Goddess · Wealth and good fortune
Lakshmi
Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, good fortune and well-being, and the wife of Vishnu. Sing her aarti, keep her day, and see when to worship her next in your city.
- Her day
- Friday
- Next: Fri 30 Oct
- Next Lakshmi day
- Dhanteras
- In 11 days · Fri 6 Nov
The first
Adi Lakshmi
The first and oldest Lakshmi, the mother from whom the other forms come.
About her, and her verse →Grain
Dhanya Lakshmi
The harvest and the food on the table, so that no home goes hungry.
About her, and her verse →Courage
Dhairya Lakshmi
Courage and steadiness in hard times; also called Veera Lakshmi.
About her, and her verse →Power
Gaja Lakshmi
Bathed by two elephants: rain, fertile land, cattle and royal strength.
About her, and her verse →Victory
Vijaya Lakshmi
Success in every undertaking, and in the struggles of life.
About her, and her verse →Knowledge
Vidya Lakshmi
Learning and wisdom, the wealth that no one can take away.
About her, and her verse →Wealth
Dhana Lakshmi
Money and gold, and the means to live well and give to others.
About her, and her verse →Tap a petal to meet each form. The eight are listed a little differently by tradition: some name Aishwarya, Bhagya or Rajya Lakshmi in place of one of these.
Her days, in your city
Dates and puja times for the city you pick
For New Delhi
Two days before Diwali: new gold or a vessel for the home.
- Every Friday
- Fri 30 OctHer day of the week
- Diwali Lakshmi Puja
- Sun 8 Nov5:55 pm to 7:51 pm
- Akshaya Tritiya
- Sun 9 May5:35 am to 9:04 am
- Kojagara Lakshmi Puja
- Thu 14 Oct11:42 pm to 12:32 am, 15 Oct
Sing her aarti
ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता, मैया जय लक्ष्मी माता।
तुमको निशिदिन सेवत, हरि विष्णु विधाता॥
Om Jai Lakshmi Mata, Maiya jai Lakshmi Mata,
Tumko nishdin sevat, Hari Vishnu Vidhata.
Glory to you, Mother Lakshmi! Vishnu and Brahma, the creator, serve you day and night.
हे लक्ष्मी माता, आपकी जय! विष्णु और सृष्टि रचने वाले ब्रह्मा दिन-रात आपकी सेवा करते हैं।
A refrain and seven verses, sung as the lamp is waved at the end of her puja.
Sing the whole aartiHer prayers
- Om Jai Lakshmi MataHer aarti, sung on Fridays and at the Diwali pujaRead
- Shri SuktamThe Rig Vedic hymn to ShriSoon
- Mahalakshmi AshtakamEight verses, said to be Indra’s praiseSoon
- Lakshmi ChalisaForty verses in HindiSoon
- Kanakadhara StotramAdi Shankaracharya’s hymn of the golden rainSoon
- 108 names of LakshmiFor japa with a malaSoon
- Ashta Lakshmi StotramEight verses, one for each of her formsSoon
A simple Friday puja
Friday is Lakshmi’s day. A short puja at home in the evening, once the lamps are lit, is enough; on Diwali and Kojagara night it grows larger. Follow your family’s way where it differs.
- Clean the place of worship and the doorway. Lakshmi is said to stay where it is clean.
- Set her image on a red or yellow cloth, with a kalash of water and a few grains of rice before it.
- Light a ghee lamp and incense, and offer kumkum, turmeric and akshat (unbroken rice).
- Offer lotus or red flowers, and kheer or a white sweet as naivedya.
- Chant Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah 11 or 108 times, or read the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam.
- Sing Om Jai Lakshmi Mata as you wave the lamp, then share the prasad.
What you need
- An image or picture of Lakshmi
- A ghee lamp and incense
- Kumkum, turmeric and akshat
- Lotus or red flowers
- Kheer or a white sweet
- A kalash of water
Prayers for the puja
Who is Lakshmi
Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, good fortune and well-being, and the wife of Vishnu, the preserver. She is worshipped for plenty in every sense: money and food, health, children, courage and a peaceful home.
She rose from the ocean of milk when gods and asuras churned it, seated on a lotus, and chose Vishnu as her husband. Whenever he comes to the world, she comes with him, as Sita beside Rama and Rukmini beside Krishna.
Her blessing is said to stay where there is cleanliness, honest work and generosity. This is why homes are swept and lamps lit for her, above all on the new-moon night of Diwali.
