Lakshmi · Her eight forms

Ashta Lakshmi

Lakshmi in eight forms, each giving one kind of wealth: from grain and children to courage, victory and knowledge. Meet each one in the order the Ashta Lakshmi Stotram sings them.

The stotram: Eight verses; One for each form
Sung on: Fridays; And at the Diwali puja

Tap a petal to go to her verse.

Ashta Lakshmi Stotram

The Ashta Lakshmi Stotram praises each of the eight forms in a verse of its own, from Adi Lakshmi to Dhana Lakshmi, and every verse ends by asking the beloved of Madhusudana, Vishnu, to protect the one who sings. Closing verses then bow to all eight together.

It is a modern hymn, commonly credited to U. V. Srinivasa Varadachariyar, a Sri Vaishnava scholar who is said to have written it in Chennai in the early 1970s. It spread across India on cassettes in the 1980s; some sources call it traditional.

Verse 1 of 8

The first

Adi Lakshmi

The first and oldest Lakshmi, the mother from whom the other forms come.

In the stotram: Her verse praises her as the sister of the moon, honoured by sages, sweet of speech and the giver of liberation.
How she is shown: Often shown with four arms, holding lotuses, her other two hands raised in blessing and in giving.
Her name mantra: Om Adi Lakshmyai Namah

All eight forms

Verse 2 of 8

Grain

Dhanya Lakshmi

The harvest and the food on the table, so that no home goes hungry.

In the stotram: Her verse praises her as born of the ocean of milk, the very form of the Vedas, who washes away the faults of this age.
How she is shown: Dressed in green, holding sheaves of paddy, sugarcane and bananas: the harvest in her hands.
Her name mantra: Om Dhanya Lakshmyai Namah

All eight forms

Verse 3 of 8

Courage

Dhairya Lakshmi

Courage and steadiness in hard times; also called Veera Lakshmi.

In the stotram: Her verse praises her as Vaishnavi and Bhargavi, quick to answer prayer, who takes away the fear of worldly life.
How she is shown: Dressed in red and armed, with the discus, conch, bow and arrow, trident and sword: the strength to stand firm.
Her name mantra: Om Dhairya Lakshmyai Namah

All eight forms

Verse 4 of 8

Power

Gaja Lakshmi

Bathed by two elephants: rain, fertile land, cattle and royal strength.

In the stotram: Her verse pictures her among chariots, elephants, horses and foot soldiers, worshipped by Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma.
How she is shown: Seated on a lotus between two elephants, who pour water over her from pots held in their trunks.
Her name mantra: Om Gaja Lakshmyai Namah

All eight forms

Verse 5 of 8

Children

Santana Lakshmi

The gift of children, and the family carried on.

In the stotram: Her verse calls her the enchantress who rides Garuda and holds the discus, an ocean of good qualities who wishes the world well.
How she is shown: Holding a child on her lap, with a sword and a shield in two of her hands to guard it.
Her name mantra: Om Santana Lakshmyai Namah

All eight forms

Verse 6 of 8

Victory

Vijaya Lakshmi

Success in every undertaking, and in the struggles of life.

In the stotram: Her verse praises her seated on the lotus, giving the good path, worshipped daily with kumkum and honoured by Shankara’s hymn of the golden rain.
How she is shown: Seated on a lotus with eight arms, dressed in red and bearing weapons: victory in every field.
Her name mantra: Om Vijaya Lakshmyai Namah

All eight forms

Verse 7 of 8

Knowledge

Vidya Lakshmi

Learning and wisdom, the wealth that no one can take away.

In the stotram: Her verse calls her Bharati, bright with jewels and smiling in peace, who ends sorrow and gives the nine treasures.
How she is shown: Dressed in white like Saraswati, holding lotuses, her other hands in blessing.
Her name mantra: Om Vidya Lakshmyai Namah

All eight forms

Verse 8 of 8

Wealth

Dhana Lakshmi

Money and gold, and the means to live well and give to others.

In the stotram: Her verse rings with drums and conches, and praises her as honoured by the Vedas and Puranas and showing the Vedic path.
How she is shown: Dressed in red, holding the discus, the conch, a pot of gold and a lotus, with coins pouring from her hand.
Her name mantra: Om Dhana Lakshmyai Namah

All eight forms

The closing verses

They bow to the eight together: the giver of every wish, who lives on Vishnu’s chest and gives her devotees liberation, and they ask for her blessing on all who recite the hymn.

How to recite it

Light a lamp before an image of Lakshmi, on a Friday evening or any day.
Offer a flower, then recite the eight verses in order, from Adi Lakshmi to Dhana Lakshmi, and the closing verses.
Each verse ends with the name of its form: the line that changes from verse to verse.
End with Om Jai Lakshmi Mata as you wave the lamp, and share the prasad.

Where the eight are worshipped together

Besant Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Ashtalakshmi Temple

Built by the sea in the 1970s, with a shrine for each of the eight forms set on several levels, so devotees climb from one form to the next.

Questions

Who wrote the Ashta Lakshmi Stotram?

It is commonly credited to U. V. Srinivasa Varadachariyar, a Sri Vaishnava scholar in Chennai, in the early 1970s; it spread on cassettes in the 1980s. Some sources call it traditional.

When is the Ashta Lakshmi Stotram sung?

Many families sing it on Fridays, at the Diwali Lakshmi Puja and on Varalakshmi Vratam, and some every day after lighting the lamp.

Which form of Lakshmi should I pray to?

Each form is prayed to for her own gift: Dhana Lakshmi for wealth, Santana Lakshmi for children, Vidya Lakshmi for learning. The stotram is sung whole, though, because the eight are one goddess.

Why do lists of the eight forms differ?

Traditions name the eight a little differently: some have Aishwarya, Bhagya or Rajya Lakshmi in place of one of these. This page follows the stotram.