There is none in the world who does not aspire for wealth
and riches in one form or other. Sage Vasishta says to Rama “dhana marjaya kakuthsa dhanamoola midam jagat antaram nabhijanami nirdhanascha
mrutasyacha”—Earn money ; Money is the root cause of this world; There is no
difference between the man without money
and a dead person! The bestower of wealth is Goddess Mahalakshmi. By worshipping her and deriving Her Grace even
a pauper can become a crorepathi. Bereft
of Her Grace a rich person becomes a pauper! Our great sages have composed a
number of sthothras eulogizing the Goddess. Sri Lakshmi Ashtottharam and Sri
Lakshmi Sahasra namam are some of the famous stothras. Such compositions can be
recited with devotion by the common man to acquire her Grace. It was Sri Adi
Sankara who brought a rain of golden goose berries ( Nellikkai)into the home of
the poor woman who had nothing to offer him except that small fruit! Sankara
chanted the famous “ Kanaka Dhara Stavam” when the Goddess rained golden
gooseberries in torrents!! I give below the meaning of a few important slokas
onGoddess Sri Mahalakshmi describing her attributes in praise.
“ Vande
padmakaramprasannavadanam-----I offer my pranams to sri Mahalakshmi with lotus
in her hand and benign face, the bestower of prosperity and riches, one who grants
abhaya—fearlessnss with her hands; She is adorned with various kinds of
precious stones and ornaments , one who grants boons as per the desires of her
devotees; She is attended by the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswara! She
has beside her the fabulous treasures of ‘sankha and padma’
“ Oh Devi! With lotus eyes and hands, in spotless
white, in fragrant garlands, O Bhagavathi, the consort of Lord Vishnu, dear to
my heart bestower of prosperity to all the three
worlds, shower thy benign Grace on me! ( Sri Lakshmi Ashtottharam)
“ I offer my
pranams toSri MahaLakshmi, the very form of Maya or illusion, the one
established on Sri Peetam and worshipped
by the Devas and wielding the conch. disc
and the mace in her hands! (Sri Maha Lakshmi Ashtakam)”
According to Purana, Sage SUKA narrates to Sounaka and other sages a great vratha that brings
prosperity and wel lbeing to all women in society. Lord Siva narrates it to Devi
Parvathi in answer to her question. A very chaste, pious and devoted woman
CHARUMATI by name resided in a place called Kundina. She was so religious,devoted and good mannered that Goddess Lakshmi liked
her very much and wanted to shower her Grace! One night, the Goddess appeared
in Charumati’s dream and praised by her, directed her to perform
S
“ Lakshmim
kshira samudra raja tanayam Sri Ranga Dhameswarim---“Oh Goddess Lakshmi Devi! you
are the darling daughter of the King of the sea of milk! You are the beautiful
spouse of Lord Ranganatha! All heavenly damsels are your servants! You are the
light of all worlds! Your gentle captivating smile has restored the lost
prosperity and grandeur of the creator Brahma, Indra, King of heaven and Lord
Siva who holds river Ganga on his matted hair! You are head of all the three
worlds! You are born out of the lotus flower! You are the sweetheart of Mukunda—Lord Vishnu!
ri Varalakshmi Vratam on the second
Friday of the month of Sravana! Charumathi was pleasantly surprised
She informed her kith and kin and performed the Vratam on that Friday as
per the instructions of the Goddess. Soon after the Vratam, even as Charumati and
others were prostrating, they were all
bedecked with gold and diamond ornaments to the utter amazement of the
onlookers! Charumati’s house suddenly became almost a palace with all its
luxuries! They believed that it was all because of the Grace of Sri Varalakshmi!
Thus this Vratam became popular and is being performed even today in Andhra,
Karnataka other states.
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