- Shri radiance and good fortune, the word still placed before names as a mark of honour
- Mahalakshmi the great Lakshmi, as she is worshipped at Kolhapur and Mumbai
- Kamala and Padma she of the lotus
- Vishnupriya beloved of Vishnu; also Haripriya
- Samudra Tanaya daughter of the ocean, from which she rose
- Narayani consort of Narayana
- Bhargavi daughter of the sage Bhrigu, in one telling of her birth
ॐ श्रीं महालक्ष्म्यै नमः
Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah
Om, and Shreem, her seed sound: I bow to the great Lakshmi.
ॐ, और उनका बीज मंत्र श्रीं: महान लक्ष्मी को मेरा नमन।
नमस्तेऽस्तु महामाये श्रीपीठे सुरपूजिते।
शङ्खचक्रगदाहस्ते महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते॥
Namastestu Mahamaye, Shripithe Surapujite,
Shankha-chakra-gada-haste, Mahalakshmi namostute.
I bow to you, great Maya, seated on the throne of fortune and worshipped by the gods. Holding the conch, the discus and the mace, Mahalakshmi, I bow to you.
हे महामाया, सौभाग्य के आसन पर विराजमान और देवताओं से पूजित, आपको नमन। हाथों में शंख, चक्र और गदा धारण करने वाली महालक्ष्मी, आपको नमन।
What her symbols mean
The lotus
She sits on a lotus and holds one. It rises from mud yet stays clean, as wealth should be earned and kept without being stained by it.
Gold coins from her hand
Coins pour from her open hand: fortune that is given and shared, not hoarded.
Four hands
Often read as the four aims of life: dharma (right living), artha (wealth), kama (desire) and moksha (freedom).
Elephants pouring water
As Gaja Lakshmi she is bathed by two elephants: rain, fertile land and a ruler’s blessing.
Her stories
Across India
Bengal and Assam
Kojagari Lakshmi Puja on Sharad Purnima, at home, with alpana footprints at the door. In Bengal many homes also keep a small Lakshmi puja every Thursday.
Gujarat, and traders everywhere
Chopda Pujan on Diwali: new account books are opened in Lakshmi’s name, with a swastika and Shubh Labh on the first page.
Maharashtra
Lakshmi Puja on Diwali night; on the Thursdays of Margashirsha many women keep the Mahalakshmi vrat with a kalash for the goddess.
Odisha
Manabasa Gurubara: on the Thursdays of Margashira, Lakshmi is welcomed with a measure of new rice and the Lakshmi Purana is read.
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
Varalakshmi Vratam, on the Friday before Shravana Purnima: married women dress a kalash as the goddess and tie a sacred thread for the family.
Kolhapur
Mahalakshmi, Ambabai to her devotees, is the city’s goddess. On a few days each year the setting sun’s rays reach her image, the Kiranotsav.
Her temples
- Mahalakshmi TempleMumbai, Maharashtra
- Shri Mahalakshmi (Ambabai) TempleKolhapur, Maharashtra
- Sripuram Golden TempleVellore, Tamil Nadu
- Padmavathi Ammavari TempleTiruchanur, near Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh
- Ashtalakshmi TempleBesant Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
- Laxminarayan Temple (Birla Mandir)New Delhi
Questions
When is Lakshmi Puja in 2026?
The Diwali Lakshmi Puja is on Sunday 8 November 2026 in New Delhi, with the muhurat 5:55 pm to 7:51 pm. Pick your city at the top of this page for its own date and muhurat.
Which day is Lakshmi’s?
Friday, Shukravar, across most of India. In Bengal many homes worship her on Thursdays, and in Odisha and Maharashtra on the Thursdays of Margashirsha.
What is Lakshmi’s mantra?
The best known is Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah, often chanted 108 times on a mala. Shreem is her seed sound (bija).
Which flower is offered to Lakshmi?
The lotus above all, the flower she sits on and holds. Red and pink flowers are offered too.
Why is she shown with elephants and an owl?
The elephants pouring water (Gaja Lakshmi) stand for rain, fertile land and royal blessing. The owl, her mount in Bengal and the east, sees in the dark: wisdom with wealth, and a warning not to be blinded by it.
What are the eight forms of Lakshmi?
Ashta Lakshmi: Adi, Dhana, Dhanya, Gaja, Santana, Dhairya, Vijaya and Vidya Lakshmi. The list varies a little by tradition.