writing about Varalakshmi Vratam is because its done by married women. The pooja tells us how important is it for women to have devotion on Goddess as it brings peace, good health and prosperity to all in her family.

A man can be devoted as much as he can but a family will be good only if his mother/wife has devotion in her heart.

I found the below story in Wikipedia.

In the kingdom of Magadha of yore, there lived a Brahmin woman called Charumathi in a town named Kundina. The prosperous town was the home of Charumathi and her husband. Impressed by her devotion to her family, Goddess Mahalakshmi appeared in her dream and asked her to worship Vara-Lakshmi (Vara = boon, Lakshmi = goddess of wealth) and seek to fulfill her wishes. Varalakshmi is yet another form of Lord Vishnu’s consort, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. The prayer/worship was prescribed to be offered on the Friday of Sravana month preceding the night of full moon.

When Charumathi explained her dream to her family, she found them encouraging her to perform the pooja. Many other women of the village joined her in performing the pooja in a traditional way and offered many sweet dishes to the Goddess Varalakshmi. They prayed with deep devotion.

The singificance of Vara Lakhmi Vrata is that eight forces or energies are recogonized. The eight forms of Lakshmi –

Adi Lakshmi, Dhana Lakshmi, Dhanya Lakshmi,Gaja Lakshmi, Santana Lakshmi , Veera Lakshmi ,Vijaya Lakshmi ,Vidya Lakshmi can be recogonized as (not in respective order)

Sri (Wealth),
Bhu (Earth),
Sarasvati (learning),
Priti (love),
Kirti (Fame),
Santi (Peace),
Tushti(Pleasure) and
Pushti(Strength).

Each one of these forces is called a Lakshmi and all the eight forces are called the Ashta Lakshmis or the eight Lakshmis of the Hindus.

Apart from this, there are other mythological stories about why Varalakshmi Vrata is celebrated. I like Lakshmi especially since I have realized her deep care and love on me. She is Goddess of mercy.

If interested, you can worship Lakshmi by doing following other pooja too.

Prasanna Vaibhava Lakshmi vrata for Goddess Mahalakshmi

Many years back I wrote a Lakshmi pooja for good married life  and even forgot I wrote it.

There’s also Mahalaxmi Ashtothram and a simple pooja in – SaiMahalakshmi.com

Shirdi Saibaba blessed me with various experience with Goddess Lakshmi. One of those can be read below..

Ashta Lakshmi in dream

One of the very beautiful experience I had seen back in 2005 is as if I am in Nagasai mandhir and the priest of showing aarti to Saibaba when I actually saw Lakhsmi in the place of Sai. All Goddess and Gods dwells in Sai but as Hindus we must follow our culture and traditions. Sai himself encourages his devotees to follow the Gods/Goddess and traditions our ancestors followed.

OK friends. I don’t know whats happening in my life?  I am simply living without being responsible to my parents. Sometimes, I really feel embarrassed to write my personal life in StarSai as thousands of people come here and not all will take it in right way.

I wish Sai Lakshmi shows me a way.

May Sri Lakshmi bless us all with good health, peace and prosperity.

Keep thinking and doing good.

Your life will be good

Aum Sai Ram

Venkat